


PATCHWORK SOUL - NEW MEDIUM

by TakaiWolf



Series: PATCHWORK SOUL Series [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Earth, Alternate History, Alternate Universe, Alternate W. D. Gaster, Bad Chapter Names, Bad Puns, Big Brother Papyrus (Undertale), Big Brother Sans (Undertale), Big Sister Undyne (Undertale), Determination (Undertale), Dogs, Dreamsharing, Ensemble Cast, Epilogue, Established Alphys/Undyne (Undertale), Female Chara (Undertale), Female Frisk (Undertale), Found Family, Gen, Good W. D. Gaster, Healing, Homesickness, Humans, Long, Magic, Magic Science, Magic-User Frisk (Undertale), Major Illness, Medieval, Monster History, Monsters, Music-Based Magic, Original Character(s), POV Alternating, POV Multiple, POV Third Person, Parent Toriel (Undertale), Parent W. D. Gaster, Physical Changes, Platonic Relationships, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route - "I want to stay with you.", Purple Soul (Undertale) - Freeform, Redemption, Rescue Missions, Reunions, Road Trips, SAVED Asriel Dreemurr, Scientist W. D. Gaster, Self-Discovery, Self-Doubt, Sequel, Skeletons, Slice of Life, Soul Fusion, Sun Bro Papyrus, Teacher Toriel (Undertale), Teamwork, Time Bending, Time Shenanigans, Time Travel, Time Void, Transformation, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, Universe Travel, Void Monsters, W. D. Gaster Being An Asshole, Worldbuilding, ancient past, celestial magic, universe hopping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2020-12-07 21:03:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 54
Words: 557,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20982344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakaiWolf/pseuds/TakaiWolf
Summary: DIRECT SEQUEL/EPILOGUE TO “PATCHWORK SOUL” — 3 months later. A family of monsters and their little human kid try to start life anew beyond the confines of a giant mountain. Maybe they find something. Maybe they lose something. Time flows ever onwards, but sometimes it goes sideways, and it's heavier than they thought.[Please read PATCHWORK SOUL, know all major canon timelines, and the music of Undertale before reading for the best experience.][An extended AU of what happens after a specific time kid's True Pacifist ending.]





	1. THE SUN IS SHINING

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a member of a SFW-only Undertale fanfic Discord server where there's a bunch of people much cooler than me who also have stories, so feel free to swing by if you wanna talk about my story or just wanna talk to a bunch of people about Undertale stuff or find more stuff to read.  
https://discord.gg/eNcZMYJ

* * *

It had never really been a realistic prospect for the underground to clear overnight. Monsters took a look at the surface. There were celebrations, jubilation, and then a realization that this might take a bit more planning than first thought. That was overwhelmingly okay with the two kids mostly responsible for the overhaul of existence, though. Settling down at home in a certain snowed in town in the meanwhile was the best possible outcome for the exhausted, fractured-souled pair and their family.

King Asgore was confident in his people and their sun-filled future, though, and the town layout designing began. Put up to a vote, the name Starhome—in honour of the beautiful view from the mountaintop— was chosen, resoundingly beating Newest Home and Mt. Mountain, just as it had a rewound year ago.

They made contact with the humans. At first, it was just via radio: a brief, friendly announcement that the mountain had been opened up. Then, Asgore talked to one of their leaders on the phone. Then, through a video chat. Finally, a week later, they organized a meeting in the mountain, at Asgore's home.

It was a lot like the first time. This round, however, he had an uncanny feeling that he knew how it should go. Frisk did, too, and this time she brought Papyrus with her as well. Though Asgore had been uncertain, Frisk was sure he would really point things in the right direction much more quickly than the first version.

As she expected, the human leader and the people he brought with him seemed only mildly startled by Asgore. They had seen images of him in their picture books forever, after all. A lady even brought one for him to sign, a short children's story called _The King Under the Mountain_ that portrayed him in a surprisingly benevolent light. He read it with her, chuckled, and offered them all tea.

The humans, in fact, had come bearing an apology. The war had been so long ago, and things had changed so much over the centuries that the outside world wasn't even sure if the monsters were still alive or how to contact them. Magic had drained from the world up top. There were no longer any red-souled wizards. There was even a significant amount of the population that thought that the monsters may never have been real at all. The humans (for the most part) were happy, actually, to get to see them again.

The envoys had been surprised, though, to see the human child joining the King after introductions had been made and tea and cakes had been served, and downright alarmed by the tall skeleton that walked in holding her hand. But, as Frisk thought, her brother's enthusiasm and energy infected the humans like a cold. He offered them pasta, assuring them that magic food was delicious, and shared a couple of his graph-paper puzzles, essentially derailing the meeting and turning it into a game. The human leader couldn't keep up his stoic front as his advisors, in turn, couldn't help but try to solve the theoretical switch puzzles, "no flying or snow pants allowed". Papyrus wooed them in minutes.

Frisk, of course, received some questions as well, about living with monsters; how she had been treated. She explained that she was an orphan and had fallen, an "accident", and how she'd been adopted and cared for. That monsters would never hurt a human without cause. That soul-stealing was essentially a myth. Asgore got a little sweaty-looking and excused himself as she fibbed on his behalf. But, she explained, very honestly, that even the monsters with the biggest claws and the sharpest fangs really just wanted to be friends. That skeletons and ghosts weren't scary; didn't mean any harm. Papyrus was living proof of that. She did have to explain, though, that he wasn't made of a dead human— the thought of which absolutely horrified him— and that skeleton monsters were just born like that.

Everyone at the meeting went home happy. Things wouldn't be over in a day, but it certainly sped things along a great deal. What had taken almost six months before was almost over in two and a half.

\- - -

In the meanwhile, Asriel and Toriel moved into the skeleton household almost immediately after the barrier fell. Sans didn't care where he slept, so gave up his room to Toriel. Though the place suddenly seemed a little crowded, it all felt very right.

Though building her school again was near the top of Toriel's mind, the family's attention had to remain squarely focussed on Asriel and Frisk for the time being. Their souls were unlike any in recorded history. Testing every day in Alphys's lab saw them trying hard to recombine themselves. Determination knitted into every facet of the Prince's new soul, so strong that, for a while, Frisk had to act as a conduit for it. It would burn any monster in direct contact with it. Alphys had a few new, orange scars on her fingers as proof.

Physical changes came along with progress. Asriel got worse before he got better, his form becoming more beastly as the determination seeped through his new soul to bind it properly. Two months from its creation, he was a hulking, knuckle-walking, sabre-toothed beast with huge, curling horns, and white irises on black sclera, who had to sleep exclusively on the living room floor. That is, until one day, about a week later, there was a shift. The soul finished remaking itself, snapped into place, and Asriel woke up just a smidgeon taller than Frisk. Pale, mist green eyes; adorable as ever, with the only physical changes remaining being the stripes on his face and back, and that his horns had begun to show a bit longer than his age would suggest. It was a relief if only for the sake of standing-room.

Frisk's transition was simultaneous, but less dramatic in the sense that she certainly did not grow to almost eight feet tall. She did, however, grow horns for a little over a week. Nubs at first, they sprouted a few inches, developing a faint, lyre-shaped curve, and then receded into nothing just as she was starting to come to terms with having them. She also turned blue for three and a half days, which— after the initial shock— gave Sans ample material for jokes. Mostly, though, her soul was readjusting. Already more attuned to monster magic than a regular human soul, it seemed to be coping just fine with only a few hiccoughs along the way.

That wasn't the only thing that changed for Frisk, though. Despite all the good they had done, the glowing handprints of magic and memories had faded from her face ever since the day the barrier had broken. With them went the borrowed powers of her brothers. Papyrus was probably more disappointed than she was, though. The invisible lines between her fingers hadn't lit up since then, either, and though the circular scar was still on her back, it hadn't glowed again.

The hairline cracks in Asriel's soul and Frisk's sparkling constellation points were rarely visible anymore, and showed less and less the more time passed. Only a great effort revealed them— a shining white, sometimes prickled with a faint spectrum of colours. But, their souls were solid now, even though Asriel's glowed red with determination: a fractured, mirror image of Frisk's.

No one was entirely sure what had happened, but the chunks missing from those who had given soul fragments to Frisk had started to come back on their own. Alphys began keeping track when she realized the missing piece of her finger started, very slowly, to reappear. It seemed to be exposure to Frisk's magic, but gaps missing from Sans, Papyrus, and Toriel, were nothing more than a memory within the first month. They weren't regrown pieces, though: the energy acted as if it had never been gone in the first place.

Alphys theorized that it might be that Frisk's magic was unconsciously turning the souls backwards in time. Sans was the only one who didn't seem the least bit surprised. The others took a little longer, from what Alphys guessed was less natural exposure. Sans actually seemed a little disappointed that the hole in his hand closed up, but Alphys was pretty relieved to have the rest of her pinkie back.

\- - -

Three months in: though some monsters had already begun to set up outside— including Mettaton, who had raced to plunk down what would eventually become his television studio and Alphys's new laboratory— it was going to be about a month or two more before Frisk or any of her friends would build their homes on the surface. The last time, there had been a bit of scramble and, as a result, the initial "surface CORE", or SCORE, construction was plagued with issues and setbacks. This time, Alphys was taking no chances, going over the original CORE by the inch to make sure she had every little detail she would need before she moved to turn it down to almost zero, a necessary step before connecting the SCORE to it on the mountaintop in order to power what would become the city-state of Starhome.

This afternoon, though, she was out hiking the mountainside, camping with Undyne for a much needed break. Mettaton would be hosting a big surface party soon, humans included, and she was expected to help out. After days of spending almost every waking hour staring at schematics and computer screens, being dragged away from the artificial glow was really what she needed. She still posted update photos of just about everything every ten minutes or so, though. Campfire cooking, exploring the forests; jumping off a small waterfall over Undyne's head to play in the river under a free and open sky. Frisk had been keeping track throughout the day.

She was on the surface this afternoon, too. The roadmap of Starhome was laid out on the ground, a little different than how it had been, and a few houses had already been erected though, as scattered as they were, made the whole place look very quaint and rural. It wouldn't always, though. Eventually, the main bulk of the city would come to look a lot like New Home had, with merloned walls and the occasional domed roof. If things went like last time, it was the outskirts that would eventually end up looking more quaint and cozy, like Snowdin but with a lot more space.

The sun was shining, warm and inviting even as it began to fall towards the horizon, though the ground was damp from rain hours past. Now that she had proper shoes, Frisk quite enjoyed the squishing sound as she walked on the grass. She double-checked a photo on her phone— one of a house that looked like it was a boulder carved into a rectangular cottage, with some crystals jutting out here and there and a waterfall pouring down its side and into a pond in the front yard.

Frisk put a hand to her eyes and squinted into the distance. She could have sworn she saw a shimmery, pink sheen blink back at her. She turned to Sans and held up her phone, then pointed at a small, stoney lump in the distance. He took it and stared at the screen.

"Whatcha think?" she asked.

"Think you found it," he said.

She grinned and grabbed his hand.

Down the hill, they arrived at exactly the house from the photo, except for more crystals had sprouted from its left side, glimmering bright in the sunshine. Before they even crossed the yard, the door flew open and they were greeted by a beaming, rocky ram monster.

"You found it!" Flint said. "Have any trouble?"

"Nah," Sans said.

"Frisk!" A tiny little rockram shot out of the house around her father's legs and glommed onto the kid, squeezing her tightly. "You came! Come on, you gotta see my room, okay? It's brand new!" She hopped back, the blue stones on her cheeks glowing faintly, and she grabbed her hand to drag her inside.

"Okay, okay!" Frisk laughed.

As she was whisked away, Flint beckoned Sans towards the door. He had a big grin on his face.

"Good t'see you again," he said.

"Yeah, same," the skeleton replied. "How is she?"

"Like night and day. Could hardly believe it," he said. "Come on, come in."

The inside of the house was furnished like a cozy cottage, decorated with shells, chunks of crystal, and vinyl records. The little fish boy was setting the table and his mother laid out a casserole dish filled with something purple.

"I'm so glad you two could make it!" she said, grinning upon seeing him. She crossed the room quickly and wrapped him in a hug. "How have you been? Are you planning on moving up soon?"

"Eh, maybe in the next month or three. We got a spot; we're okay with bein' in the back end of things. Looks like you got this place all put together pretty quick," Sans said.

"It was a lot of work, aye, but worth it," Flint said. "You hear they're openin' up the way back into Home? Heard it was supposed to be for the scientists or somethin'."

"For all the eggheads," Sans said. "Yeah. Should be helpful for the SCORE, too, or whatever."

"I was a wee kid when I saw it last," he said. "Interested in takin' a look myself!"

"Hey, Sans? Saaaans?" Adaro darted over and grabbed onto his sleeve. "Okay, like, you know more about this place, right? The sky can't suck you up, right?"

"What, like a vacuum?" Sans tilted his head. "Nah."

"So when the world goes upside down, we'll be okay, though, right?" he insisted. "We won't fall off?"

"And what, go spinnin' off into space?" He grinned. "Nah. Gravity stuff. Same thing that makes you fall back down when you jump."

Adaro grinned brightly and punched the air with both fists. "That's awesome!"

Lari and Frisk returned shortly and, with a few more table settings, everyone sat down. Naiad gladly served them all the purple something—that ended up tasting like some very good potatoes— and some crispy fish alongside sweet, leafy vegetables. Flint was hyuking it up about all the novel things they'd seen above ground. The clouds rushing past, the birds twittering in the bright-leaved trees, the casual breeze; the little bugs in the grass.

The whole family was so exuberant and excited. Frisk couldn't help but catch a little of that enthusiasm as she listened to them. Naiad really did look so much better here. There was an iridescent shimmer to her scales that had been absent beneath the ground. Adaro, too, had a little glimmer of blue and green in the purple of his scales in the right light.

She was happy to see them— happy for them, too, but she couldn't keep her mind all the way there. This wasn't the last meeting she had to go to today, though the final one wasn't going to be as nice as this, she could bet.

"Frisk, sweetie, is something the matter?" Naiad's voice cut through her thoughts. She smiled gently. "Is it the veggies? It's alright if you don't like them."

"Oh, no no, they're great." Frisk realized, with hot embarrassment on her face, that she'd been nudging her food around with her chopsticks for a while. "S-Sorry."

Sans gave her a knowing look. She took a quick bite and Lari leaned over to gently grab her sleeve.

"What's your favourite surface thing, Frisk?" she asked.

"Um… Stars, I guess. And wind," she said.

"But you were up here before, right? Have you seen more? Like, from far away?" Adaro asked.

"I guess… Oh! The ocean's good. You guys should go there," she said.

"Ah, yes! I've always heard such wonderful things about it," Naiad said. "But, Frisk? Are you feeling okay?"

"Ah, it's just… I, umm…" She wasn't sure how to explain.

"Some treaty finalization thing with the humans tonight," Sans said. "She's worried because they've, uh, taken a bit of an interest in her."

"Oh? Eh… Why?" Flint asked with a blank look on his face.

"They think she's one of them." He shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Nothin' they can do either way."

Frisk knew he'd been reading their laws ever since the first day they'd ever brought her up in their meetings with Asgore and Toriel. It wouldn't matter, she'd assured herself. Asgore'd declared her a citizen as soon as it was relevant to do so, and it wasn't like she even had a record of existing anywhere else. It'd be fine. Still, it put a knot in her stomach. It also didn't help that she'd been dreaming about a human coming in and dusting some people precious to her through some horrible misunderstanding. Not even her subconscious would let her thoughts go elsewhere.

"So what's that about, anyway?" Flint asked, a furrow in his heavy brow. "They lookin' for your folks?"

"It doesn't matter." Frisk almost had an edge to her voice— she couldn't help it. "Even if they do, I don't care and I don't want to see them."

Naiad smiled sympathetically. Sans didn't seem concerned. He took a swig of his drink.

"They won't find a thing." He sounded utterly confident.

The kid smiled slightly. That always made her feel better, even if she wasn't sure she believed it.

"Ah, don't worry." Flint waved his hand and smiled wide. "You're such a good kid! I'm sure everythin'll work out just fine for ya! Besides, don'tcha got all those superpowers? You'll be fine."

"Yeah!" Adaro agreed, grinning his bright, pointy teeth. "You're super tough! Doesn't matter what they do, you're a monster like us now! Even if you're not!"

They all seemed so earnest about it. Smiling at her like they believed in her with all their souls.

"Y-Yeah. Yeah. I guess you're right," Frisk said.

\- - -

Lari had a new game she wanted to show off. It was funny to Sans how bright and enthusiastic that little rockram got around Frisk compared to her normally sheepish manner. It was even funnier to him that his kid was actually taller than that little monster— seemed, somehow, to be the older and more mature of the two. Maybe that wasn't a surprise, though. She was the shortest one in their house and she was still fiercely protective of everyone there, even if that sharp tone didn't come out unless someone mentioned the surface and some hypothetical missing family to her.

None of this distracted him, though. No, he'd been focussed on the meeting with the human Ambassador for days, now. He was almost grateful that Asriel and Papyrus were currently occupied helping make something for Mettaton's party so he could focus on the the emotional wellbeing of only one person, for now.

He wasn't worried— not really. He knew with every note of magic in his bones that nobody would ever find someone related to her in the human cities. He'd told her a dozen times: she was his sister. Even so, she still carried a lump of guilt in her sometimes, some misplaced, heavy thing that turned her stomach and made her fingers shake.

Sans watched over the kids for a little while until the time they told Asgore they'd meet him started to creep up on them. He excused them early, his eye kept closely on Frisk. She seemed in relatively good spirits despite everything, and wasn't bothered when he suggested walking the "town" a little. He used the excuse that he wanted to get a lay of the new roads. Not untrue— he couldn't shift himself well without knowing an area, and the patterns on the ground helped.

"S'nice, huh?" he said as they wandered. "How you feelin'?"

"Okay," she said. She had her hands stuffed in her pockets and she looked a little distant, but she smiled tepidly at him. "It's always nice to see them."

Sans nodded. Maybe it was a bad time to ask, but he'd been wondering ever since they'd started visiting the family. "Not too hard with Adaro?"

"N… No. Nah. I mean…" She smiled a little brighter, though there was sadness in her eyes. "He doesn't have a reason to hate me this time."

"Wasn't your fault back then," he said.

She shrugged. "I can see it his way, though," she said. "I mean… Okay, maybe this isn't, like, good for my brain, but I counted the days and—"

"I know. She went down a day before it did. It was rough."

"I know!" she said loudly. "Jeez, like, that would suck so much I can't even…! Ugh."

"Still wasn't right, what he said," Sans said.

"…Doesn't matter," she said. "Didn't happen."

The skeleton nodded. Frisk took a deep breath and then puffed it out as a sigh. Her shoulders slumped and she went quiet for a while.

Sans watched the kid closely. Her eyes were up and alert. It was like she was waiting for something. She walked like a wary cat.

There was one bus-stop in the area, coming off a dirt road at the edge of a tree line on the town's border. The only real link to the human world from here, connecting their newly made city-state to the nearest country. There was a small general store set up nearby, as well as the house of the only humans in town. They were an old, retired couple, insistent on spending their twilight years as far from the bustle of the big city as possible. They had certainly not chosen poorly.

The bus, painted a friendly pink and blue, was just up the road, in fact. Frisk paused and clung to her brother's sleeve, edging behind him slightly as it rolled up and wheezed to a halt at the wooden bus shelter near the tall, blue signpost. When all that offloaded was those old folks with armfuls of grocery bags and a busload of Tems, the kid relaxed slightly.

"Chill," Sans said.

"I'm trying," she whined. She let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged. She pouted and clenched her fingers into his sleeve, watching as the dozen Tems waddled swiftly into the general store like a fluffy tidal wave. Sans levelled his finger at the place.

"Want anything?"

"We just ate," she said.

"So?"

"And that's like, a million Tems, I'm gonna sneeze to death," she said.

He snickered and patted her on the shoulder. "Alright. Gimme a sec. Might get a bit hairy in there."

"Pffft." She folded her arms and held back asking him to hurry as he wandered off across the road.

After a minute, the bus rumbled and pulled forward past her to turn around and then was off, heading back to the human world, kicking up a spray of dirt behind it. Frisk crossed to the wooden bus shelter and took a seat to wait. Her feet dangled from the bench and she listened to the birdsong coming from the woods.

The sound of an engine soon rattled the air again and a bright orange sports car zoomed by, stopping just a little ways away with a screech. The kid bristled and leaned forward to put a foot on the ground, only sitting back when she saw a lumpy slime monster with eyes on stalks roll out of the back seat. A deer smoking a candy cigarette and a pink crocodile with shaggy red hair popped out of the front. The latter pulled out her phone and held it up to the car, where it sparkled, dissolved into glitter, and spiralled right into the tiny device.

The three teenage monsters aimed themselves back towards the mountain. The slime caught sight of Frisk with his wiggly eyes and twisted all the way around to wave. She'd never met him before— or any of them, for that matter— but she waved back. He bounced and nudged his friends. The crocodile stopped to look and then cupped her hands around her mouth as if to amplify her voice.

"HEY KID, THANKS," she shouted.

"Happy to help!" Frisk called back.

Seeming satisfied, the monsters continued on their way back towards the mountain. Frisk let out a sigh of relief and sat back on the bench. She didn't know why her nerves were so shot. If it had been humans, they probably wouldn't have actually bothered her, either. She'd have to remember that trick when they got Papyrus a car at the new house. They could maybe have a proper guest room instead of a garage-slash-guest room this time.

She peeked at the time on her phone. The meeting was soon, but still enough time to breathe in between. Maybe that was worse, though.

Heavy footsteps caught her attention, as did a gravelly laugh. She looked up to see an old turtle smiling down at her with yellowed teeth, a grocery bag slung over his arm.

"You youngsters, always with your nose in your phones," he teased. "Back in my day, we only had rocks to keep us busy!"

"Hey, Gerson," Frisk said. "What'd you do with those?"

"Threw 'em. Skipped 'em. Chewed 'em." He guffawed and sat down beside her, letting out an ancient wheeze and a chuckle. "How you been, kid? Likin' the sky? Hah! Guess it hasn't been that long since you seen it, right?"

"Guess not," she said. "I dunno. It's good. Everyone seems happy. How about you?"

"Mm. Well. Never thought I'd see it again, that's for sure," he said. "Didn't realize how much I wanted to. Saw your brother in the shop. Thought you hadn't moved out yet."

"Oh! We didn't," she said. "We're just visiting friends."

Gerson nodded. "Glad it all worked out how it did," he said.

"Me too," she said.

"Hey. I'd like t'ask ya somethin'," he said. "It's been on my mind for a long time. So. I know what you and the Prince did for us without actually seein' it. How's that work?"

Frisk smiled. "You know, you're the first person to actually ask me that?" She tented her fingers. "Long story. Sans has special memory magic. When Az took every monster soul to do the barrier thing, that magic helped everyone keep a little memories from then so they'd understand why we hoped we could get everyone to let Az keep just a tiny piece of their souls so he could come back to life properly and stuff."

"Aah, I see, I see." Gerson pulled a notepad from his jacket and nodded to himself. "I'm writin' a history book, see? I'd love to pick your little human brain about some of this stuff. I mean, heck, I saw some crazy things in the Before The Mountain Ages, but nothing like a tiny human kid bringing a dead prince back to life through the power of love and all that. And breaking a centuries-old spell in one go."

"It wasn't just me, it was a whole bunch of people," she said.

"And yet nothin' started until you got here." He smiled. "You're a weird kid, ain't ya? But you're a good egg. Thanks for humourin' this old coot."

The time-worn turtle creaked back onto his feet and stretched his old bones. He turned his head and raised his hand to wave at someone. Frisk leaned around him and saw Sans ambling back towards them. Her eyes instantly lit up. The monster patted her shoulder with a heavy hand.

"Might send a list of questions for ya to your mum," he said.

Frisk stuck her thumbs up and the old turtle went off slowly on his way. His new house wasn't in sight but Frisk knew that it was in a cave off the beaten path, at the edge of river that ran down from the mountain.

"Good chat?" Sans asked as he got close.

"Yeah, not bad," she said as she slipped off the seat. She sneezed and covered her nose.

"Whoops." Sans laughed and he took off his hoodie. He emptied the pockets into her hands— a bunch of candy bars— and then stashed it in the dimension box on his phone. "Hope you're not _furry-ous_."

She laughed and gently nudged him with her elbow. He patted her head and tilted his down the road. She nodded and followed him as he stared to wander. She shoved the candy into her pockets, but he instantly reached in and took one. He offered it to her. It was butterscotch flavour in chocolate. She took it gratefully.

"Feelin' any better?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I dunno. I guess?" She gnawed on the end of the chocolate bar. She broke off a piece from the other side and offered it to him, but he shook his head. "I dunno, I… Eh…" She pouted.

"Talk to me," he said.

"It's just whining, forget it," she said sheepishly.

"Oh, my favourite." He cut his eyes at her and grinned.

Frisk laughed tiredly and she rubbed the back of her head. "I… I guess I just wish… I wish I hadn't done whatever the heck I did that made them pay attention to me this time," she said quietly.

"You'll be okay," he said.

"Nuh-uh, I bet some weird important human is gonna show up with their dumb stuff and be like, _oh, wow, a human, she should live with other humans, let's just cause trouble for no reason even though it's not like we cared when she did live near humans_," she grumbled.

"They got nothin' on you," Sans said. "No laws say humans get to tell humans what to do because they're human. I checked."

"At least that's not garbage," she muttered quietly. "Ugh. What if I have to run away and go into hiding? W-Will you come with me?"

"Obviously." He shot her a grin. "Hey. You're gonna be fine."

"And what if some mysterious guy comes in and shoots everything up?!" she demanded.

"We just don't let a mysterious guy in," Sans said. "You'd recognize him? I know sometimes the dreams aren't great at faces, but…?"

"Um… I think I could," she said.

"Then you're good. Don't worry," he said. "Wanna go home until, uh…" He checked his wrist as if looking at a watch, though he didn't have one. "Well. We have a little time."

Frisk paused to consider it. Her face soured and she rubbed her eyes. "Shouldn't I do that math test?"

Sans snorted. "Why?" he asked.

"Because…! Because I… I should do something, right? I mean… I should try to keep up, right?" she insisted.

He shrugged. Frisk pouted.

"Um. H-Hey. Mom's not… mad at me, is she?" she asked softly.

"Pffft, no, course not, why?" Sans said with a laugh.

"Well, it's just… She wanted so much to do school stuff and now I…" She put a hand against her chest. Her heart was already fluttering uncomfortably. "I can hardly go."

"Hm. She didn't mention?" he asked.

"Mention what?"

"She was the one who suggested mostly homeschoolin' you for now."

"She was?" Frisk couldn't help but look taken aback. "Really?"

Sans nodded. All of a sudden, the scenery switched. There was rough rock beneath their feet and the view from high up on the mountain. He plunked down, dangling his legs off the edge. He patted the stone by his side and the kid slid over to sit down with him.

"She can see you wanna learn. But, uh, havin' trouble breathin' and pukin' your guts out isn't really helpful, huh?"

"Y-Yeah." She sighed quietly. "I'm really sorry. I didn't used to have all these problems."

"Well, I mean, can't really blame you, can we?" he said.

She shot him a confused look.

"You thought you were safe," he said, "and then had the whole world yanked from under you. That kinda thing isn't just gonna go away in a month or two, y'know? And then this extra crap, well…" He raised his brows.

Frisk's face flushed a little. She nodded and stared out over the edge, looking at the forest spread out beneath them. "Yeah, I guess it is kinda a lot," she admitted. "I never thought about it like that before."

Sans tapped the side of his skull and smiled. "So. Take it easy. School's important, but nobody said you gotta do it at any pace except your own."

"Or yours," she joked, grinning. "I kinda like that, actually, I feel like I actually always get what you're talking about." She gripped onto his arm again. She was kind of glad, truth be told. The more time she could spend with her brothers, the less anxious she felt. She looked up at him hopefully.

He laughed. "Really wanna do that math test, huh?"

She nodded. He smiled fondly and ruffled her hair.

"Alright. Jeez, so responsible," he said. "Guess we have time. Shouldn't be too long, it's for little kids, anyway."

"I am a little kid!" she said.

"Oh, perfect," he said.

He brought her home, pushed aside some books about geography, cooking, and ghosts, sat her at the side table in the living room with a hot chocolate, and tossed the worksheet Toriel had made in front of her. Pretty straightforward stuff. She was finished quickly; he wasn't surprised. He knew exactly how her brain worked, after all.

He plunked down beside her to check it over and she went back to her phone to wait. Asriel and Papyrus were posting photos from the plateau of the mountain, where the party was being held. Asriel, especially, was posting a decent amount of selfies with humans. They all thought he was adorable. The kid couldn't disagree. The stripes on his cheeks suited him.

She sat at the table, tapping her toe against the floor. Her fingers wandered to an old string of texts that kept, on her end, bouncing back. With a lump in her throat, she sent a quick message to an old friend, though, as she knew would be the case, it returned to her with a message that the account didn't exist. It had been the same for months, but that hadn't stopped her.

She tried her best to not look outwardly disappointed and started to browse Alphys's pictures to distract herself. She supposed she'd be up on the plateau soon, too, but for now, she was hanging out with Undyne in the woods, hiking leisurely back up the slope. They probably weren't too far from where she and Sans had just been. Alphys looked good in the sunlight. It gave her a healthy sheen to her scales. Undyne was just like Naiad and Adaro— her scales were iridescent up there, the dark blue shimmering with a little turquoise throughout, and just a tiny bit of red in on her upper arms, neck, and eyelids.

"Take a look at this," she said. She showed him the photo Alphys took of Undyne laughing under one of the waterfalls on the mountainside.

The spray made a faint, misty rainbow in the sunlight. He grinned.

"Pretty cool," he said. He put a final pen stroke on the test sheet and then tapped it with his fingertip. "Okay. Done. Wanna go over it now or later?"

"Now, I think," she said. "Did I do okay?"

"Mostly, yeah," he said.

"Mostly? Uh-oh," Frisk said.

Sans laughed. He pushed the test back to her and she saw he had circled red around some of questions at the bottom. Frisk felt a sinking feeling.

"Really? Those?" she squeaked.

"Welp. We didn't cover division yet," he said. "Guess they did in class, though."

"Division?" She tilted her head. "Um… I don't, uh…"

"I know. Sorry. Shouldda looked through this first. That symbol means division."

"What?! No way. I… I thought the printer just goofed up a plus sign," she said.

Sans laughed. "I figured. I'll give it to you. If it were addition, your answers would be right."

"Phew. But… B-But I don't know… division," she said quietly. "Do I…? Uhh…"

"Ah. Think I got it. I mostly used a kinda slash symbol instead, right? Same process, though." Sans put his chin on his fist thoughtfully for a few seconds. "What you wanna do is usually divide the first number by the second one. This ringin' any bells in there?"

"I… I think maybe I can get it?" she said hopefully.

"This one's easy, right? Six by two." He drew six dots on the paper. "Image that's candy or whatever. You're there with Papyrus. You wanna split it. How many do you each get?"

"Oh, he can have like, five, I only want one," she said quickly.

Sans laughed. "_Sweet_ thought, kiddo, but in this hypothetical, you're goin' half and half. How many?"

"Oh! Easy, three," she said.

"Right. That's division," he said. "Six by two is three. Get it?"

"Ooooh. Okay. It's kinda like backwards multiplying!" Frisk's face lit up.

Sans grinned. He pointed to the next one. "Thirty six by three. So, thirty six candies, you, Paps, and Az, how many do you each get?"

"Twelve!" she said right away.

Sans wrote in the answer for her. "You're a natural, kid. Okay. Last one. Twenty nine by two."

"Um…" Frisk frowned for just a second. "F… Fourteen and… and a half? Is that right? Can there be halves?"

"Sure can. You got it," he said. He looked quite proud as he wrote in her final answer and gave her a perfect score. "Welp. Good job. I'm done as heck for today, you?"

She nodded.

"Thank god," he joked.

Another ten minutes of lazing, and it was time. Sans grabbed the kid and whisked her straight to Asgore's place. The stones and the ground outside it had started to regain the tiniest bit of colour saturation. It was the first timeline they'd ever seen anything like that. The inside of the house was similar. When they stepped in, they were instantly greeted with a hug from Toriel, who was tense despite trying very hard not to look it.

"Thank you for coming," she said. "This shouldn't be long."

She lead them into the living room where Asgore had a small desk set up near the fireplace. It boasted a large computer monitor with blinking, colourful lights on a metal panel on its side and a digital keyboard laid out before him. Currently, he was fiddling with some knobs on rim of the monitor. He turned in his spinning chair— like Alphys's but a few times larger— and shot them a big, fond smile.

"Howdy! I'm glad both of you are here! Frisk, it's so good to see you! I feel like it's been ages," he said. "We're just waiting for the human Ambassador to join us, now. Thank you so much for coming to, well, translate— for lack of a better word— if we need a little cross-species help."

"No problem," Frisk squeaked. She was never sure how helpful she could actually be, but Asgore seemed confident anyways. She pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat off to the side, out of view of the monitor but still able to see it clearly.

Sans patted her shoulder. She took a deep breath. It'd be fine, she told herself. Just a few more talks about borders and gold trades. Then it was done.

The first time this had taken over six months to finalize. Because of the whole monster thing and the lack of any real ability to gather resources from it, no human country really held claim to their mountain home in the current era. In fact, Frisk had learned that a monster kingdom called Annwyn had once been there. The name Mount Ebott, as their mountain had come to be called, was from monsters as well, coming from the name of a mysterious white dog that had, apparently, once lived there in bygone eras. Asgore had no desire to reclaim any lost territory, completely content with the mountain and the unclaimed miles around it. Easy.

Maybe it wasn't so bad, Frisk thought. At the same time as wishing she hadn't been seen, she was still, strangely, a little glad that she had been. Somehow, her talking with the grown-ups on the other side had reassured them of the monsters' peaceful intentions. That was worth her anxiety, wasn't it?

A pleasant chiming noise from Asgore's computer made her jump. Her focus shot to the screen as Sans slipped off towards the kitchen and Toriel positioned herself near the computer as well. Asgore hit a big green button and the whole monitor filled with the live video of a woman. She was probably in her mid-thirties, with a sharp but friendly face. She had jet black hair cut in a shoulder's length bob and pale skin, which made her dark, round eyes stand out brightly through a pair of reading glasses. Frisk had seen her before, though she didn't know her name.

The Ambassador smiled and bowed. "Hello, your Highness, it's good to see you again."

"And you!" he said. "Howdy! I would have thought you'd be at the party tonight."

The woman looked taken aback. "The party? But I… I wouldn't miss our meeting," she assured him swiftly.

"Oh, come on, we can always reschedule," he said. "I'm always around! But Mettaton's event is just for tonight! If you'd like to cut out early to go, please do! I won't be offended, I promise."

"Th… That's very kind of you. Either way, I don't think this should take very long," she said. "Can I assume Lady Toriel is here, too?"

"Yes! She's just off to the side here, as she would probably not fit in past my shoulders!" Asgore said with a laugh. "I also have my Royal Advisor around here somewhere… Uh…" He cast around, eyes roaming for the decidedly absent Sans. "Well! I can't see him at the moment, but he sort of slips in and out like that, I'm sure he'll catch everything."

"Perfect," the woman said. She looked down at some papers in front of her and then back up at him. "So. The issue with the borders is resolved— they'll be internationally recognized, and your proposal regarding the gold trade was well received."

"That's a relief!" he said.

"And have you decided if you plan on building a wall around your lands or not?"

"We did discuss it. I tend to think we have been walled off for too long, actually," Asgore said with a chuckle. "We may do something decorative. Maybe a hedge. Any word on Tideston's port usage?"

The Ambassador smiled and nodded. "They'd like your people to use passports, but otherwise it's a go," she said. "It'll all be listed in detail in the treaties. Aside from that, we're expecting our people will use ID as well, coming into your lands, is that right?"

"Sounds right to me." Asgore grinned. "That's wonderful. Could you send it along?"

"I was just about to suggest the same thing," she said.

She pressed a button somewhere on her side and something inside Asgore's computer buzzed. A blue button lit up, and as he pressed it, a slot opened in the front of the frame and spit out a stack of papers.

"You can take your time to look it over," the Ambassador said.

"I'll read it now," Asgore said. "Honestly! You should go to that party if you can get up there. It should be going all night. It's still early and the busses are still running."

"I might," she said earnestly.

Asgore took the papers in his big paws and knocked their bottoms against the desk to straighten them before laying them flat to read them. He hummed a gentle tune and followed the words along with his finger.

Toriel took a moment to move her chair closer to him and flipped her ears, her brow furrowing ever so slightly. Frisk could tell she was impatient to read it herself.

Asgore toddled through the documents contentedly for a few minutes. A visible bristling of his fur drew their attention and he straightened his back slightly. Toriel looked at him skeptically.

"Wait. Wait, what is…?" Asgore's face went slack-jawed and he looked up at the woman on the monitor with wide eyes. "I am sorry, but I can't sign this."

"Oh! I'm sorry!" She looked alarmed. "Is there something wrong?"

"Hang on. One moment." The big monster got up from his seat and Toriel grabbed his shoulder. He passed her the papers and winced. "Absolutely not."

Toriel snatched up the forms and her eyes shot across them quickly. She began to snarl and her ears pinned back. "That's my daughter!" she barked. "That. Is. MY. Daughter. They have no right—!"

"I know. I know, I know." Asgore raised his hands as if to calm her. "They don't. They…" He looked aghast all of a sudden. His eyes turned on Frisk as if he'd forgotten she was there.

Frisk's vision had long since tunnelled. Her heart was beating up in her ears. She felt like she might be sick.

"Your Highness? Are you there?" the Ambassador asked worriedly, tapping on the screen. "If we've offended, we apologize, but we need to discuss this."

"Oh, we'll discuss it alright," Toriel growled, folding her arms.

Asgore grabbed her paw in both of his and patted her gently. He sighed and returned to his seat.

"The provisions about the rehabilitation of the displaced human," he said. "I need them removed."

"Pardon?" The Ambassador looked perplexed. "What's wrong with them?"

"She's a citizen here. She has a home, a family, and a life, here," Asgore said. "She won't be leaving under any circumstances except by her own choice."

The woman seemed surprised. She drummed her fingers, at a loss for words. She shook her head. "We didn't know. I'm sorry. Of course, we'll send another draft. But…"

"But nothing." Toriel strode up with fire in her eyes. "You will remove it. You will not mention it again. And you will leave my daughter alone."

"Technically, you can't actually tell her what to do, anyway." Sans appeared behind them on Toriel's seat, a large, heavy book open on his knee. "Your, uh, human laws say you can't order her around outside your country if she's not a citizen. You guys don't have any record of her bein' one. I checked."

"Ah! O-Of course!" She shuffled through some papers, her eyes skimming them quickly. "Yes. Okay. That's fine. In that case, we would just like to send someone to talk to her."

"What for?! She's here, you can talk to her through the call," Toriel said.

"I'm sorry." The Ambassador did truly look apologetic. "That's what our policy says in the, um… Well. I guess they thought this situation would be a lot more unlikely than it, uh… I'm sorry." She put her hands up. "Don't worry, I will make this as painless and stress-free as possible."

"But, excuse me, if she was never a citizen of your country anyway…" Asgore said.

"It would be more to just confirm what your skeleton friend has said, in person. That we have no record of her," the woman said quickly. "It wouldn't take long. Just an hour or so. We'd only need passage for one human. It could be me, even, if you'd prefer. Would that be alright, your Majesty?"

Toriel snorted. She shot Asgore a cold look. He sighed.

"One moment, please," he said again. He got to his feet and gently pulled Toriel aside. "If it gets them to leave her alone…"

"We should not give them anything. They have no right," she said.

"That's… true. Um." He turned his eyes on Frisk and looked apologetic. "My child, I'm so sorry about this. I thought I made it clear…"

"M-Me too," she said.

"What d'you wanna do, kiddo?" Sans said. "Tell 'em to buzz off?"

Frisk did. She dearly wanted to tell them to never come here. She wanted to beg her family to stay under the mountain so no human would ever even see her again. But that was no solution. And if it was just the Ambassador, then that might not be so bad. The human she'd dreamt hadn't been a woman.

"…No. No." Frisk sighed. "Let someone come. I'll talk to 'em. Then they'll know they can just leave us alone for good about me."

"Are you sure?" Toriel said.

Frisk nodded. Her mother sighed and she nodded as well. Asgore wilted with relief. He returned to the monitor.

"Okay. One human," he said. "The child has agreed to the meeting with one human."

"Thank you so much, your Highness!" The woman's face lifted instantly and she smiled. She scribbled something quickly on her notes. "Would next week work?"

"Tomorrow," Toriel said.

The woman froze. "T… Tomorrow?"

"The sooner the better," Asgore agreed.

"We, um… That's so sudden. Would it be possible to compromise and do the day after?"

The King looked back at Toriel. Her eyes narrowed.

"C-Considering preparations and travel time is all, your Highness," the Ambassador said swiftly.

"Fine," she said. "No later. And after this, I don't want to hear of this nonsense again."

"We will do our very best," the human said with a shy smile. "Thank you. I'll bring the revised treaty as well and… And we should be good to go! Thank you." She bowed. "Is there anything else urgent or otherwise you'd like to talk about?"

"No. No, that's alright. Thank you," Asgore said.

The woman bowed again and disconnected the call.

The monitor buzzed and cranked out a transcript, like a receipt. Asgore heaved out a long, deep breath and massaged his brow. Toriel growled to herself and then hurried over to wrap Frisk in her arms.

"Nothing will happen," she said quickly.

"Y… Yeah," Frisk said.

"It'll be fine." Sans didn't look worried at all. He held up his large book for a moment and then tossed it onto the floor. "They wouldn't have a leg to stand on even if they did wanna try somethin' sketchy. And, to be honest, that human just kinda looked… I dunno, just sorta normal concerned? I mean, hell, it's not like they know how important you are, kiddo, they're not gonna be real eager to try to break a peace treaty over a human kid just livin' here."

"Y-Yeah. Yeah. You're right, bro," she said. "Yeah. Nothing to worry about." Even so, her chest was getting tight. Her vision was blurring at the edges and she was having trouble catching her breath.

"What's wrong?" Toriel asked gently.

Frisk felt words disappear down her throat. Sans stared at her for a moment and then sighed. He took her by the shoulders.

"I'll take her home," he said.

Before she knew it, Frisk was being plopped right on the couch back in Snowdin, and Sans sat with her, a hand on her head sparking with magic and his eye lighting up.

"It's okay. You're fine," he said. "Breathe deep, okay? In and out. Count it."

Frisk shakily nodded and did like he said. It took her a minute before she could force out a few words. "I… I f-feel like…"

"I know. But you're okay," he said. "Nothin' wrong with you, alright?"

She reached out for him and he cuddled her into a warming hug. She shook and closed her eyes to get away from the grey in her vision. She forced herself to take deep breaths until she wasn't being deafened by her own heartbeat.

"Sorry," she said quietly.

"Don't." Sans gently bonked his brow against her head.

"Wh-What if they find someone?" she asked.

"They won't," he said.

"B-B-But what if…?"

"Hey." He lifted her face and cupped her cheeks, staring into her eyes seriously. "Listen, okay? They won't find anyone. There's no one to find. You're my sister."

"Not even s-some weird distant cousin or—?"

"No. Nobody," he said. "I promise."

He looked so steady. She didn't understand how he could say that with such confidence. Even so, Sans didn't really make promises. She could count the times she'd heard him say that on one hand. He must've been serious, right? Frisk took a deep breath and she nodded.

"Okay. I trust you," she said.

"Good." He grinned and mussed up her hair. "Poor little nerd. Hey. You're gonna be fine. Besides. See how pissed Tori got? She won't let anyone sketchy get within a mile of you."

"Right," she said. "Y-Yeah. Besides. O-One human versus all of us, I think… I think we'd be okay."

"You bet," he said. "And don't forget. She breathes fire. And so does Az, y'know."

Frisk flopped backwards onto the couch and groaned, rubbing her eyes. She sighed deeply. "Hey, I didn't cry this time," she said tepidly.

Sans snickered. He got up and ambled off towards the kitchen. There was a clinking sound, a clunk, and water running. Then, the kettle softly bubbling. Frisk's blood ran cold.

"Sans," she said. "Mom has that conference on the weekend. And… And Az was gonna stay at Asgore's, so… H-He won't be here either."

She heard him clunk something onto the counter. She knitted her fingers and clenched them nervously. He let out a long, deliberate _hmm._

_"_She'll skip it," he said.

"I… I don't want her to," she said. "Not just for me, as… as long as one of you is here…"

Sans sighed. "I'll tell Undyne to escort the human either way, then."

"Thanks, bro," she said. "It… It'll be fine. Right?"

"Course it will," he said.

Frisk sighed. She felt a weird roiling inside her. Her face got hot. "Oh. Oh no."

"What?" Sans asked.

"Aaaaactually might need to puke, um…" She ran out the door as quick as she could.

Sans picked up the trail of her footsteps out in the snow, but could find her just by the awful retching sound she was making. He rounded the corner to the house, going just barely around to the back before he paused and put his back to the wall, giving her a little privacy.

"Here if you need me, kiddo," he said.

She might have mumbled a thank-you, but it was quiet and shrill in between deep breaths. She was muttering something. Cursing, maybe.

"That bad, huh?" he said.

"Uuuugh…" It took almost another whole minute, but she wobbled over to join him, looking dazed and embarrassed. There was a little red flickering in her irises. "It, um… It was that… black stuff again."

"Yeah? Jeez. Sorry," he said. "You okay?"

She nodded. He grabbed the kid around the shoulders and plunked her back into the house where she had been trying to rest before.

He brought over a glass of water and some hot chocolate for her, then dragged a blanket around her to warm her up. She drank slowly. She didn't feel nearly as bad after that.

"You are just havin' a garbage day, huh, kiddo?" he said sympathetically.

"Could be worse," she said with a weak shrug and a smile.

He patted her head and flopped down lazily beside her. She grabbed him and curled up at his side.

They watched TV in a lethargic heap. He grabbed her purple comb and brushed her hair for a while; she almost fell asleep despite her anxiety.

Sans's phone buzzed from somewhere inside the couch. Took him a minute to find it, only to see it was Toriel. He answered.

"I. Am. Furious," she grumbled.

"Hey, Furious, nice to meet ya, I'm Sans," he said.

"…Pffft…" Toriel sighed. She let out a small, quiet laugh. "I needed that. Is she okay?"

"Puked black slime again, otherwise, sure," he said.

"My poor girl…" she muttered. "Alright. So. I'll cancel my trip and I'll—"

"Better not," he said.

"What?" She sounded baffled.

"She said she didn't want anyone to change their plans. And Paps and I will be here. Won't be too bad. I'll get Undyne, it'll be like a dumb party or something."

Toriel was silent for a few seconds. Frisk caught Sans's eye and looked at him certainly. He shrugged slightly.

"Ah… Would it be easier…? If I was not there?" Toriel asked. "I have to admit. I might start a fire or two if I am."

"That'd be hilarious, but it's not about that," Sans said.

"Yes. Yes, I know. She knows it wouldn't actually be a bother, right? She is not a bother," she said. "Tell her that?"

"Will do," he said. "Comin' home?"

"Soon, hopefully. We have a few more things to go over." She sounded tense. "Thank you, Sans."

"Mhm. See ya." He hung up and then leaned over to Frisk. "You hear that?"

"Y-Yeah," she said. Her cheeks flushed and she nestled up with him, exhausted. "Thanks, Sans."

Frisk hadn't hoped for reprieve through her dreams as she dozed off, but she certainly didn't expect to see what she did. The CORE. Blazing and churning a stark, hot orange, so bright in places it hurt to look at.

There was black ooze globbing down onto the rocks from somewhere, as if seeping from the heat-thickened air itself. She felt a sudden pain so intense that everything went numb and cold as if to cope. As the pool began to thicken, a hand that wasn't hers pulled itself out of the sludge. It was a skeleton hand, moving as if it belonged to her, in tandem with thoughts that were her and yet weren't. She had barely enough wherewithal to think about how weird a dream it was as she was carried along in this form that wasn't hers.

The bony fingers gripped tight into the rock and, shaking and rattling, arms aching as she weakly heaved herself out of the sludge. She desperately gasped for air, feeling an anxious pressure everywhere— sluggish, heavy heat passing through an open ribcage. Her vision fogged and she clunked impotently onto her side until a wave of nausea overcame her. She struggled up onto her knees and wretched. More of that pitch slime poured out and it was instantly a relief.

She coughed and heaved voicelessly and clattered back onto the stone, then tried to get an arm under her body to shove herself upright. She saw more bones. Bare leg bones. There was a long, shallow gash carved out of one. It was worth it, for some reason.

She became disoriented suddenly. The dream shifted into colours and then darkness. Heat and cold, and more strange black, ooze. When her eyes refocused, she was heaving back that door to the inner CORE and stumbling back out onto cool, hard tiles. The CORE thrummed deep behind her, but the only other sound to break a silence was the clack of bones against the smooth floor. The next thing she knew, she was clawing her way into an ancient locker, shivering and chattering. Her fingers locked into thick material of an old, tatty leather jacket.

Frisk woke with a start, surrounded by fluff and a smell of fresh popcorn. It took her a moment to process that Asriel was snuggling her groggily. The room was dim, making the TV stain the place with coloured light that was a bit harsh on her eyes. She looked up as her brother yawned wide, showing his big fangs before smacking his lips sleepily and rubbing his heavy eyelids. He had almost nodded off.

"When'd you get back?" she said with a tired smile.

He jolted slightly and then looked down at her with a sympathetic grin on his face. "Little while ago. Hey. You okay?"

"Kinda." She shrugged and sat up a little, rubbing her eyes. "I think I had a really weird dream."

"Our kinda weird?" he asked.

"Nnno, I don't think so," she said. "I was like, a weird skeleton puddle or something and then I went to get a coat because I was cold even though there was lava, I think."

"Pffft, okay, that is weird," he said with a laugh. "Glad it wasn't that other one again."

"You didn't wanna stay for the party?" she asked.

"Nah. I'm beat," he said. "Besides. I heard from parents that you had a pretty rough time, huh? I gotta set anyone on fire?"

"No, no no, it's okay," she assured him quickly. "It's just… It's stressful. But it'll be okay. Is, um…? Is mom still mad?"

"She's super pissed," Asriel said. "They're going through every letter of every contract thing, she said. Just to make sure."

"Waste of time," Sans said from somewhere. "They're not tryin' some underhanded thing, they just made a real stupid mistake."

"Hope you're right," Frisk muttered.

"I'm totally right," Sans said.

Frisk sighed. She couldn't get that nagging doubt out of her head. She settled back against the cushions and tugged a blanket up more tightly around her shoulders. Asriel flicked on the TV and turned the volume low. There were cameras on Mettaton's party. It was lively and the stars were bright. Frisk sat up slightly. Papyrus, in blue, was way off in the background as Mettaton spoke straight to the camera about something.

"Saaaaans, Papyrus is on TV," she said.

"Nice." He was beside them instantly on the arm of couch. He leaned forward curiously. "Huh. That outfit looks kinda familiar."

"People actually came expecting to meet the famous actor who played Cooper the skeleton. Weird, huh?" Asriel joked. "Seems like Mettaton always has that outfit on him, somehow."

Sans snickered. He rested his chin on his fist. "Got some humans there, too, huh?"

"Yeah, a couple," Asriel said. "Some of them brought food so that's going to be, um, interesting tomorrow for a few people."

"You didn't eat any, did you?" Frisk asked.

"Pff, no, no way," he said with a laugh. "Didn't have time, anyway. No, I just, like, spent all my time making cauldrons of popcorn for… who knows why, actually."

"Mettaton's weird," she said.

It wasn't too long before both the kids had fallen asleep again, despite the commotion and flashing fireworks on the TV screen. Sans didn't mind. He took them upstairs to tuck them into the second bed they'd shoved against the wall opposite the race car. Asriel stirred— just barely— for a moment. The green in his eyes was shining and he clutched Frisk with a shiver in his grip. His fur was standing on end all along the back of his neck. Sans put a hand on his head and one blazing eye shot up to stare into him.

"Chill," he said. "You're home. And look, you got hands and everything."

Asriel's gaze darted over his own body. He slumped. "Thanks," he muttered. The glow dimmed and he collapsed in a heap. He mumbled something into his pillow. His soul and Frisk's flared faintly red in the dark.

"You're alright. Sleep well, huh?" Sans slipped off, turning the lights out and gently closing the door.

He took the couch and proceeded to do basically nothing for a long while, skimming a tattered old car magazine inside the cover of a joke book intermittently mixed with almost dozing off, until Papyrus burst into the house, looking around frantically. Sans pointed upstairs. The tall skeleton took the flight two at a time.

"She's asleep," Sans said.

"I need to see her though, I'll be quiet," he insisted. "Sans. Nothing bad will happen, right?"

"Course not, bro," he said.

Papyrus nodded quickly, though he was gripping his hand, thumb nervously running over a scar that wasn't there any longer. He rushed into the bedroom and was gone. Sans supposed he must've already heard all about it.

He came back shortly after, a determined look on his face. He grabbed Sans's shoulders tightly. "Tell me, honestly, do we need to go on the run?"

Sans laughed. "What? No."

"They can't have her," he said.

"They won't," Sans said.

"Did I tell you? Honestly? This is my worst secret fear," he said quickly.

"Paps. Don't worry. She's our sister."

"Yes, but THEY don't know that!" he said shrilly, gesturing wildly to an imaginary human. "And… And! Even though she definitely has my stylish, cool looks, what if they think she looks more like them than she looks like us?!"

"It doesn't matter," Sans said. "They can't do anything."

"Are you SURE?!" Papyrus said.

"Unless they wanna start a war, then, yeah," he said.

"But what if they do?! What if they love wars?! What if wars are their absolutely number one favourite thing?!" he demanded. "Frisk is the most special and important human in the whole world so—"

"Not to them, she's not," Sans said. "She's some random little kid. Don't worry so much, okay?"

"…Okay. Okay, fine." Papyrus sighed. He ran his hand over the top of his skull. "What. A. Mess. I'm going back up. I will read them a story or something."

"Good plan, bro," he said.

Papyrus gripped his hands with each other tightly, locking his fingers together, unable to keep the anxiousness from pooling shadows around his eyes. He sighed. He bounded back up there and vanished.

When Toriel arrived a while later, a concerned, curious look on her face, Sans pointed up the stairs again. The large monster seemed to deflate as a sigh left her.

"She managed to get to sleep? What a relief," she said. "Any more episodes?"

"Nope," Sans said. "Just the one."

"Thank god," she said. She puffed out another sigh. "I was about to roast Asgore, let me tell you. But… There was nothing hinting at this in the previous documents, so… It wasn't his fault. Of course. He wouldn't risk her like that."

"Sure wouldn't," Sans said.

She smiled at him fondly. She sat down beside him and her eyes traced to the door and she stared for a little while. Her ears perked. "Papyrus is snoring." She laughed softly. "I guess he decided to stay with them. He's so good."

"You know it," Sans said.

Toriel leaned back and rubbed her face with her palms. Sans smiled sympathetically. She looked exhausted, too. Drained. Couldn't be easy, any of this.

"I told her the same thing," he said, "but they won't find anything."

"Can't guarantee anything," she said reluctantly.

"Sure can," Sans said. "They won't."

"I wish I had your confidence, sweetie," she said.

"Trust me," he said.

"I do," she assured him.

He smiled. She went quiet, looking like she had words on the tip of her tongue that she couldn't quite spit out. She grimaced.

"She did her math test," he said.

"Really? After all that?" she asked. "Silly girl…"

"Aced it," Sans said. "Kid's got a calculator head. And I'm pretty sure it's not from me."

Toriel chuckled quietly. She hesitated with something more to say again. She bit her lip and crossed her arms tightly to her chest.

"Grillby's?" Sans suggested.

"Oh. I don't know." Her eyes sparked in a way that said she dearly wanted the reprieve. "Should we? I mean. The kids are—"

"Just fine," he said.


	2. HELLO ANXIETY

Sans took Toriel to his regular spot at the bar and she huddled on what was usually Frisk's stool, though she was much too large.

"We could go to a booth," Sans suggested.

"No. No, this is fine." She rubbed her head. "My goodness."

Sans caught Grillby's eye and jerked his thumb at Toriel. He dipped his head slightly and moved to some taps.

"You, uh, wanna talk?" Sans said.

Toriel grimaced. She rubbed the brow of her snout. "Just had a little bit of a long day, that's all," she said quietly.

Grillby slid him a bottle of ketchup and he nodded his thanks. He popped the cap off with his thumb. It made a very satisfying sound.

"Pretty drainin' huh? Bit too much time with Asgore?"

"I… do not want to discuss him," she muttered.

Sans shrugged. Grillby clunked a foaming mug of amber liquid in front of Toriel. She looked surprised.

"I didn't even order yet," she said.

"Yeah, Grillbs is pretty good like that," Sans said with a wink.

"Hm. Thank you, Grillby," she said. She picked up the mug tentatively and took a sip. She paused, looked thoughtful, and then took another. "It's just…" She looked quickly up at the fire elemental. "It's very nice. Thank you." She turned her attention back on Sans, even though her gaze was lost in the golden liquid in her frosty mug. "Even though we're working together again, the history is… hard to overcome."

"Mhm."

"After all this time, I… I was so angry with him. Part of me still is, but I see Asriel with him again and it's like I'm back in time. But I can never forget. He did some things I can never forgive, even if I am able to move past it, to some degree." She sighed and tapped her claws against the glass. "But with these extra timelines, knowing that he killed my daughter, I just… It always brings it all back up again."

"Forgiveness is hard," Sans said, nodding, "especially when you cared so much."

"Yes. Exactly. Thank you," she said. "But sometimes I feel… like I am awful. Like I'm a horrible person for not being able to get over it."

"Why?" Sans asked.

"The bigger person would forgive. Wouldn't they?"

"Easy to say," Sans said with a shrug.

Toriel sighed. She downed the rest of her drink in one gulp and then held the mug tightly in her paws. Before either of them could say a word, Grillby gently slipped it away from her and offered her another. She stared at it for a few seconds and chuckled, gratefully taking it from him.

"I'm going to regret this tomorrow," she said. She shot Sans a worried look. "What would you do?"

"I dunno," he said. "I'm, uh, not some moral paragon, dude. It depends, y'know?"

"Hm." She knitted her fingers together and glowered at the wall across the back of the bar. It may have began to smoke. She took a deep breath and settled back. "There has been far too much death here, my child."

"I know," he said. He drummed his fingers on the counter. "Guilty."

"I am as well," she said. "But you took care of Frisk, even back before you knew her well, did you not? Asgore would have killed her. Asgore _did_ kill her. By the grace of luck, she was unable to die. Or else sh-she… she would have been the seventh. And that would have been that." She winced. She wiped her eyes, and then laughed at herself. "I'm sorry. The thought is… painful."

"Not great," he agreed.

"You know. This will sound awful. But, I did not care about the barrier by then," she said. "I… I hoped Asgore would never get the seventh. I did not want to inflict that power on humanity, no matter what they'd done. I can't subscribe to that method of thought: that they were all worthy of punishment for what happened to our children. Even after all of that, my second child was still a human. No matter if she hated the world she came from, I could not hate a world that gave her to us."

Sans nodded. He looked thoughtful and then nudged her gently with his elbow. "Guess we're kinda the same like that. Couldn't care less about some grudge with humans at the time. Which, you know, felt kind of crap, in a way, because of people fallin'. But. I was kinda caught up with the whole tryin' to stop the world from gettin' wrecked thing, I didn't have the energy to worry about that, too. Hm. Sounds kinda bad when I say it like that."

"No. No, not at all," Toriel said, shaking her head. "Tell me, then. Did you know…? Did you know that driving force was… Chara?"

"I knew there was ghost in the ruins," Sans said. "Human ghost. Tried to get these anomalies to do bad stuff. Didn't really get it all the way until Frisk told me about her, and then after I saw into her mind, well… then I really got a bigger picture."

Toriel shook her head. "I… I can still hardly believe my little girl had such rage in her."

"Welp. To be fair. Human ghosts do some weird crap. Not a whole lot of experience with it, obviously, but I did a bit of readin' since we hit topside. Seems like whatever they died with, it gets kinda amplified if they take the spook-route. And I guess she was pissed enough to try to end the world. Over and over," Sans said. "Lucky for me her memories were contained per anomaly. Their determination is what would make her active again, but on her own, she didn't have any. Or else none of this would be here, I think. She wouldda had me memorized a long, long time ago." His brow furrowed. "Can't say I'm sorry I did what I did, but I am about the way it all went. "

"I know," she said quietly. "I wish… I wish I could understand." She shook her head. "What could we have done different?"

"Nothin'. She was kinda messed up before you ever got her. At least that's how Frisk put it," Sans said. "If it helps. You guys were the one thing she cared about."

"It does, a bit. Thank you." She took a small gulp of her second drink and rested her ear on her fist. "You really had to fight them, didn't you? The ones that she…? There was no other way?"

"I tried other ways. Believe me," he said.

"So why did you not simply destroy every child who came through the door?" she wondered. "There were… There were six. Before Frisk. I guess that does not count those other time children I do not remember, however."

He drummed his fingertips on the bar. "You know, I was too young to run into one through five. The other time ones, they weren't all a hundred-percent bad. I, uh, honestly got nothin' against humans overall, y'know? And I knew I was waitin' for Frisk what feels like a million years before I met her. Wasn't totally sure what she looked like, just knew… a situation. Saw it. And a feeling, maybe. It was her second time back. Thankin' me for savin' her after she got booted through the barrier."

"Hah. I'm sorry, hun, I sometimes forget how young you are. So what did you do?" she asked. "When you did find her?"

"Oof. Uh. Fell over. Cried a bit. She hugged me, the dork." He laughed and took a quick swig of ketchup. "I could hardly believe it. She asked me if she could stay as if I might actually say no, and that completely messed me up. Said she loved me. Of all the people she couldda picked…" He couldn't help his eye from glowing faintly. "Messed me up even more."

Toriel chuckled. "I suppose that's fair. She chose her guardian very well."

Sans scoffed and took a drink, but the blue on his cheekbones was enough to make Toriel smile fondly.

"You're… You're right. They won't find anything," Toriel said, nodding to herself. "And you'll protect her. Of course. But are you sure I shouldn't—?"

"Look, worst thing you can do is change your plans because of this," Sans said. "She already feels like she's derailin' everything, which, I mean, is nuts, but that's just how she is."

"She doesn't need to take everything on her shoulders," Toriel said with a sigh.

"Yeah, we're still workin' on that a bit. Guilt's always a heavy thing for a soul to carry, and she's pretty small, y'know?"

"Alright. If you're sure."

He stuck his thumb up.

Toriel nodded and carefully sipped from her glass. She looked him up and down, a melancholy weight in the furrow of her brow. "Sans. You… You've had a rough life, haven't you?"

"Eh. Not bad," he said.

"Bullshit," she said.

Sans stared and then burst out laughing. She chuckled, too.

"Whoops," she said, looking into her drink. "How strong is this?"

"As strong as you want it," Sans joked.

"Hah. So it's my own fault." She snickered and shook her head. "Oh my. Just. You'd tell me if you were having troubles, weren't you? If there's any undue stress?"

"Nah, don't worry. It's pretty much perfect now," he said. "You know, except this thing, but it'll be over in like two days, so…"

"I wish I had understood earlier," she admitted. "Do you remember when we first met?"

"Course I do," he said. He shot her a grin. "You were such a mom."

"Pfff. Well. I certainly am one," she said. "I remember. I heard this sound. I thought someone was crying, but—"

"I was just laughin' at some crappy book."

"It was hard to tell through all that stone!" she said with a laugh. "You'd just moved to town, right?"

"Nah, that was a few years before. I was still a teenager," he said. "Was doin' some dumb science thing. Or, technically, takin' a break from some dumb science thing."

"Was it really that long ago?" She pouted slightly. "God. I'm just… Sometimes I feel like I'm made up of a never-ending series of bad choices."

"Who isn't?" he said.

"I'm serious," she said, her ears pinning back and her face drooping a little. "If I wasn't such a coward, I would have kicked down my seal on that bloody door and taken you and Papyrus the second I realized you didn't have a mother."

"That's sweet of you, Tori," he said, "but don't worry about it."

"And I would have been a better judge of character. Tell me. In these… In these other timelines, you call them? These other children who time travel, before Frisk, what would they do? Did I just let them all out willy-nilly, even the murderers?"

"Nah. Most of those ones killed you."

"What? No." She raised her brows. "You're… serious, aren't you? …My god."

"I know, right?" he said. "Goddamn mess is what that was."

"Did I…? Did I used to remember that?" she asked quietly. "You know. Before?"

"No. You'd still only have Frisk's timelines," he said. "I mean, there's always a little bleed after so many times, but… nah, don't think you did."

"That's a relief," she said quietly. "But… have you died many times?"

"Sure."

"You… remember all that, then?" she said.

"I do, yeah."

"And Papyrus?" she pressed.

"Oof. Now, see, that's kinda my sore spot," he admitted with a wink. He tipped some ketchup into his mouth and then settled the bottle, looking off with a joyless smile and tired eyes. "He… remembers more than I'd like. But not much."

"I understand," she said.

She finished the mug and waved for another. Sans laughed.

"Doin' okay?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine," she assured him. She smiled warmly at Grillby as he brought her a third mug of the bubbling amber liquid. "Thank you, old friend. It's very good."

He seemed pleased. He held her hand for just a moment and then slid away. Toriel sipped this next one a little more gingerly.

"Thank you for bringing me out. I think I needed this. I feel like I can talk to you about anything. I hope that's not too much pressure. Let me know the second I'm overloading onto you," she said with a bashful smile.

"Chill. We're just talkin'. Good to get it out sometimes, y'know?"

"I guess, it's just… Everything. And on top of that, seeing Asgore. It's hard, sometimes," she said admitted. "Harder than I thought. I was hoping, after all this time… But still. When I see him. Even though Asriel is here, and he's safe, I see my son die."

"I know," Sans said.

"And I see that rage on his face. It didn't look like him anymore. I… guess I probably didn't look like myself for a long time after, either. But when he decided to gather the souls and destroy humanity, I thought… I knew he was talking from a place of grief. And our people were grieving, they needed to hear it." She put a hand to her brow and leaned over the bar with a sad sigh. "My children were their hope. They thought Chara was the angel from the surface to save us, and when we lost her, it was like the humans had stolen every light from our world. But… when that next human fell. I found him in the Ruins. I nursed him back to health. I sent him to Asgore. And he killed him. That's when I knew he was serious. That little boy trusted me. And the man I thought I loved killed him. I could not forgive that. Maybe…" She growled, showing fang. "And maybe I don't want to."

"Got it," Sans said. "Not sure I could either."

Toriel snorted. Her brow furrowed. "I… I'm not sure that I can forgive myself. But. Still. With that soul, with that single sacrifice, no matter how much I abhorred the circumstances, Asgore could have bonded with it and left the mountain. He wouldn't have had to kill if he was patient. He could have had the souls in a matter of days. I tried to tell him. But he was a coward. And… I suppose I was, too. I am certainly not blameless. I could have done it. But I couldn't bear to face that soul. Does that sound crazy?"

"No," Sans said. "Not really."

"Really?" Her voice was unsteady.

"Fusin' with a human soul… I dunno. Couldn't imagine it if it wasn't Frisk," he said. "For it to work right, it's gotta be someone you trust with everything you are. Because you get everything, and so do they. And if that soul doesn't want you touchin' it, you're not gonna get too far for too long unless you can beat it down with determination, seems like."

"I guess you'd know better than almost anyone, wouldn't you?" she said.

"Yeah. So. Guess I don't blame you," he said.

"Hah, thank you, sweetie," she said quietly. "Even if you are humouring me."

"Hey, takes a certain type of dope to find the humour in that, huh?" Sans said.

Toriel snorted and smiled fondly. She gently patted his skull. "I love you, Sans."

"Thanks, Tori, love you, too," he said.

She snickered and leaned her cheek on her fist. "You know, in all my years, I've never met someone as… solid as you. I'm glad. I'm proud to call you my family. I… may not be your real mother, but know that I think of you as my son. I hope that's alright with you."

"Ah… Jeez, Tori, you're makin' me blush," he said, grinning bashfully. "I, uh… I appreciate that."

"I'm glad we could all be a family," she said. "Having a bustling house again… It's really a blessing. The fact that I can say I have four children— that I've had five. Even having an extra step-child, in a fashion… It's makes me feel like I'm alive again."

"That's good," he said. "Yeah. S'weird. Never expected it to end like this. Not that I'm complainin'. This sorta thing was way too hopeful for me. But, this? Like last time, plus Az? Really dig it, actually."

Toriel beamed. "I'm so glad you two get along, after what he told me."

He snickered. "Yeah. Me too. Turned out he was a pretty good kid, huh? Who'da thunk?"

Toriel smiled warmly. She nursed her drink for a little while longer. "…I'm sorry if you hate to hear this, but I do miss Chara dearly."

"Don't hate to hear it at all. We knew different people," he said.

She sighed and rested her cheek in her hand tiredly. "Damn," she mumbled, smiling dryly at herself. "I still have to take that trip tomorrow, don't I?"

"Tried to warn you," he said gently.

"Please don't tell the kids," she said.

"I won't. But Frisk'll know."

"Ugh. She's just like you," Toriel said with a laugh. "Can't hide a thing, can I?"

"Shouldn't bother, anyway, it's alright to not be perfect," he said.

"They're too young to know about things like this," she joked. "I haven't had a drink like this since before Asriel was born."

"You're allowed once in a while." He winked. "I'm alright with attemptin' to, uh, actually be an adult for a bit while you take a nap or somethin', you know?"

She sat up and hugged him, pressing her soft snout against his head. "Thank you for listening, Sans," she said. "And. For saying what I needed."

"Hey. Anytime," he said with a wink.

\- - -

Sans woke up in the morning, sprawled out on a messy blanket pile on the floor of the kids' room, to the feeling of cloth rubbing on his skull. "What the heck, kiddo?" he asked quietly, groggily opening one eye.

The kid was blotting his brow ridge with a napkin. She laughed. "Sorry. I was bringing you food and I totally spilled stuff on you." She pulled it away; there was red on it. "There."

He sat up, rubbing the back of his skull, and Frisk passed him a plate of pancakes with ketchup on top. "What's the occasion?"

"Mom got up and cooked kinda early, but now she's not feeling super well," she said. "I think she's really worried. Bad night, right?"

"Eh. She needed to get some stuff off her chest." He tried the pancakes and then nodded.

Frisk smiled. "Wanna try mine? Mom made a butterscotch syrup, too. It's pretty great."

"Sure. Trade?"

Frisk winced, and then laughed. "You know what? Okay. Trade."

They swapped a piece.

"You're right, that's pretty great," he said.

The kid cautiously tried the ketchup one. She looked at it and then laughed. "It's not that bad!" she said. "It'd be good with a hotdog on it."

Sans smiled fondly. "You sleep okay?"

"No," she said.

"Same one?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "It's… It probably won't happen. Right? I mean. It's just a thing that might happen, right? If I caught it early, I could stop it?"

"Sure," Sans said.

"Okay…" She pouted. "And I dreamt about the CORE, too. It was too hot, I don't like it."

Sans laughed and patted her shoulder. "Jeez, kid, catch a break, will ya?"

"I want to!" she protested. "I… I really want to. Jeez."

"Jeez," Sans said.

"JEEZ!" She laughed and rubbed her face. "Ugh, I'm a meeeesssss."

"What else is new?" he said.

He ate a little more pancake. It was pretty good. "Hey, uh… How 'bout Az?"

"He's not bad, I think." She nudged him with her elbow. "He's almost as bad as you about trying to hide it from everyone, though, so maybe you guys can bond over it or something."

"Yeesh, pointed, huh?" he teased.

"It's not that sharp, is it?" She looked down at her arm.

Sans snickered and she lit right up.

On the way downstairs, Frisk lazily slid down the banister and flopped onto the floor, where Sans appeared to pull her upright with one hand, balancing their dishes on top of his head without much care. Asriel scoffed and waved from where he leaned back over the arm, kicking his paws up. Toriel was at the table, head on her fist as she ate very, very slowly. Papyrus was bringing her a mug filled with coffee. He noticed his siblings right away.

"Good morning, lazy bones!" he said, whisking the hat of dirty plates away from his brother. "I am making tea, would you like some? Frisk?"

"Sure, bro, thanks,"

"Yes please!" Frisk said.

Papyrus grinned and bounded back into the kitchen.

Frisk went to sit down with Asriel. There was a loud clatter of mugs from the kitchen. Toriel winced. Sans's grin turned sympathetic and he shifted to sit on the table beside her. She jumped a little.

"Oh! Sans. Sweetie. Hello," she said.

"Hey, Tori," he said. "Thought I could give you a hand. Looks like you need two, actually."

He rubbed his hands together and his bones crackled with blue sparks. He put his fingers to her temples. She stared back at him with surprise. The blue magic seeped through her fur and, after a moment, the skeleton pulled his hands back and shook them out.

"There, that should be a little better," he said.

She smiled and cupped his face. "What would I do without you?" she said with a laugh.

"Have to sit through a big dumb headache, that's for sure," he said.

"WHAT?! Mom, did you really?!" Papyrus demanded. "Nyeh! You said you were just tired!"

"Well…" She smiled sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Ugh, you should not fib about things like that," Papyrus insisted. He carried three mugs of tea in two hands and began to pass them out. "How can we be expected to help you if you are not honest about your feelings?"

"Sweetheart, I… Hah. You know, I do not wish to trouble you all," she said. "That's all."

"Pffft, mom, c'mon," Asriel scoffed.

"If you can't trouble us, who can you trouble?" Frisk joked. "Seriously, we're like a big pile of dumb emotional problems and junk. I mean, except Papyrus."

"This is true," Papyrus said. "I'm as stable as they come!"

"So! I mean. You're not alone, I guess is my point. Right?" She looked at Sans and Asriel. "I mean. Even if we don't always get it, we're good listeners, right?"

"Yeah, I mean, check out these ears!" Asriel said.

Toriel chuckled quietly and wiped under her eyes with her thumbs. She kissed Sans on the head, and then got to her feet. She gave Papyrus a hug and a kiss, too, and then scooped up both kids and snuggled them close.

"Thank you," she said, plopping back onto the couch with the two of them held snuggly against her. "I needed to hear that." She sighed and nuzzled her snout against Asriel's head. "I'll miss you all this weekend."

"Would you like someone to come with you?" Papyrus asked.

Toriel chuckled. "Sweetie, that's such a nice thought. I'll be alright. You'd all find it terribly boring," she said. "Besides. You should be home with Frisk."

"I'm gonna be fine," Frisk said.

"Yes! Yes. Of course. But I'll stay," Papyrus said. "I would love to walk you to the bus stop, though!"

"I would like that," she said. "I suppose I'll go pack. Frisk? Would you come with me?"

Frisk suspected the reason. She nodded and followed her mother up into Sans's temporarily Toriel-compatible room. The woman was silent for a few seconds as she headed for a case she'd already laid on her large, pristinely made bed that took up most of where Sans's stuff used to be. The trash tornado still spun in the corner, though. Toriel liked the breeze and she'd added a couple herbs to the mess to make a pleasant smell.

Frisk watched her mother slowly pack away a few items of clothing. The fur on the back of her head was bristling. She waited for her to speak. It felt like a long time.

"Frisk," she said. "Please. Listen closely? Save tomorrow morning, and have that be your last one until the human leaves the underground entirely, alright?"

"Oh, um, okay," Frisk said.

"That way," she said, turning back to her with a smile, "you can tell me if something goes wrong and I should have enough time to return to you before it does again."

"Okay. Thanks," she said.

"Honestly." Toriel grabbed her shoulders gently. "It's just some silly conference."

"But… I dunno. You seem to always have a lot of fun at those," Frisk said sheepishly.

"Honey," her mother chided.

Frisk shrugged. Toriel sighed, dropped down to her knees and pulled her into her arms, gently nuzzling her head.

"Be careful, alright? And call me afterwards. And… And, listen. I know that normally, honesty is the best policy, but if there's anything you don't want to say for any reason—"

"Mom, are you telling me to lie?" Frisk joked.

"Well, I mean…"

The kid laughed. "It's okay. I know. I won't tell her about the time travel or how I keep getting killed by stuff or how I helped break the barrier. I know when not to say a thing."

Toriel chucked, shook her head, and smooched her gently on the brow. "Oh, Frisk. I know. You're very clever."

"Sometimes," she said with a shrug.

"And, Papyrus," Toriel said, raising her voice, "you can come in, dear."

"Ah!" The door creaked open and the skeleton peeked in with a bashful smile on his face. "I just wanted to… um… H-Help you pack! Yes! Um. I wasn't… worried or anything. Nyeh heh… heh."

"I would love the help," she said.

"Ah! Great! Because I am great! At! Helping!" he said brightly.

Toriel chuckled and pointedly turned her back on them, busying herself with nothing. The concern showed on the skeleton's face instantly and he bent down to hug his little sister warmly. He glowed. She giggled. No matter what, he was always a comfort.

\- - -

As Toriel prepared to leave, Frisk did, too, opting to try school with Asriel this morning instead of sitting in and stewing. The goat boy shoved a couple books into his bag and Frisk copied him lethargically. She didn't really want to go. It made her feel nauseous. But, it would be good to see Kid.

They said goodbye to their mom before heading back down the stairs. Sans caught them from the corner of his eye as he lay back, half asleep on the couch. He sat up slightly and shot Frisk a puzzled look.  
"You're goin'?" he asked.

"I'm gonna try," she said, heading over to give him a good-bye hug. "I kinda got the shakes, though, so I'll probably come home at lunchtime."

"Cool." He gently bonked his head on hers. "Good luck, huh?"

"I'll take care of her," Asriel said.

She grinned and stood on her toes to kiss Sans's cheek. She put her bookbag over her shoulder and Papyrus bent and held her hands.

"Remember! If you get into trouble! Just call us! And also remember! Both of you!" He grinned and formed his hands into a heart. "I love you!"

Frisk giggled and gave him a tight hug. He squished her close and reached over and pulled Asriel in, too.

"Nyeh heh heh! Have a great day!" Papyrus said. "And I'll see you tonight!"

With the kids out the door, Papyrus delved into the kitchen to begin preparing some travel snacks for Toriel. Sans kicked his feet up on the couch.

"Brother! Can yoooou bring me mom's handbag?" Papyrus called.

Sans slumped into the cushions. He felt like he'd only been there a second. "I dunno, where is it?"

"Near the door! As always! Check under her coat."

Sans grumbled, rolled onto the floor, and made his way to the coats. After a moment of digging, he found it where Papyrus had suggested, and he brought it over and plopped it on the counter.

Papyrus had a few small plastic containers packed full of pasta and was just finishing putting a sandwich together and wrapping it in a paper sheet. "Do you think she'd like one of those weird sodas? No?"

"Eh. I dunno. You got her some of that conversion powder in there?" he asked.

"Yes! Enough for about a week. And seeing as she's gone for just two days, that should be fine. Right? Yes." Papyrus paused and his brow furrowed. "Oh."

"What?"

"She's going to be gone for two whole days," he said. "Oh no, I'm going to miss her."

Sans smiled and held in a laugh. "Just text her the whole time. It's just a teacher's conference, I'm sure there'll be breaks."

"Yes! You're right! Of course," he said.

Sans stuck his thumbs up. Papyrus sighed.

"The house is going to be so quiet this weekend!" he said.

"That's okay," Sans said.

"Yes, I guess so." He smiled. "I guess a relaxing weekend of puzzles and cooking and TV would not be all that bad. You know. After the weird human lady goes home."

He packed away the food in Toriel's bag along with some cutlery and napkins. He made a face, paced for a moment, and then scoffed and added a can of pop. Just in case, surely. "Sans, you're sure there's nothing to worry about, right?"

"Yup," he said.

"Super duper super sure?" Papyrus squinted suspiciously at him.

"Yup," Sans said again.

"Ooookay."

Papyrus perked up to the sound of paws coming down the stairs. He grabbed the bag and pranced out to meet her.

"Oh! Papyrus!" She was toting some luggage with her and she smiled when she saw him. "Is that my bag?"

"Yes! I've filled it with food!" he said brightly.

"That's lovely," she said as she took it from him. She put it over her shoulder and then whisked her larger bag of essentials away into the box of her phone before stashing it away in her purse. "Thank you so much, hun. Guess I should be on my way."

Sans shifted to behind her and patted her arm. She jumped with surprise, but began to laugh almost right away. He grinned.

"Keep your phone on, huh?" he said. "Let Frisk know if you need a save."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. I know how to handle myself around humans." She bent and gave him a hug. "You will look after them, won't you?"

"I'll keep an eye socket out," he said.

She smiled and booped her snout against the top of his skull, and then straightened up. She turned to Papyrus and smiled. "Shall we?" she asked.

"We shall!" He grinned and puffed out his chest. "Hold down the fort, brother! Don't total the place while I'm gone!"

Sans stuck his thumbs up.

Toriel put on her coat, Papyrus threw on his new purple sweater, and they headed out into the blustering Snowdin morning. The calm quiet was a little jarring so suddenly. Sans plopped onto the couch and folded his arms behind his head. Alone. It felt a little weird. He fished his phone out of the couch near where the remote lived, and turned it on. He scrolled through Alphys's recent posts on UnderNet. There were a lot of photos of Mettaton's party from the night before. Nice, but not totally interesting. He could see that Frisk was online. Must've had her phone out in class. He smiled faintly.

"_hi_" he sent.

She replied with a text heart. It was exactly what he needed.

He covered his eyes with his arm and lay back. He was sure he fell asleep for a little bit. He woke to the sound of footsteps clunking by outside. Didn't seem to be anything, though. He stayed where he was for a while. But, maybe, he needed a little something. He rolled to his feet slowly and ambled to the kitchen. He put the kettle on and pulled out the box of hot chocolate mix.

Just as the water had finished bubbling, the front door opened. Sans felt a little pull of excitement for a moment before he realized it was odd. When he turned, he saw Frisk kicking off her shoes and ditching her hoodie on the floor. She had something different about her face. A dark bruise on her cheek. She smiled bashfully when she caught his eye.

"You're home early," Sans said. "Sup with your face, kiddo?"

"Oh. Yeeeeah, I got sent home," she said. "Got in a fight."

"You got in a fight?" Sans raised a brow. "Uh-huh."

"Well… It was kinda more like I put my face in between a small kid and a bigger kid's fist?"

"Oh." Sans held in a laugh and came closer. "Gotcha." He cupped her face, and his magic flared blue in his palm. He tilted his head as the dark spot on her skin faded a bit. "I think it's… okay?"

He pulled his hand back. Frisk poked her cheek. She grinned and nodded.

"Thanks a bunch," she said.

"So you in trouble?" he said. "Need me to make somethin' up?"

She shook her head. "Nah, don't worry about it."

"Welp," he said, "want a drink?"

"Yes please," she said.

He headed back to the kitchen and Frisk tossed her book bag across the room and flopped on the sofa. No sooner than she had gotten comfy, though, did the front door open again. Asriel strode in, looking rather pleased with himself despite his disheveled fur and a tear in his jacket.

"Howdy, sis," he said. "Soooo guess who just got suspended?"

"Oh jeez, what'd you do?" She got up and grabbed him by the shoulders worriedly.

"Oh nothin', just melted some kid's hat." He grinned. "I know, I know, you don't like fighting, but I figured, you get sent home for fighting without actually throwing a punch, I might as well make up for it."

"Well. I appreciate the thought," she said with a laugh, "but don't fight though, okay?"

"Okay, okay." He gave her a hug. "You alright?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Good. Or else I'd go back there."

"Az," she chided.

"Ooh, watch out, we got a tough guy over here," Sans said from the kitchen.

Asriel froze up and his ears went back. "Oh. H-Hey, Sans, um…"

"Chill out," Sans said. "Want some hot chocolate?"

"Y… Yeah. Thanks, dude," he said. "Don't tell mom?"

"Don't tell mom what?" Sans said.

Asriel smiled. "You're the best."

Frisk snickered and brushed some of the dirt out of his fur, and then smooched his snout. She plopped back onto the sofa lazily and he yawned widely. Asriel huffed, blowing a little flame out of his mouth.

"All _fired_ up, huh?" Frisk asked.

"Pfff. I guess. I mean. It's fun. When nobody gets hurt." He grinned. "Mostly. Yo. Sans?" He stretched his arms out, cracking his knuckles. "When I get back, wanna fight me again? I mean, uh, like a training battle, right?"

"Nah."

Asriel groaned. "Come on. I still need to beat you!"

The skeleton chuckled. "Welp. You can try."

"So is that a yes?" he insisted. "Come on, Papyrus lets me fight him all the time."

"Nah."

Frisk snickered as the boy pouted. He folded his arms tight and tapped his paw on the carpet, then his expression shifted into a sly grin.

"Bet you're just afraid I'll win this time," he said.

Sans chuckled. "Doubt it."

"I'm the strongest monster, though," he said.

"Doesn't matter. Know why?" Sans said. He was suddenly leaning up on the doorframe and, with a flash of blue in his eye, two huge, draconic skulls boxed the kid in, toothy maws agape.

"Ah jeez!" Asriel protested. He stumbled back and bumped into the snout of one. He grabbed onto it as the other nudged him gently sideways and snorted a faint, blue fog at him.

"Here's, uh, a hint; might be a little on the nose," Sans said, grinning. "Don't waste time _sniffin_' around."

"Aw, c'mon," the boy protested, though he grinned sideways. "I'm not bad, y'know."

"Nah. Not bad," Sans agreed. He snapped his fingers and the massive Blasters vanished in gentle, blue sparks. "Little too preoccupied with lookin' cool, though." He vanished from his spot again.

"What's wrong with looking cool?" Asriel called.

"Nothin," Sans said with a laugh from the kitchen.

Asriel frowned, sighed, and dropped down onto the couch beside Frisk. She shot him an amused smile.

"What?" he said.

"I think he just means… you know, open big," she said.

"I guess," Asriel said reluctantly. "But I dunno, sometimes it's fun to build into it and then—"

"Drop star meteors on their head," Frisk said with a grin.

"Pffff! You're not salty about that, are you?" he asked.

"Nah." She grabbed his face under his ears and flopped them around playfully. "I still won."

"Baaaah, only 'cause you're an anime protagonist or some junk!" he joked.

She snickered and smiled at him fondly. His face flushed and, masking it with a grin, he mussed up her hair. She squeaked and laughed, and then grabbed him in a lazy hug under his arms. His eyes widened, soul thrumming with a little ting of surprise. He hugged his sister in return and felt warm under his fur. He rested his chin on her head. He had to pull himself away, though, or he might give up leaving entirely.

"So, I'm thinkin'," he said bashfully, "maybe I, uh, get outta your hair early, a little? So I'm not so tempted to just stay and glare at the human when they show up. Would that be okay?"

"Yeah, of course, you don't gotta ask," Frisk said.

"Just in case you'd, I dunno…" he said. "Would you rather I stayed?"

She shook her head. "You had plans."

He smiled and tented his fingers. "I mean, I don't super like being away from you guys anyway, but—"

"Dude, you don't gotta explain. Being with your dad is super important," Frisk said. "We're just a text away if something goes weird anyway."

"But are you sure?"

"Stop asking me if I'm sure!" She playfully tossed a pillow at him. "Besides, I really don't want to interrupt what you're doing."

"I don't care though," he said.

"But I do!" she said with a laugh. "Don't worry. You'll probably see whoever it is first anyway, right? You can text me and tell me how much of a dumb baby I should pretend to be."

"Right, right, you do look, like, four," Asriel teased.

Frisk groaned and rubbed her face, but she laughed, too. He snickered and tilted his head back. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, and then shot her a questioning look. She stuck both thumbs up. He sighed.

"What's the guy in your dream look like again?" he asked.

"It won't be him, it's gonna be the Ambassador, and she's a lady," she said.

"Yeah but still," he said.

"I dunno. He's, like… big, and pale-skinned with no hair, I guess," she said. "I don't know much else, it was kinda a blur and the air was kinda… dusty."

"You just really can't catch a break, huh?" he said.

"It'll… " She folded her arms and sighed. "It'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Have a good time."

"Alright," he said, albeit a little reluctantly. "Guess it's not a terrible idea to play look-out. Think I'll pack."

"Want some help?" she asked.

"Thanks but naw, won't take long," he said.

"Take this, first," Sans said. He came out of the kitchen with the mugs.

Asriel gratefully accepted one. "Thanks a lot, bro."

He scampered up the stairs, careful not to spill, and ducked into the bedroom. He slammed the door a little too hard and shouted an apology back to them. Sans strolled over to give Frisk her drink.

"Thanks," she said. "Needed this."

"I know." He sat on the couch and rubbed his eye socket with his palm. "Hey, uh, turn your head?"

She did. His brow furrowed and he cupped her cheek, pulsing careful blue until what remained of the bruising was gone. He pulled back and shook his hand out.

"There," he said.

Frisk grinned. "Thanks."

"Hm. Two rounds, not bad," he said.

"It's great!" she assured him. "I'm sure you'll get back to normal eventually."

"Heh. Maybe. I was never much of a healer anyway, but…" He shrugged. "It's helpful."

"Mhm!" She sipped her cocoa and grinned. "Thanks again."

He nodded and, after a lazy few seconds, he forced himself back up and ambled back towards the kitchen.

Frisk finished up her drink slowly and then lay down on the couch and stared at the ceiling. Her head felt a little fuzzy, still, but at least her cheek didn't hurt any more. Mom would inevitably find out. She hoped she wouldn't be too mad.

Frisk stretched out and was perfectly content to stay there. She closed her eyes. After a few minutes, there was a sort of sharp, insistent knock on the door. She rolled off the couch and onto the floor.

"I'll get it!" she called.

When she opened the front door, she was surprised not to see faces she she recognized, nor even the faces of monsters. There were three humans there. Her stomach dropped for just long enough to bring the nausea back before she realized that these were definitely not the people the humans had sent, nor the man she'd dreamt.

A man, a woman, and a kid— maybe her age, maybe a little older, filled their front step. The man and the kid were a bit darker than her, the woman a bit lighter. He had a pointy face and high cheekbones; looked inquisitive, but that might have just been the glasses. The woman had a rounder, friendly face with freckles on her nose and fluffy orange hair. The kid just seemed cold, with cheeks flushed ruddy even as he hid under a hood. They all had jackets, but probably not quite heavy enough. They looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see them.

"Oh! Hello, little girl! Are your parents home?" the woman asked.

Frisk tilted her head. She looked back into the house. "I don't think so. Um. Sans, mom left already, right?"

"Yuuup," he called back from somewhere.

Frisk shook her head, trying to hide a flinch at an odd popping sound behind her. "Is there something I can help you with? Or do you just need a grown-up? My brother's a grown-up."

The adults didn't get a chance to answer before their kid moved, curiously, a little closer to Frisk.

"You look a lot like a human," he said.

"Oh, that's not—" the man began quickly, but Frisk laughed.

"That's 'cause I am one," she said.

"Oh!" The man suddenly looked much more interested. "There were humans living here all this time?"

"No, just me," Frisk said.

"You live with monsters?" he pressed.

She nodded. His face lit up.

"Amazing," he said. "Sorry to seem so excited. I'm a historian from the University of—"

"Honey, she won't recognize the name if she's from here," the woman laughed. "We're very interested in this place, is all. We came to take a look before all the monsters moved out. But I'm afraid we got a little lost in the snow."

"Oh!" Frisk smiled. "Okay, where're you headed?"

"The Snowed Inn?" the man said.

"You're on the right track," Frisk said. "I can take you there."

"Oh, no, we wouldn't want to bother you—" the woman said quickly, but the kid sighed and tugged at her sleeve.

"Mom, we're lost as heck, just let her show us," he said.

"It's no problem!" Frisk assured them, a little unsure how they could get lost on a straight path. "Don't worry. I, um, kinda need to go to the store beside it anyway."

"Well, in that case…" the woman said, looking at her husband with a smile.

Frisk pulled back to get her hoodie from its lump on the floor. "Guys, I'mma go out!" she called.

She saw a look of fear cross the faces of the family in front of her. She raised her eyebrow and turned back to see Sans standing a bit behind her, holding the heart-and-circle emblem shirt he'd been wearing with red on his hands and ribs.

"What?" he asked.

"Dude, what the heck?" Frisk asked with a laugh.

"What, a guy can't walk around without a shirt on in his own house?" He grinned slightly and ambled across the room. "Uh. We're outta ketchup now, by the way."

"Put the cap on better, then" she teased.

"Eh, you're not wrong," he said.

Frisk smiled apologetically at the humans at the door. "Sorry about that, that's just my big brother," she said. "Let's—"

"Waaait, wait, wait!" Asriel ran up behind her, clapping a hand onto her shoulder. "Oh. Humans? Howdy! I gotta go to the store, too, I'll come with."

He grabbed his jacket and Frisk thought she heard the woman whisper something about how cute he was.

The humans seemed genuinely fascinated as they walked into town. The adults were particularly chatty, mostly amongst themselves, about the architecture and the use of the cavern space, and the unique way the cold felt, while their kid seemed completely enthralled by Asriel. He, however, was fully focussed on his sister.

"Um, 'scuse me," he said. "Um. Can y-you, um…? Can you do magic?"

"I am magic," Asriel said with a grin. He raised a paw and, in the centre, a red flame appeared.

The kid's eyes just about bugged out of his head. Asriel held the glowing fire out towards him.

"You can touch it, it's not that hot," he said.

Cautiously, the boy did. He laughed and held both hands in the flame. "It's nice."

Frisk snickered. The man turned to her inquisitively.

"Would you mind? Can I ask you a question or two?" he wondered.

Though the kid smiled politely, Asriel was instantly alert. He held her arm.

"I don't mind," Frisk said.

"How does a human find enough food here?" he wondered.

"Magic," she said.

"You… eat magic?" he said.

"Sure, monsters do," she said. "It just kinda isn't a problem."

"What the heck does magic taste like?" the kid asked.

"Like whatever it's supposed to, I guess. I mean, except sometimes things got kinda confused because they were under the mountain so long. Like, if you see a lime soda, it's actually probably gonna be lemon instead." Frisk pointed out Grillby's as they went past. "Check this place out if you wanna eat monster food though, it's great."

"Oh! It's… Is it like a pub?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, basically," Frisk said. "Best place in the whole underground."

"Could I ask you something else?" the man pressed. "That… skeleton? Back there?"

"Mhm?" Frisk said. "What about him?"

The man and woman looked at each other. The man paused a moment as if to consider his words.

"Did…? Hm… Did he… pass away? Is that how—?"

"Oh, no no no," Frisk said with a laugh. "No. He was born a skeleton."

"They were never dead humans, if that's what you're asking," Asriel said.

"Oh." The man's face flushed a bit and the woman smiled and nudged him gently with her elbow. "That's good to know, actually."

"Try not to be scared of monsters, huh? They're pretty friendly," Frisk said. She paused and pointed her finger at the inn as they came up past the door. "Here."

The humans stopped and looked the inn up and down.

"Oh, it's really cute," the woman said quietly. "Thank you, kids."

"No problem!" Frisk assured them.

She waved and she and Asriel continued on to the next door down. Asriel shot her a grin.

"Weird to see so many again, huh?" he said.

She shrugged and nodded. "If I'm totally honest," she held the door open for him, "it still makes my heart go a little too fast."

"Yeah, I heard," Asriel said, pointing at his ear.

They picked up a baker's dozen of cinnamon bunnies from the store. The rabbit woman behind the counter had a few extra items on sale, on clearance, since they'd be moving and reopening on the surface soon. One such thing was a set of teacups and a ceramic kettle that looked like a chubby white rabbit. Asriel and Frisk gladly split the cost of them as a gift for Asgore.

They headed back and stopped in at Grillby's. At the counter as usual, Grillby picked them out them out the moment they walked in and raised his hand. Frisk grinned and scampered up to meet him.

"Hiya!" she said. "Sans sent me to pick up some—"

Grillby nodded and clunked a case of glass ketchup bottles onto the counter. Frisk grinned.

"Perfect, dude." She used an empty stool to boost herself up a bit and thumped some gold onto the counter. "Really appreciate it. Thanks so much."

"…Mhm." He smiled a little. "…No problem."

At home, Sans was lazing in the corner of the sofa, shirt changed appropriately to the one covered in Z's. He raised his hand at them as they came in.

"Got a whole case!" she said proudly.

"Oh, jeez, kiddo, you guys are too good," he said.

Frisk smiled proudly and headed straight for the kitchen. Asriel ditched his coat and then stretched.

"Hey, Sans?" he said.

"Mhm?"

"You okay?" Asriel asked.

"Hm?" Sans looked a bit confused through the drowsiness. "Whatchu mean?"

"Well, I saw you texted Frisk before," he said.

"Oh. Yeah," he said. "How's your face?"

"It's alright," he said with a shrug.

Sans waved him over. "C'mere. I need the practice."

"Oh! Uh. Okay. Thanks."

The skeleton straightened himself up and put one hand on his neck and the other on his head. The boy could feel the magic start to ebb in through his fur.

"Anything?" Sans asked.

"For sure," Asriel assured him.

"Cool, not totally useless," he said.

After a few seconds, Frisk came to join them, holding a cool bottle of ketchup in one hand. She sat on the arm of the couch, watching with curiosity. Her brother's eye had lit up and he was starting to get a little sweaty. They stayed quiet to let him concentrate.

"Okay, think I'm good," Asriel said.

Sans pulled back, looking tired but uncharacteristically proud. Frisk passed him the bottle and he popped the cap and took a swig. He instantly looked better.

Asriel hopped to his paws, giving the skeleton a thumbs-up. "Gonna finish packing," he said. "You mind if I borrow your charger for the game thingy? I can't find mine."

"No worries, take it," Frisk said.

He grinned and dashed up the stairs.

Frisk smooched Sans on the head and he snickered. "Doing okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. You?" he said.

She nodded. She slipped down from the arm and flopped over his legs lazily. After a moment, she rolled off the couch and then clambered back to sit beside him.

"It's been picking up a bit, huh?" she said.

"Hm?"

She pointed to his chest. There was some pride in her eyes.

"Oh. Yeah. Not bad."

"Tell Papyrus, he's gonna be really proud," she said.

"Eh."

"Okay, I'll tell Papyrus," she said.


	3. WELCOME BACK

Once Asriel had his bags packed, he and Frisk headed off towards New Home, deciding to take a walk the long way through Waterfall. Sans couldn't blame the kid. She was doing a lot to get this thing tomorrow out of her mind. He half regretted not going with them, though. The silence was creeping in on him and he wasn't really a fan.

He dragged out his coat and shuffled off outside. He wandered the streets and caught sight of those humans again. Grillby's green-flamed daughter was talking to them, trying to explain how it was that she was made of flame and yet didn't burn the things around her. They seemed so earnestly interested.

Now that he saw them again, he recognized the man. History professor, worked at the university Sans had in another time, though they hadn't spoken much. Funny coincidence, but he supposed the place wasn't actually all that far away. Figured that a teacher who studied the past would find all this stuff interesting.

He stuck a hand up to greet Grillby's kid and then slipped inside the place and took a spot at the counter. Grillby met him with raised eyebrows.

"I'm moving," the elemental said.

"Oh. When?" Sans asked.

"End of the month." He slid the skeleton a bottle of ketchup. "End of main street."

"Cool," Sans said. "New building, or—?"

"I'm taking it," he said.

Sans snorted and laughed. He grinned and stuck his thumb up. "Good. S'better that way."

Grillby nodded steadily.

"We'll still be in, like, every day," Sans assured him. "Not really like distance is an obstacle, huh?"

"You don't sound like you're being sarcastic," he said.

"I'm not," Sans said with a laugh.

Cold air hit the back of his head and Grillby looked up curiously. The voices that blustered in were those of the small human family again. Grillby shot Sans a look, and then disappeared somewhere behind the counter. Sniffling and shivering, the human man walked up to the counter with cautious optimism on his face.

"Excuse me, is this, uh…? Is this where we order?" he asked.

"Usually," Sans said. He leaned over the counter to look down, but Grillby was gone. "Someone should be back soon, I guess."

The man eyed him over curiously. He carefully slid onto the seat beside him. "You're a skeleton, right?"

"No bones about it," Sans said.

"Could I ask—?"

"Honey!" The human woman waved to her husband from across the restaurant, and then gestured to one of the booths. "Over here!"

"Would you mind sitting with us?" the man asked curiously.

Sans was a little puzzled, but he supposed it didn't really hurt to be a novelty.

The humans looked surprisingly excited to see him. Especially the kid. They stared closely at his hands as he sat down.

"Thank you for joining us," the woman said. "All these monster things are a bit new to us! But, at the same time, this isn't so different from back home, is it?"

"A little more rustic." The man nodded anyway. "So, uh. How does this work, exactly?"

"When the dude made of fire shows up, just go over and tell him what you want," Sans said.

"Oh, not that," the man said quickly. "I mean. Humans. Eating magic. Your, uh… That little girl? You were at the same house, right?"

"My sister," he confirmed.

"Right, she mentioned that a human can just eat magic. Is that… I mean…?"

"Yeah, you just put it in your face, I guess," Sans said. "Don't think too hard about it."

"Does it do anything weird to you? Does it turn you green?" the kid asked, wide-eyed.

"Uh. Usually not," Sans said. "Just makes you feel better." He shrugged when the humans looked back at him with confusion. "With monsters, only real cure if you're hurt or feelin' sick other than healin' magic is just eatin' and gettin' some rest."

"So, like, how do you do that?" the kid asked.

"Do what?" Sans asked.

"You know. Eat. And… talk?" He tilted his head. "Your mouth doesn't open even though it kinda moves and stuff, I don't get it."

"Oh." Sans laughed. "Yeah, don't think too much about that, either. Monsters kinda come in all kinds of weird shapes. We're made of magic, huh? Don't need to really make sense. Guy who owns this place's technically got no eyes, but he can see you just fine."

"That's amazing," the woman said. "I hope you don't find these questions intrusive."

"Wouldn't answer if I didn't want to," he said with a shrug.

"In that case. Would you mind if I pick your brain for a moment?" the man asked.

"Don't actually have one of those, but I get your meanin'," Sans said with a wink.

"You don't have a brain?!" the kid yelped.

His mother nudged him, but Sans simply laughed again.

"Course not." He tapped the side of his skull. "Kinda a bonehead, y'know."

The woman's eyes seemed to glitter. "We were talking to a girl made of fire, earlier. And one that looked like a small airplane, somehow. And so many rabbits!"

"I was mostly wondering, though," the man said, "how the barrier came down. I mean, honestly, we weren't even sure your people were still down here. How did all that work?"

"Kinda complicated," he said. "King's kid did a thing. My sister did a thing. It's, uh, probably best you ask the King about that, actually. You meet him yet?"

"First thing!" the man said. "I mean, I've never even met our Prime Minister, but, first minute here and the King comes out to say howdy."

"He's huge!" the kid said, raising his arms. "I never ever seen someone so big before."

"We didn't really expect to be so welcomed here," the woman said with a shy smile. "Not after all this time. But then it turns out there was a human living here the whole time."

Sans caught sight of Grillby coming out of the kitchen door with an armful of clean mugs. He raised his hand and the skeleton slipped out of the booth. "C'mon, let's get you somethin'," he said. "I'd recommend the burgs."

"Do they count as vegetarian?" the woman wondered.

"Well, they sure ain't made of meat," Sans said with a laugh. He tilted his head back towards the counter.

The human man scrambled to follow him as he returned to Grillby. He nodded politely.

"Whatcha think?" Sans asked the human. "Burgs and fries? They're good."

"Yeah. Alright. Three of those. Please," the man said quickly. He sounded a little nervous.

Grillby slid off silently. Sans took a seat again and leaned his back up on the counter.

"Don't worry so much, human, you're not doin' bad," Sans said.

"Thanks. It's… Maybe this'll sound weird, but it's always been a dream of mine to come here," he said. "I've been studying artefacts from the war for years."

"Huh. Much left from our side?" Sans asked.

"A few books. Some art. Some old ruins." The man sounded apologetic. "It wasn't right, you know? What happened."

Sans shrugged. "Wasn't there. Hey, you wanna learn more about it, some of us still remember it."

"Remember it?" The man looked baffled.

"Yeah. King was there, even. I'm sure he'd tell you stories if you asked. Retired Captain of the Guard's a big history buff; he's up on the surface now. Old wrinkly turtle, hard to miss. Or you could borrow a book. Check out the Archives in New Home, I'm pretty sure they didn't start movin' stuff yet."

The human didn't respond verbally, but his eyes looked like full moons and his jaw dropped. Sans groped around behind the counter and pulled up a napkin. He scribbled a small map of the section of New Home they'd need, trying to write slow and large so he was sure it was legible. He handed it over. The man took it with shaking fingers. He stared for a while, gulped heavily, and looked into Sans's eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Okay," Sans said.

"It was a genocide," he said softly.

"Sure was," Sans agreed.

The man gulped again. Sans snickered; the human to look baffled.

"Chill. No one blames you new humans," he said. "You weren't there. Just, uh, let's not do any cyclical history this time, huh?"

"That'd be good," the man said, laughing dryly and rubbing his hair. "God. That's… Monsters live that long?"

"Guess you guys forgot about that," he said. "Yeah. Long time."

The man was at a loss for a little while. He sat beside Sans again and put his chin on his fist. "I have so many questions."

"Okay," Sans said.

"Can I start with that girl? Your sister, you said," he said. "How did she get here? How does a human that young end up down here?"

"Ah." Sans grinned. "Funny story. She dropped from the sky."

"From the sky?" he repeated.

"Sure. One day, just, plop, kid falls outta the ceilin'," he said, grinning slightly. "Lemme tell you about it, it's a riot."

\- - -

Sans went back home to the empty house having seemingly made the day of a strange human family with his monster lore and odd stories. He didn't mind one bit, to be honest. Humans were much more curious than the average monster. It was sort of invigorating.

The house was far too quiet. He figured maybe he could sleep the silence off. It didn't last long, however. He was almost grateful to be woken up by his phone playing a song from between sofa cushions. When he fished it out, he pressed a button and clunked it against the side of his head.

"Brother! Hello!" Papyrus said. "It is you, right? You didn't drop your phone and have it get taken by an annoying dog, did you?"

"Uh. Bark," Sans said.

"SANS! You definitely can't fool me with that lacklustre performance!" he said.

Sans snickered. "Whatcha need, bro?" he asked.

"I'm at Alphys's! She has a weird science thing for you to look at," he said. "Aaaaaand you know Frisk and Asriel came through here, right?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Did she have another thing? You know? Those panic things? At school?" Papyrus asked. "She said she got whacked in the face but she wasn't bruised so…"

"Oh. Yeah. Healed that," he said. "She's fine."

"Oh good! I'm glad it wasn't… OH! Hey! Nyeh heh heh! Congratulations!" Papyrus said loudly. "How many times?!"

"Took two," he said.

"Oh. My. God. That's fantastic!" he said. "Good job, brother. I'm glad she wasn't sick, though. So. Are you coming?"

"Right now?"

"Yes, Sans, right now!" Papyrus said shrilly. "The Doctor said it was really important."

Sans pocketed the phone, rolled onto the floor, and shifted himself to the lab. He caught Papyrus glaring into his phone.

"Yo," he said.

"Ah! Well. At least you're punctual," Papyrus said.

"Sans!" Alphys surprised him from behind. She gave him a hug when he turned around. "G-Good to see you!"

"Hey, Doc, good trip?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah! Um. It was… p-pretty strenuous." She smiled bashfully. "But it was good! But, you know m-my luck, come b-back from vacation a-and the CORE is acting up. Of course."

"Ah. Great. CORE stuff. Love it," he said.

"I know. I'm sorry," she said. "B-But you know it b-better than anyone."

Alphys went to her computer and gestured for him to follow her. He took a moment to brace himself. Papyrus put a hand on his shoulder and walked past to stand behind the scientist with a curious look on his face. Sans was sure his eyes had gone dark, but he tagged along.

"So, is it, uh, a pretty bad problem, or what?" he asked.

"It's just… w-weird. That's all," she said. She rubbed her hands together with nerves, running her fingers habitually over the orange scarring on her right hand that looked almost like streaks of paint.

"What, like Az weird, or something else?" Sans asked.

"Not quite as weird as that, b-but… I d-dunno, see for yourself," she said.

She waved him closer to the monitor and switched to one of several running analytics tabs, showing a bright graph of the current energy fluctuations of the CORE. Sans's brows raised slightly.

"Oh. Yeah, alright, I see it," he said.

"What? What?! I don't get it," Papyrus asked worriedly. "Is it bad? Is it going to break again? Oh, no no no, we can't—! We're not sending Frisk in there again, are we?!"

"No. N-No, no, it's not that bad again, it's not h-having weird determination bursts this time, see?" Alphys guided Papyrus closer and pointed out one of the moving graphs, one that was relatively level. "S-See? Not much change."

"Hm." Sans rubbed the back of his head. He knew what she must want. "Should I go check or something?"

"W-Would you?" Alphys asked hopefully. "Y-You know h-how it works in the chamber a bit better than I do."

Sans shrugged and nodded. "Sure. Guess I could go now."

"Oh! Sans! Are you sure?!" Papyrus demanded. "You don't need to prepare at all?"

"Nah," he said. "I'll just throw myself at it for a bit, no big deal."

"Oh." Papyrus looked skeptical and started rubbing his thumb along the back of his opposite hand. "Do you want me to come? I mean, I am by far the strongest of the two of us, so—"

"No offence, bro, but absolutely not," he said.

"So it IS dangerous, then?!" he yelped.

"Dunno. Probably not bad but, uh, I'd rather not have you remember bein' blown to dust if somethin' goes nuts, y'know?" he said.

"And what about you?!" he demanded.

"Eh, I already remember bein' blown to dust, no big deal," he said.

"AAAH SANS!" Papyrus pouted and grabbed him into his arms just a little too tightly. "Stop doing that immediately!"

Sans snickered. His brother puffed and bonked his brow on his lightly before letting him go and giving him a thumbs-up filled with determination.

"Good luck, brother, please don't do anything too dangerous."

"I'll get the kiddo to do a save for me, no biggie," he said.

"Good. Good good, no need to worry at all, then!" Papyrus said. "But I would still greatly prefer if you don't explode, okay?"

"Sure thing. Just sit around here or somethin'. I'll be back soon," Sans said. "Or we'll reset, that'll be fine."

"P-Please be careful, okay?" Alphys said.

Sans stuck his thumb up and then shifted himself deep underground. There he was again, in front of that old door. Last time he'd been here, they'd hauled his sister out, unconscious. Wasn't really a fan.

He put his hand against it and was startled to feel it respond in a rather friendly way. Like it was inviting. It was definitely unlocked.

He could feel the prickle of unruly magic in the air. Stronger than he anticipated. Frowning, thoughtful, Sans drew back and supported the wall. He pulled out his phone and turned the screen back on. Seemed to have missed quite a few texts, but that didn't concern him much this second. He immediately went to Frisk's number. For some reason, he felt a sting of nerves. He took a deep breath. It was fine. Didn't matter how dangerous it might be. The kid had his back. Always did.

_"kiddo do me a favr?" _he texted. He didn't have to wait long.

"_sure what do you need?" _she said.

_"save n check back in 15?"_

_"oh! ok, comin up on one in just a minute!"_

_"k"_

Sans waited. He could feel that magic swelling. He rested against the wall and tried to keep his nerves in check. It would be okay. Didn't matter if he didn't make it. He could stand being dead for a few minutes if it came to that.

It wasn't too long before he felt the phone buzz again.

"_ok, got it! be careful ok? we'll wait for you. love you <3"_

_"love u 2"_

Sans pocketed his phone, braced himself, and then pushed the door open. The magic inside the room was roiling like the swelling of a thunderstorm. Most jarring, though, had nothing to do with the building tempest of energy, nor the crackle of colourful magic swirling around the pillar. There was someone at the console. Human-shaped. Heavy brown leather jacket, a hood up from a black sweatshirt underneath. A dark scarf around their neck. Sans felt a strike of shock. Couldn't be, could it? How could anyone get in here?

When the person turned, startled at the sound of the door, Sans froze up. Felt like he might collapse. It wasn't some human— some saboteur. It was a skeleton. A tall man with two defined cracks in his skull, eyes glowing blue and gold.

Sans knew him— would recognize him anywhere. This man filled in his memories instantly, seamlessly integrating into almost every day of the first twenty years of Sans's life. The skeleton that had vanished. Torn away from everything when the CORE erupted on top of him ten years ago. Gaster. His father. It hit him like a truck and he almost lost his breath.

The world went silent for a moment as they locked eyes. The man standing along that stoney path felt it too. He looked stunned. It took them both a few seconds to pull themselves back together.

"I… I could use an extra set of hands over here!" the skeleton called.

Sans was over at the console in an instant. "What do you need?" he asked.

"Hold this steady." He looked at his hand on a lever on the console. "We're going to push it a little farther in just a moment."

Sans raised a brow, but grabbed tight to the lever and the man moved his hand and patted him gently on the shoulder. He turned his eyes upon the crackling magic on the ceiling.

"Thank you, Sans," he said. "Trust me?"

"Mhm."

"Just a little more."

Sans pulled the lever downwards and pressed a few buttons around the left side of the machine to keep things steady, but the wind of magic began to whip around them faster and faster. Gaster took a deep breath. He pulled off one glove with his teeth and then the other as he rolled up his sleeves, and put the gloves in his pocket.

"I'll explain everything soon," he said. "I'll meet you upstairs when this is done. At the closest starlight. Do you understand?"

"Gotcha," Sans said.

His father smiled fondly. "I love you." `

Sans felt a strange pang through his bones, but he grinned nonetheless. "Love you, too," he said. "Crankin' it?"

"Hm." The mismatched glow in his eye sockets brightened. "Alright. Here we go."

He raised up his right arm, straight at the ceiling, his middle and index finger extended. Magic in his palm pulsed gold and drew down energy, vibrant and crackling, from the torrent above them— a lightning rod. It twisted around through his bones and and he braced himself, wincing. Sans watched, eyes wide, and he quickly steadied the reactor. The magic pulsed through the other skeleton, arching off his body erratically, and his legs almost gave out. Sans grimaced and grabbed Gaster's soul tightly. His father grinned and put his other hand fondly over the glow.

He closed his eyes and his left hand glittered with blue, and he reached out in front of him. His fingertips cut through the air like a bad movie backdrop, revealing a space of dark and starlight ebbing behind. Then, it pulsed white-blue, overcoming the entire room. When the light faded, he was gone.

Sans stared at empty space for a second, and then hurriedly pressed some buttons and gently pushed the lever back up. The storm of magic slowly dissipated, and then settled back into the calm, regular whirling spectrum up the centre pillar. Sans let out a deep sigh of relief and slumped, hand on his brow. He was trying not to reel. He leaned his back against the console and turned his gaze on the ceiling. The magic above was like an aurora against the red-tinted stone. It was surreal. The whole world was surreal. He wiped his eyes and then shifted.

He went to the tear in time a bit farther up the tower and, to his relief, Gaster was there. He was rattling, and he looked exhausted as he leaned against a wall. But he was there. Not some illusion in the magic, not some hallucination or a dream. Real, magic and bone, standing there, and somehow it all seemed painfully normal.

Gaster's eyes welled up the second he noticed Sans. He closed the distance and hugged him tight against his chest. Sans slumped and snickered. His eye shone bright with blue and he clung close. Gaster took a deep, shaking breath. He cupped Sans's face in both hands and gently touched their brows together. He tried to speak. Couldn't manage it. Gritted his teeth and let the tears flow down his face. Sans sparked with blue and put his hand on his.

"It's okay," he said.

The man huffed. Fought to regain his breath. He started to laugh. He wrapped his arms around him and snuggled him close. The glow of his eyes shone bright. "I missed you so much."

"I know," Sans said.

Gaster's whole frame trembled. All of Sans's magic ebbed with sympathy, and his father made a faint choking sound and reciprocated brightly with energy it seemed Sans had never really forgotten the feeling of. His eyes watered and he smiled.

"God, this is weird," he said.

Gaster wheezed out a laugh and had to gasp for air. He spent a few long moments taking deep breaths before starting to snicker. "I-I'm still not used to breathing again."

"You gonna be alright?" Sans asked.

He nodded. He pulled back and puffed out a deep sigh, rubbing his hands over his skull. He coughed a little. Sans's smile was sympathetic.

"You kinda look like crap, you wanna sit down for a bit?"

"I do. Definitely," he said.

He settled his back against the nearest wall and Sans followed to drop down beside him. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while. Gaster absently rubbed his hands together and then kneaded at his eye sockets with the heels of his palms.

"Oh my god," he muttered.

"Tell me about it," Sans said.

Gaster let out a quiet, hoarse laugh. "You, uh… You look well," he said.

"Pffft. Yeah. Guess I am," Sans said.

"And… A-And, how's Papyrus?" he asked.

"He's great," Sans assured him.

Gaster breathed a sigh of relief.

Sans couldn't help but stare at him for a few long moments. It was so strange to see him again. Aside from the crack on the right side of his face that ran up from his eye, he really didn't look any different than the day he'd vanished. Actually, now that Sans thought about it, he remembered seeing that line form. His father, absorbing all that energy from the CORE— he could still see the split crackling with colour in there in his mind's eye. The whole ordeal had been so utterly loud. He could recall the deep, tingling chill that had overtaken him then as if it were yesterday.

"I'm so glad you showed up," Gaster said. "I was starting to think I was in a wee bit over my head."

"Hey, what else is new?" Sans said with a wink. "Next time call or somethin', huh?"

"I didn't exactly have your phone number. Or a phone." The skeleton laughed. "I'm sorry."

"Nah." Sans waved a hand at him. "Glad you're back, though. Ten years, huh?"

"Is that all it's been?" Gaster laughed, the sound laboured and weak, and rubbed his eye sockets again. "When did you remember?"

"Second I saw you," Sans said. "Weird shit."

Gaster smiled. He took a deep breath. He rolled his fingers over his thumbs and then held out his hands before him, just a few inches apart. He concentrated, eyes lighting up blue and gold along with his finger bones. After just a few seconds, a pair of oval-rimmed glasses crackled into existence. Sort of rough, but the lenses looked good. He put them on. Squinted. Took them off; wiped his eyes before trying them again.

"Oh, for god's sake," he muttered. He squeezed on each lens and then tried once more.

"Could you not see that whole time?" Sans asked, trying not to laugh.

"Somehow, my eyes are much better than they were before I went in," he said, bemused. "I guess it was just the tears. Hah."

"For real?" Sans said. "Weren't you almost blind in the right one?"

"Absolutely I was, but…" He chuckled tiredly. "I'm glad for the improvement."

"Congrats," Sans said.

His phone buzzed in his jacket. He pulled it out and Gaster leaned over curiously to look. Frisk had sent him a text. Just like he had asked.

"_yo bro did you explode?"_

_"nah" _he replied. "_thx 4 waitin_"

_"np! <3" _she asked. _"was the save ok? didn't need it?"_

_"yup no probs"_

_"whatre you doin anyway?" _Frisk asked.

_"supr secrt dnger mssion" _he replied.

"_omg wow thats even more secret then normal!"_

_"yup"_ he typed. _"dont wrry its all gud"_

_"ok! <3 glad to hear it. see you at home later? you can tell me all about it!"_

_"k"_ He paused for a moment and his cheekbones flushed faintly blue. He typed a heart; she responded with three. He had a dopey smile on his face almost instantly.

"Is…? Is that Frisky?" Gaster's voice was hopeful. "It is, isn't it?"

"You guessed it," Sans said.

The tall skeleton's face lit up. "So… So I didn't imagine it. You really found each other."

"Yeah, she made kind of a stir when she showed up, actually." Sans winked. "No idea why."

Gaster laughed quietly and folded his arms to his chest. "That's good. So do you…? So you know who she is?"

"Course I do," Sans said. "Not that you made it easy to figure out."

He looked relieved. "Does she?"

"Not in so many words. It never made sense to try to explain without you around and only half-answers." Sans smiled. "Not that it changes anything, anyway."

"You wouldn't believe how happy I am to hear that you feel like that," Gaster said.

"Welp. I figure, you know, bein' big brother's one thing I've been consistently okay at," he said. "Goin' for round two? I'm into it."

Gaster grinned. "You aren't just okay," he said with a quiet chuckle. "If how you handled Papyrus was any indicator, I'd say you're perfect."

Sans snickered. Gaster yawned. He tented his fingers.

"S-So. Do you think…? Do you think he'll remember me?" he said. "He was only, what, ten?"

"Eight," Sans said.

"Eight!" Gaster took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Only eight… My god."

"He'll remember," Sans said. "Don't worry. He's not so different, y'know."

Gaster went quiet. His fingers traced those cracks in his skull near his eyes. He sighed and folded his arms, and put his head down on his knee. "I… I'm sorry, Sans."

"Hm? What for?" he said, shifting a little closer.

"It… It was all my fault. Everything," he said. He looked up, but his gaze was a million miles away. "Sans, I… I had the dreams. Going back to when you were just a child. I knew… I knew what you'd go through. And even so. I had to make it happen like that anyway. You were so brave, and you… you should never have had to be. I'm so sorry."

"Oh. You… know all about it, huh?" Sans grinned a little and his father gave him a worried, confused frown. "Good."

"Good?" he repeated.

"Then I don't have to tell you about it," Sans said.

"You're not mad," he said with a frown.

Sans shrugged. "Nah."

"_Nah_?! That's it? No _dad, you're an idiot_? _Gaster for Worst Father in the Universe award_?" he demanded. "Idiot skeleton creates life, accidentally condemns said life to fighting in a never-ending time loop against invincible time anomalies by his own sheer incompetence? Nothing?"

"That doesn't sound like me at all," Sans said with a laugh.

Gaster smiled a little. "I suppose it doesn't," he said. "Hah… You're too forgiving."

"Grudges are exhaustin', dude. Besides. It worked out. Time loop broke. And… it's good that it was me."

"Why?" Gaster asked with a frown.

Sans shrugged again. "Didn't have to be anyone else."

Gaster stared at him in silence for a long while. His eye sockets welled up again and he put his glasses down before pulling Sans into his arms. "That's a-always been just like you," he said quietly. "Sans, I… I never gave you the idea that you were… _expendable_, did I?" Gaster spat that word out, like it left a bad taste.

Sans looked up at his father and felt suddenly very snug. Safe. It was strange and comfortable. He felt kind of like a kid again. It definitely wasn't the worst feeling in the world. "No." He laughed. "No. Don't worry."

"Good. Because you're not." He shook his head. "God, the mental fortitude that must've taken—"

"It's alright. It's done," Sans said. "We do what we have to. Just like always."

"You have to be happy," Gaster said, pouting a little. "You… are happy?" He looked very much like Papyrus in that moment.

Sans almost laughed again. "…I'm real happy," he said.

The relief in his father's energy was overwhelming for a second. He gripped onto him sleepily and Gaster snuggled him close.

"I… I should… I should tell you everything," he said.

"Eh. Later," Sans said. "I'm gonna pass out."

"…Me too." Gaster sighed.

"Then forget it for a bit," Sans said. "We can just chill."

"But I…"

"Hey. You're back. That's good enough for me right now," Sans said.

He felt his father's hand on the back of his skull, pulling him in, and the affectionate pulse of magic he gave made Sans grin. This was alright. Maybe even the final puzzle piece.

\- - -

The lights in New Home were becoming speckled when watched from above. Some monsters had begun to move out for good. The stores were starting to close, but there was still more than enough activity below to make it fun to watch from the high pathways on the way to Asgore's.

"It's gonna be weird," Asriel said.

"Hm?" Frisk asked.

"When it's empty," he said.

"Guess so," Frisk agreed. "But, you know, eventually it'll be kinda the same outside."

"That's kinda nuts that you've seen it all, huh?" he said.

Frisk shrugged, and she smiled. "Yeah, but who knows what'll happen, huh?" she said. "Hey! We should go back to the Archives sometime before they move it and look at more movies or something, what d'you think?"

"Sounds cool to me."

Asriel pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. Frisk turned and they continued up the path together. "So was Sans alright?" he asked.

"Yup," she said.

"Didn't say what he wanted?" he asked.

"Nah. He hates typing," she said. "I'll text you later when I know, okay?"

They reached Asgore's house within a few minutes. Frisk lagged.

"What? Aren't you comin' in?" Asriel asked.

"Um! Oh, yeah. Sure," she said. "S-Sorry."

"What? You're not already traumatized, are you?" he asked worriedly.

She shook her head quickly. The boy raised his brows at her skeptically.

"It's not about the memory thing, is it?" he asked.

"Um… Well…"

"Ah, jeez, Frisk, don't worry about that. He doesn't care," he said. "He really cares about you, though, y'know."

"I know," she said sheepishly.

Asriel thumped her on the shoulder. "If you wouldn't mind the flowers…?"

"I remembered, don't worry," she said.

He pushed down some of the spikier fur between his horns and shoved the door open for them. "Dad?" he asked loudly, raising the pitch of his voice slightly. "Dad, you here?"

Asgore emerged from the kitchen with a big smile on his face. "Kids! Howdy! So good to see you!" He hugged Asriel tightly, and then scooped Frisk up, too. "Hope you didn't have any trouble getting here. Did you have a good walk?"

"Totally," Asriel said. "We went up the CORE and everything. It was pretty cool."

Asgore grinned. He put the kids down and clapped his big paws together. "How would you two like a nice cup of tea?"

"Yes please!" Asriel said; he cast a look at Frisk. "You can spare a few minutes, right?"

"Absolutely," Frisk said. "We brought you something."

The King looked surprised, and Asriel quickly went to the big dining table and pulled the white rabbit tea set from his dimension box and then took a step back and stood rather rigidly. Asgore looked like he could squeal with glee.

"Those are adorable," he said, inspecting the little cups. "Such wonderful designs. Thank you! I love it! It's from Snowdin?"

"Yup! The family that runs the inn was selling it," Asriel said. "Pretty neat, right?!"

"I will treasure it," Asgore assured them. "Thank you both. How perfect, three cups and three of us! Let's try them out." He tenderly scooped up the tea set and carried it to the kitchen.

Before following him, Frisk hurriedly moved the flowers off the table and onto a shelf, just behind a picture frame.

As he filled his huge kettle from the the tap, he looked down at Frisk with a sympathetic smile. "I hope you're feeling a little better, honey," he said. "I'm really so sorry about all this, but—"

"Don't worry," Frisk said. "I can handle it."

"If you want me to be there when—"

Frisk giggled and Asriel nudged her in the ribs.

"Everyone keeps saying that," Asriel said. "She doesn't want any extra help."

"No? There's no shame in it," Asgore assured her.

"It's not that. It's… I'll be okay. Don't worry," she said. "You guys should just have a nice weekend."

"And you should not?" Asgore knelt down and rested a giant paw on her head gently. "Don't worry. I'm the King. I'll protect you."

"By sending Undyne to protect you," Asriel suggested.

"Sans's already asking her," Frisk said.

"Good! We are family, after all. I'll make sure it all goes to plan," Asgore ruffled her hair and then straightened up. "Okay! Onto something more pleasant. Would you two like some cookies?"

"Heck yeah I would," Asriel said brightly.

Frisk was grateful when they dropped all talk of the meeting tomorrow. She gladly sat quietly and sipped her sweet, milky tea, dunking in barely overdone shortbread biscuits as Asriel told his dad all about the events of the previous night and how school had gone during the week. He didn't drink a sip.

It was always nice to see how Asgore lit up when Asriel was around. It was unlike his reaction to any other monster. And, Frisk thought, it was good how Sans's ability to drag them through space effortlessly made any distance between their houses irrelevant. Asriel could stop in to hang out with his dad at a moment's notice. It was a sort of strange family dynamic with Toriel still being so chilly around the King, but it worked as well as it could, at least in Frisk's opinion.

"Oh! So, dad? Papyrus has been working on magic a lot with me recently. I think I'm gettin' real good at some new forms," Asriel said.

"Oh ho! That's excellent." Asgore beamed. "And Papyrus will be a great guide for you, he was always so good at those."

"Totally! I've been working on some new patterns with the fire. Can I show you?"

"Of course you can!" he said.

Asriel grinned. "Wait here." He dashed for the door and held up a paw. "Gotta set up."

He closed the door with a loud bang that shook the walls, and they could hear him call a bashful apology back from outside. Asgore chuckled faintly.

"Still doesn't know his own strength…" He looked at Frisk from the corner of his eye with a little trepidation. Like he wanted to say something but couldn't quite find it.

The air was suddenly heavy. It was strange. Frisk realized it was the first time they'd been alone together since the barrier had gone down. His big, soft face wore a sort of grim gloominess all of a sudden. His smile was cautious; a little sad. His ears drooped back.

"Frisk. Um." He looked like he didn't know what to say.

She didn't either. She knew what she wanted to say, but she wasn't sure how to start.

"Frisk," he began again, "I'm—"

"Sorry," Frisk said quickly. It came involuntarily, like a cough.

His eyes went wide. She smiled a little.

"I'm, um… I'm sorry," she said.

"Oh. Oh, no, Frisk, I'm the one who should be apologizing," he said quickly. "After what I did, I—"

"Nuh-uh, Asgore, no way. I'm sorry," she said. "And… And I'm sorry we didn't talk about this before. What I did, it got you killed. I never meant for that."

The great monster's eyes welled up. He pulled his chair over to sit beside her and put a gentle, hesitant hand on her shoulder. "Little one… You've been carrying that guilt for far too long. It was never your fault. And me, I'm…" He puffed out a sigh. "I… really am a wretched creature, aren't I? I… killed you. I fully intended to kill you."

"You thought it was the only way," Frisk said.

"Even if it was, it's… It wasn't right. It was never—! And I was wrong," he said. "I… was wrong about all of it. I can't ever expect your forgiveness, but—"

"Asgore," Frisk said quickly, taking his giant paw in both hands. "Anything I can, I do. For real."

He stared at her in silence for a long while.

"Look, I, um…" She sighed. "I… I wanted to talk to you about it, but… mom was always there, you know? And she wouldn't really understand. She still gets mad, sometimes, you know? At you."

"I know. And rightfully so," he said.

Frisk shrugged. "I could have come earlier. Sorry."

"Honey, don't," he said gently. "This was never your burden. Honestly."

"But it shouldn't be yours, either!" she said insistently. "I tried to die. Do you remember that? I tried to give you my soul."

Asgore grimaced. He nodded. She smiled tiredly and rubbed her eyes.

"It was a mistake," she said. "But I meant it back then. I… I didn't know I had a family to go back to. I didn't realize for way too long."

"You were a child— You are a child, and you should never have felt like you had to make that choice," Asgore said. "Why on earth…? No. I'm sure your reasons felt like good ones at the time."

"Hey, wh-what's my reason for doing, like, anything, right?" she joked, though her eyes welled up slightly. "Thought it would make Paps happy. Turned out it was like, the worst possible thing I couldda done, you know? Jeez."

"Oh, Frisk…" Asgore said.

She laughed and rubbed her eyes again. She stood up on her chair and hugged him. He gently held her close and patted her hair.

"I'm just so sorry you know what it's like, now," she muttered.

"What?" he asked.

"…To die. It's my fault."

"Oh. Sweetheart." Asgore pulled back with wide eyes. "Was that really what this is all about?"

"Well, yeah, of course," she said. She grimaced. "I thought you'd… I thought I'd remind you of…"

"Oh, no no no," he assured her. "That's… That's nothing. Honestly. That's why you stopped coming around so much?"

She nodded sheepishly.

He blew out a relieved sigh. "I was… worried you feared me."

"What?! No, of course not," Frisk said quickly. "N-No, I just… I felt bad for what happened that first time and… a-and I don' want you to feel bad, either."

He chuckled quietly. "Maybe, together, we can try to let go of those worries," he suggested.

"Hah! Alright, I'll try," she said. "Both of us, right?"

"Yes, little one. Both of us," he agreed.

He pulled back and his big hands cupped her face. "You're very wise for your years, aren't you?" he said. "I admit. I don't understand everything that's happened. Alphys tried to explain it to me. And Undyne did. And Asriel. But…" He shrugged.

Frisk laughed. "Yeah. It was a big mess."

"I… don't mean to pry," he said, "but… No. Never mind. Stupid question."

"What?" Frisk asked.

"It's just that… Frisk, I'm sure that if you had explained to me what was happening, I would have helped you," he said. "I… I'm not sure that you'll believe me, but I… I-I never wanted to hurt anyone. But I thought that, if… if someone had to, it—"

"I know. We do what we have to. Sometimes it's really tough to see another way," she assured him gently. "Honestly? I was going to. You remember how I came to give you that tea one time, but then undid it? I… I saw all that guilt on your face. I couldn't do that to you when everything was still not totally set in stone, you know?"

"Frisk…"

"And then I couldn't tell you about Asriel, because what if it didn't work? I couldn't break your heart like that, dude," she said. "Not after everything else."

Asgore's brow furrowed slightly, but his expression gave way to a tired smile. "You know it all, don't you?" he asked. "Asriel. Chara. All about them. And what happened after? What I…?"

"Yeah," she said. "I'm… sorry about Chara. She was… I don't think there was any way I could help her."

"No. I suppose not." His smile was sad. "The poor child. But… Thank you, Frisk. I know there is no replacing her. But you have stepped up for Asriel. That he calls you "_sister_" is a miracle to me. Let alone that he's here. I owe you everything for that."

"Oh." Frisk blushed. "D-Don't play me up too big, huh?"

He laughed and gently ruffled her hair.

Asgore looked like he had a little more on his mind, but the front door cracked open before he could get a word out.

"Okay!" Asriel said as he bounded back in. "Think I got it! Ready? It's pretty cool!"

"I'm very excited, son," Asgore said with a big smile.

The little monster beamed and he grabbed his dad's hand and pulled him towards the door. He shot Frisk a knowing wink over his shoulder. She followed, though she took a moment to wipe her eyes. She couldn't help the smile on her face, though. A cloud had started to drift away.


	4. LET ME EXPLAIN

Papyrus was fussing around with his phone when Sans strolled back into the lab. He looked up quickly and swiftly pocketed the thing, hopping back onto his feet.

"Sans! There you are," he said. "You alright?"

"Mhm." He stole a glance around. "Where's the Doc?"

"Ooh. Basement," he said. "She just left. She's grabbing some things, I think? She said I should wait here for you just in case."

"Hm. Good plan," he said. "I, uh, got a surprise. Big one."

"Ooh. A surprise? I love surprises," Papyrus said. "I mean, reasonable surprises, not jump-out-of-your-closet-with-a-trombone-in-the-middle-of-the-night surprises. What is it?"

"He's just outside," Sans said. "Tryin' not to have a panic attack, probably."

Papyrus tilted his head. "Does this surprise person need a hug? I am very good at those, they are good for anxiety," he said.

Sans grinned. "He'll love that, dude," he said. "Just, uh, gimme one sec?"

Sans backtracked to the door at the east end of the lab and opened it. Gaster was pinned up against the wall, worry all over his face, his bones rattling faintly.

"Dude, c'mon," Sans said. "Let's go." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

"He's… H-He's in there?" he asked softly.

"Yeah."

"Maybe I should just—"

"Get inside?" Sans suggested.

"I will, but—"

"Look. That's your kid, right? Nothin' to be worried about." Sans nudged him. "He's gonna flip."

"I'm going to flip," Gaster joked weakly. He forced himself to stand up straight and readjusted his glasses, and followed Sans back into the lab with just a hint of trepidation in his steps.

His smile was bashful, though he froze and his eyes welled up at the sight of his son. Papyrus tilted his head. He blinked with surprise. His jaw dropped and he pointed, at a loss for words for a long few seconds.

"D… Dad?" he stammered. "DAD?!"

Before Gaster could answer, Papyrus sprinted over and stopped mere inches from him to stare him in the face. He looked like he couldn't quite believe his eyes.

"H-Hi, Paps," he said quietly. He grunted when Papyrus grabbed him and squeezed him tight. He laughed quietly and held him close. Tears began to stream down his face, but he was smiling. "You're so tall."

"YOU ARE SO NOT MISSING!" Papyrus said loudly. "OH. MY. GOD."

They glowed together, so bright it lit up the room in a burst. Gaster held the back of his son's head and breathed a sigh of relief. Papyrus trembled. He squeezed him tight and hid his face against his shoulder. The man cooed gently and brushed his fingers over his skull reassuringly, his magic ebbing out, warm and soothing.

Sans couldn't help the grin on his face growing wide. It was like that missing time hadn't made a difference in the least, with the exception of his brother's height.

Papyrus looked up into their father's face, eyes glowing bright amber; tears streaming down his cheeks. "I m-missed you. I didn't know, but I missed you," he squeaked. "I-I'm so glad to see you!"

Gaster smiled. He gently used his thumbs to brush away Papyrus's tears. "Oh, kiddo…" He laughed. "You're so cute. God. I missed you, too."

"C-Cute?!" Papyrus scoffed, but he was beaming anyway. "Come on, now, surely _cool_ is better w-word to… Oh. You know, never mind, I'll take it."

Gaster laughed. "You're my kid, I'll always think you're cute. Here." He drew back and held him by his shoulders. "Let me look at you, Paps."

Papyrus stared at him with wide eyes and his cheekbones flushed as Gaster gently took his chin and tilted his head to check him over. The younger skeleton hurriedly wiped his eyes on the back of his glove.

"You barely changed at all, did you?" Gaster said.

"Well, I did grow just a bit," Papyrus joked. "But you… Your head…" He reached up and gently brushed his fingers over the crack that ran upwards from Gaster's right eye. "That's new, isn't it?"

Instead of answering, Gaster gently grabbed onto his son's purple sweatshirt to straighten out the front and pattern. "Are you wearing the Delta Rune?" he asked curiously.

"Y-Yes! Um! Mom… Toriel. Mom made it for me," he said. "Don't deflect! That's a big crack!"

Gaster chuckled and hugged him again. Papyrus sighed and clung tight.

"We… We have a lot of catching up to do, don't we?" Gaster said. "I'm so sorry I missed so much."

"Well, obviously you couldn't have helped it, or you would've been here," Papyrus said quickly. "But where were you? What happened? Why did I forget you were ever here? I mean, you're our dad, that shouldn't have ever happened, right?"

"That is… a long story," he said.

"What a coincidence, I love long stories," Papyrus said.

Before Gaster could elaborate, they heard the elevator ding. Papyrus hurriedly wiped his eyes again and Gaster turned as Alphys wandered out back into the main room, eyes fixed on her phone. Gaster found himself starting to beam.

"Hey, Doc," Sans said, grinning.

"Oh. Sans, welcome back, how did it—?" The second she look up, she froze to the spot and her jaw dropped. It was like her mind crashed and had to take a moment to reboot. "Uh. Uhhhh… Oh. Oh my g-god. Oh. My. GOD. G-G-G-Gaster?!"

"Alphys!" he said brightly. "It's very good to see you again. I'm sorry I am a bit of a mess."

She gawked. Stammered something incoherent and dropped her phone as she came closer and looked up at him. "O-Oh my g-g-god!" she said shrilly. "C-Can I hug you?! I'm hugging y-you."

She grabbed him and he chuckled and squeezed the little lizard close. He glowed softly. She made a shrill snorting noise.

"O-Oh my g-g-god, G-G-Gaster, I c— I c-can't… H-Holy. Crap."

Gaster smiled fondly. "I missed you, too," he said gently.

She choked out a warbling, nasally laugh.

"So guess who was causin' the CORE problems," Sans said with a grin.

"Y-You?!" Alphys pulled back, holding Gaster's arms.

"Me. I'm sorry to have worried you," he said. "I can assure you, the CORE is fine."

"Forget about the CORE, oh m-my god!" she shrieked. "You're… You're…" She grasped her head and took a deep breath. "H-How the hell do my memories feel itchy?!"

Sans burst out laughing and Gaster grinned apologetically, biting back a laugh himself. Alphys took a deep, steadying breath.

"Okay, Alphys. Okay. B-Breathe. Breeeeathe." She squished her own cheeks. "I can't believe… You r-realize you were…? Of c-course you do. Wh-what the hell is g-going on? You…! You v-vanished? I didn't… I didn't r-remember y-you at all! But then I saw you and I… Oh my god! You were…! Everything was…! But why couldn't I r-remember you?!"

"You aren't the only one," Papyrus said quickly, and he had to wipe his eyes again. "Phew! My gosh. What a day. I can't believe it. I haven't seen you since forever."

"I know. I know. I'm… I'm so sorry, Paps," he said.

"No, no, don't be!" he said. "It's just so weird! Especially since you seemed so much taller before and now you seem just a little taller. It's kind of surreal for me!"

"And you," Gaster said, holding the boy's face in both hands, "are practically a full-grown skeleton now."

Papyrus blushed. His eyes seemed to glitter with stars. He grabbed the man around the chest again and squeezed him tightly. He blew out a relieved sigh and bounced back before his father could react. "So what the heck is going on right now?" He looked between Gaster and Sans.

Sans shrugged. "Ask this guy."

"Oh m-my god I'm s-so confused," Alphys muttered.

"I apologize," Gaster said. "Would you like me to ex—?"

"YES! Yes. Please," the lizard insisted.

"It's a long story. Should we sit down?" He raised a hand, which glowed blue, and four of the chairs scattered around the lab gently plunked in around them as magic facsimiles of his hands in that same blue and black pulled them all over. He sat down and gestured for the other to do the same. He bounced on the seat briefly and then settled back.

"Alright. Where should I begin?" he said.

"Where you've been would be good," Sans suggested. "What happened?"

Papyrus nodded enthusiastically.

"Well. The CORE happened," Gaster said.

"Th-The malfunction?" Alphys asked. "Oh. G-God. Right, there…! There was a serious problem and… A-And you and Sans went in, b-but only he came out. R-Right?"

Gaster nodded and took a deep breath. His expression became serious. "I'll get straight to it. I designed the CORE with a massive flaw that didn't become clear until a long time later. Its magic tapped into time— or, the space between. Bloated it," he said. "The error, ten years ago? It happened because of me. I pushed it too hard long before that. It was reaching critical mass. I realized it too late."

"So what happened? D-Did you fall in?" Papyrus asked. "I mean, it was an accident, right?"

"Not quite. I—"

"No?! Did someone push you in?! Why?! What?!" Papyrus asked at a mile a minute.

Gaster chuckled. He shook his head. "I studied it. Realized I had to allow myself to be taken by it, or else it would've consumed the mountain. Then everything else. And by everything, I mean that very literally. Time had to be carefully ripped from the inside. Relieving the pressure, in a sense." He rubbed the back of his skull and suddenly looked exhausted. "Unfortunately, that caused a whole host of other problems. Timelines dividing outside of the natural rhythm. My own… circumstances. The time anomalies we tracked. There was no other way."

"And it… I-It erased y-you from all our memories?" Alphys asked.

"From time itself, superficially," he said. "Because there were still some remnants, obviously. Or else you two would not be here." He gestured at the other skeletons.

"Weird," Sans said.

Gaster laughed quietly.

"So… So, that night you came home all dizzy," Papyrus said, frowning thoughtfully at his brother. "When I was just a little Papyrus. That… That was when that happened, wasn't it?"

Sans nodded. Alphys put her hands to her mouth.

"S-Sans… That's why you left," she said quietly. "You… You s-saw your dad get hurt by the CORE. I guess on s-some level, you must've j-just been devastated."

"Must've been," Sans said with a shrug, and he turned his gaze on Gaster. "So. What were you doin' in there just now?"

"Ah. Thank you again, by the way," Gaster said. "When I reformed, it was a little premature. I had one more large split to make in time. Which I did. Things on that front should be stable now."

"B-But. Okay. Dad," Papyrus said. "If you got basically pulled out of time, how the heck did you come back?!"

Gaster smiled fondly and he folded his arms as if to warm his chest. "It's thanks to Frisky."

"You… know F-Frisk?" Alphys asked.

"Know her? Of course, she's my…" He looked at Sans with a sudden, startled sense of realization on his face. "You didn't tell anyone, did you?"

"Nope," he said.

"Tell anyone what?" Papyrus asked.

Gaster put his face in his hands for a moment and then began to laugh. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eye sockets. "Couldn't have made this easy for me, could you?" he joked.

"Hey, sorry, you didn't exist," Sans said with a shrug. "Made havin' to explain a huge chore. Didn't bother."

"Like most chores," Papyrus retorted. "Explain what, exactly?"

Gaster's cheekbones flushed a little blue. He clenched his hands together. Sans put his chin on his fist and his grin widened.

"You're gonna like this a lot," he told his brother.

Gaster hesitated. "Should I tell them, or you, or…?"

Sans gestured at him to continue. He took a deep breath.

"Frisky is… She's my daughter," Gaster said. "Your sister, Papyrus."

Alphys dropped her jaw and her glasses, Sans grinned wide, and Papyrus laughed.

"Well, that's a weird coincidence, because Frisk is already my…" It seemed to settle on him very abruptly. "WAIT, WHAT?!" He grabbed Sans and shook him a little.

"Dude," Sans laughed.

"Is he serious?!" His voice was very shrill. "He's serious, isn't he?!"

"Yup," Sans said.

"W-W-WHAT?!" Alphys shrieked.

"…Wait, WHAT?!" Papyrus said, almost in tandem. "But she's a…?! Oh my god. Skeleton on the inside. OH MY GOD. IT WAS FORESHADOWING ALL ALONG BUT IN REAL LIFE!" He put his hands on his head and gawked.

Gaster's smile was sympathetic, but he was clearly trying hard not to laugh. Alphys put her hands to her mouth and started making a weird, alarmed snorting noise.

"H-How?! How c-could…?!" Alphys couldn't even finish. She just stammered shrilly.

"S-So. Wait. WAIT. Oh my god," Papyrus said. "You…? You made her?! Like you made us?!"

"It's complicated," he said. "Frisky came about when I… When I was destroyed, I suppose. My determination pulled out of me and from the CORE, as well as all that energy out in time that it tapped into. It shot out into the world and… fused. Multiplied exponentially until it somehow became a new soul, based somewhat on an inverse of my own. I… I suppose, in this version of our world, she was the only form it could ever take, really. She's… Hah. Unexpected. But. I wouldn't change her for anything. Second time this has happened to me, actually."

"Heh. Yeah, she's my favourite accident, for sure," Sans said with a wink.

"Well, I suppose that once I made the CORE, she was more of an inevitability," Gaster said. "Of course, there was no way to know when I began, but, with the flaw that developed quite early in production, it really was just a matter of time before she was created. She is a necessary component of our universe, after all. But. I take your point. Except when it comes to something like that, I have two favourite accidents." He smiled at the short skeleton fondly.

Papyrus stared, uncharacteristically silent. Alphys stammered incoherently for a moment, fumbled for her glasses and put them back on before rolling forward on her chair and grasping tight to Gaster's hands.

"Y-You're… You're her dad…" She sounded like she could barely believe it. "Is… Is she even human, then?"

"She is," he said. "Only a human can contain that much determination."

"B-But how?!" she squeaked.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure," he said. "But… it all worked out, thankfully. Though, honestly, my ideal situation would have been to not explode over time and space and just have her born under the mountain with us. Though that's purely fantasy, mind you."

"Oh. My. God," she said softly. "H-How…? B-But… Oh my god. Sans. Sh-She… She really w-was… No wonder y-you were the closest th-thing to a d-dad she had."

"Sans has always been good like that," Gaster said rather proudly. "And Papyrus was always so protective and sweet. I knew if she made it here after I sent her, she'd be in good hands."

Sans shrugged, but couldn't conceal that he was rather flattered— not that he tried very hard.

Rather suddenly, Papyrus lurched forward. He put his face in his hands and began rattling so hard the chair under him shook, too. He made a whimpering sound.

"Whoa, uh…" Sans said. "Bro?"

Papyrus started to sob and everyone froze.

"P-Papyrus, what's wrong?" Gaster asked shrilly.

He got to his feet, but Sans beat him to it, holding up one hand to get them to wait. He held Papyrus's shoulder with one hand and the back of his skull with the other.

"You okay?" he asked.

Papyrus took a trembling breath and began to babble, so fast and stuttering that it was almost impossible to understand. Sans nodded anyway.

"S'alright," he said. "Slow up a bit. Take a breath."

Papyrus tried. His shoulders heaved. His brother stroked his head, and Papyrus made a sort of hiccoughing sound.

"Sh-She'll… She'll n-never have that nightmare again," he said. "Never, never, never. And sh-she's safe… She's s-s-safe! She's safe."

Though Gaster looked puzzled and worried, Sans smiled and laughed quietly, pulsing gentle blue through his hands.

"Yeah. That's right," he said.

"Oh, my gosh, th-that's so sweet," Alphys said quietly.

"What does that mean?" Gaster asked quietly.

"Tell you later," Sans assured him.

Gaster looked between them, brow furrowed a little, but his face relaxed when, somewhere in between sobbing, Papyrus started laughing. The two sounds were a little hard to separate.

"I… I c-can't stop!" he said.

"I know, just keep your head down, don't need any sloshin', right?" Sans said.

"EW. S-SANS."

Sans laughed.

“H-He’s very sensitive when it c-comes to Frisk,” Alphys told Gaster quietly.

Before Gaster could say a word, Papyrus finally sat up again and hugged Sans quickly, and then got up and grabbed his father’s shoulders. 

“This day is really good,” he said. He was beaming. “Thank you. For coming back. And for giving us our sister. She’s going to be happier than ever to know that.”

Gaster smiled and gave him a hug. Papyrus snickered, took a deep breath, and wiped his eyes when he pulled back.

“Got it all out?” Sans asked.

“Mostly. I… I think,” Papyrus said.

"_A stór,_ _conas_ atá tú?" Gaster asked gently.

"I'm fantastic," Papyrus assured him. "Oh wow, I totally forgot that until just now. Pffft, how weird! _Tá brón orm! _Oh! I speak it, too! Sans, do you?!"

"_Ní thuigim_," he replied with a grin and a shrug, making Alphys snicker.

"Oh, stop it, of course you do, you're speaking it right now!" Papyrus said, rolling his eyes.

"Then why'd you ask, bro?" Sans said.

"Ugh, never mind, you're impossible," he sighed.

Gaster chuckled and shook his head. He smiled fondly as he took his seat again. "You two don't change a bit," he said. "Papyrus, I am sorry, though. I never meant to shock you that badly."

"It's alright. I mostly cry when I'm happy, if I'm honest," he said. "I just got a bit overwhelmed, is all. To know that Frisk is really… I mean. I know you weren't here for this, but she always felt a little out of place, and to know that she's really, really not? That's going to be the best thing for her, you can't even imagine. Especially with that thing tomorrow. Thank you." He wiped his eyes again and laughed at himself, though his voice was still a little hoarse.

"What thing tomorrow?" Gaster asked, his brow furrowing.

"Ah. Yeah. That," Sans said. "So, humans out there got a little confused on what was up with her and put a rehabilitation thing in one of the treaties before Asgore made them take it out. But I guess to make sure she's eatin' her greens or whatever, they're sendin' someone to talk to her tomorrow."

"…Did they threaten to take her?" The skeleton bristled.

"Nah. Kinda just a miscommunication, it'll be fine," Sans said. "Told her. She doesn't belong there. No one's got a family claim on her. Obviously, 'cause, uh, we do."

"Oh, poor thing, that must be so stressful," he said quietly.

"She'll be just fine now, though!" Papyrus said brightly, though his voice was still crackling. "Because you're here! And… And…" He had to cough.

"Oh! Hey, Papyrus, let m-me make you some tea," Alphys said. "I-It'll help. Actually. I'll make tea for everyone."

"Thank you so much, Doctor," Papyrus said as he settled back down, wiping his eyes again.

"Oh! Gaster, I'll make you some coffee," Alphys said. "A-Actually! I still have some of your favourite i-instant brand around in the c-cupboard."

"Do you?" Gaster asked with surprise.

"Yeah, I… I c-could never bring myself to g-get rid of it, or use it myself," she said, shooting him a smile. "Didn't know why."

"You could have had some!" he assured her.

"I know, b-but… I'm glad I still have it," she said as she put the kettle on her hotplate. "This shouldn't take long. Two sugars, right?"

Gaster smiled. His eyes seemed to glitter. "So… The little details, they've come back, too."

"Did you think they wouldn't?" Papyrus asked worriedly.

"I didn't know what to expect," he said. "I was almost expecting to return to no one even recognizing me."

"What? Why?" he asked worriedly. "This place where you were, it sounds like it was no fun at all.

"It wasn't. But it was necessary," he said.

"I guess it was. If that's what made Frisk," Papyrus said quietly. "We really needed her. I really needed her. But Sans probably needed her most."

"Hm. I didn't expect that strong of a reaction," Gaster said.

"Oh, G-Gaster, Frisk and P-Papyrus are basically inseparable," Alphys said with a laugh. "Th-The only reason she isn't here is that she's w-walking Asriel to h-his dad's place."

Gaster looked like he'd been punched in the back. "A-Asriel?!" he repeated loudly. "Oh. God. Sorry, my mind just went… You couldn't mean… Never mind, I—"

"Oh. Right. Probably shouldda mentioned," Sans said. "There's this other kid. Think you might know him. Kinda like our, uh, little brother, I guess. Latched right onto Frisk, mostly, but Paps and I, we're getting pretty comfortable with him."

Papyrus nodded. Gaster's cheekbones flushed a little.

"You aren't serious," he said.

"Tori and Asgore's kid," Sans said. "I mentioned Tori kinda adopted us, huh?"

Gaster nodded stiffly, and he quickly wiped a tear from his eye. "Asriel's… alive."

"Thanks to Doctor Alphys," Papyrus said brightly.

Gaster's brow furrowed with confusion, and Alphys's cheeks flushed and she busied herself making the drinks so as not to make eye contact.

"We'll cover that later," Sans said, "but it's kinda of a big part of the reason the barrier's down to begin with. Him and Frisk ended up being the key to all this."

"Oh… My god. And… And Chara…?"

Sans shook his head. Gaster sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Is…? Is he okay without her?" he asked quietly.

"He's fine," Sans said. "As much as he can be. Think Frisk fills part of the hole, at least."

"And he lives with you," Gaster sounded slightly awed. "He… Huh. A little brother…"

"Welp. He calls us "bro" and Frisk "sis"_, _so guess that's where we stand," Sans said with a grin.

Papyrus nodded and smiled quite brightly. Gaster looked relieved.

"There's more, too! We ended up with quite a big family, in fact!" Papyrus said brightly.

"Oh, yeah, there's also this fish girl that Asgore kinda adopted, too, which plunks her right into that Asriel circle," Sans said with a grin, "which basically means we got a, uh, fish-sis, in a way. And she and Alphys are a thing, so…"

"Oh, wow, honestly?" Gaster smiled at the lizard. "Well! Welcome to the family, then."

"Pfffft! Th-Thanks," she said.

Alphys brought over the hot drinks and Gaster immediately knocked back half of the steaming mug. He took a deep, contented breath. His magic in the shape of hands snuck over to the fridge and returned to him with a ginger soda, popping the tab.

"I guess a lot of things are going to be surprising to all of us," he said as he poured a large glug of it into the coffee, causing it to froth up into a fluffy foam, before passing the rest to Sans.

"Absolutely. Oh! I bet you're eager to see Frisk, right?" Papyrus said. "We should call her and get her to come here, don't you think? Or! We could go up to the King's place and say hi!"

"Oh! Oh. I… I don't know what to say, yet," Gaster said quickly. "I… I'm not prepared, I—"

"Y-You talked l-like maybe you knew her, though?" Alphys asked.

"I do! I do," he said, "I… It's hard to explain."

"He was the mystery dude," Sans said. "Shadowman. Y'know, as if that weren't obvious by this point?"

"Y-Yeah, I… I figured," Alphys said. She nudged Gaster with her elbow. "You know, you really sc-scared the hell out of us."

"I'm sorry. I… I didn't know how else to help, but I had to try," he said. "I'm aware it was a total mess. And my energy was so twisted that prolonged exposure could do heavy damage. Sans. I am truly sorry. I hurt you, didn't I? I'm sure I did."

"Eh, forget it," he said, waving a hand dismissively.

"S-So you were… I mean? You knew wh-what was going on?" Alphys pushed.

"Somewhat," he said. "As I said, my mind was mostly in pieces and running in a non-linear fashion for the majority of it. Parts are a bit foggy, now. Except for Frisky, of course. But overall, my eyes weren't exactly functioning correctly. I was completely blind, aside from her, for what seems like quite a lot of it."

"But… B-But you helped me with my calculations, r-right?" Alphys said.

"Oh! You got them. Good," he said. "Hopefully they came at the right time?"

"They did! Th-Thank you so much," she said. "How did you know I n-needed help?"

"I transitioned through several phases during my time out of time," he admitted. "As my power began to grow through my connection with Frisky, I was able to manipulate the electro-magic signals in the air to tap into the UnderNet. It was nauseating, to be honest, but that allowed me access to computers and phones, for a short time. I read your notes. I saw an error. I remembered… Heh. For just a minute, I remembered a little yellow someone that I felt some affection for, and I wanted to help."

Alphys blushed and smiled shyly.

"So why'd you stop?" Sans asked.

"Keeping focus was difficult," he said. "Strangely, while my mind was operating outside of a linear perception of time, it was easier because everything in my existence was confusing and blurry. The experience didn't bother me simply because I had no sense of time. But as I got stronger, I started to come out of the fog. It was much easier to visit in person or through dreams, and I actually completely forgot that it was a thing I was able to do. All of my memories continually reset themselves. I didn't even really know who I was for most of the time."

"That sounds awful!" Papyrus said shrilly.

"It was," Gaster said with a laugh. He sipped his coffee concoction. "Fully banjaxed, for sure."

"Was any of this not awful?!" he insisted.

"You. Your brother. Your sister," he said.

Papyrus frowned. He pouted and sipped his tea. His brows raised. "Wait, wait, did I hear this right? You also said y-you sent Frisk to the mountain, though? You said that, right?"

"I did." Gaster nodded. "Well. It was more of a suggestion. It was her idea. She decided to make the trip on her own. If I would've remembered the mountain earlier, I might have tried to get her there, but at the same time, I'm not sure she would've made it. Even then, she was only ten, but her body wasn't v… In any case, she was very small, physically. And I couldn't help her."

"Not at all?" Papyrus asked worriedly.

Gaster went a little stiff. "It was… complicated. I was around frequently. I suppose I was more of a shadow than anything else. I wasn't always able to even make myself perceptible. Physically interacting was almost completely out of the question. I remember her mumbling one day. About how much she hated where we were. How she'd heard of the mountain. It brought some of it back to me for a short time. I suggested she come here. I had her write it down several times, I think. I gave her some initial directions. Had to do some tricks to even get it in English, mind you."

"So you were there with her the whole time?" Papyrus said.

"It's complicated. Sorry, I will be saying that a lot," he said. "I was, but often unconsciously. I wasn't always aware. But once she reached the mountain and hooked into one of the tears for the first time, suddenly I was… something again."

"So you've been stuck to her for a long time, then," Sans said.

"Because of what happened to me, I was linked to her. It's hard to explain. My existence was… scattered? And my mind was fractured. It was… dismally lonely. And maddening, in some ways," he explained. "It always felt like the awful shock of when it first began, and the weight and hopelessness of having been there for eternity, all at once. I had this feeling of knowing I had two boys waiting for me, and a small red someone that needed me. I knew she forgot me, though, and I forgot myself. Quite regularly, in fact. I sometimes didn't know when I was, or where, or even who, just that that I needed to rip time where I could."

"Wow, that sounds more and more awful the more you explain it," Papyrus said sympathetically.

"It… wasn't exactly pleasant," Gaster said, though he laughed a little and rubbed his head. "When I visited a few months ago, those were all during brief moments of lucidity. I found that the more Frisk was connected into that fractured CORE energy— the more she tuned her soul to resonate paired with magic— the more clearly I could reach her. I started to fall back into time, like things were finally starting to happen in order for me. I could touch on her soul, mostly when she was dreaming, at first, and she would start to retain tiny pieces of me. The more she could remember, and the more real I could make myself."

"So. You drew power straight from her," Sans said. "That suddenly makes a ton of sense."

"It wasn't intentional. Not at first," he said. "But when I realized what was happening, how strong she was getting, I… I couldn't help myself. But, what it must've put her though… I feel awful about it."

"You wanted to b-be with your family," Alphys said gently. "No one could blame you for that."

"But what I did…" He looked at Sans. "Do you remember? I spoke through her."

"…Oh. Shit. Yeah. Guess that does make sense." Sans frowned. "What the hell was that about?"

"I was so selfish," he said quietly. "She understood me for the first time and I knew… I knew I had a place in reality again. I was desperate and I seeped in too close. That's why I asked that flower to send me back to the v—"

"I think I missed this completely," Papyrus said, wide-eyed. "Didn't I?"

"Don't worry about it, Paps," Sans said. He turned his eyes on his father.

"Please don't tell her how weak I was," he muttered. "It must've made her so sick."

"Honestly? Yeah. It did. But she'd be relieved that she helped," Sans said. "She's weird like that."

"Yes! Dad, Frisk loves helping. It makes her really happy," Papyrus said. "Even, ummm, if it's not exactly the healthiest for her. But she helped you! I mean. You left some glowy bits on her but, I'm sure she'd understand. You need to see her."

"Glowy…? I know, but I'm… I'm not sure how to even approach her with this sudden dump of information and what will undoubtedly be a rather traumatizing experience," he said.

Sans laughed. "Traumatizin'? You're kiddin', right?"

The tall skeleton was thoroughly taken aback. Before he could protest, Alphys reached out and held his hand.

"G-Gaster, the most important thing to Frisk has always been h-her friends and f-family," she said. "She's a great kid. R-Really. Papyrus is right, she'll be so happy to know sh-she even has a dad. I mean, correct m-me if I'm wrong, guys, but she always had that little hangup about h-how she didn't know if her parents just left her somewhere or what."

Sans nodded. "You know she remembers you, right?" he said. "After that night she saw you melt, she remembered everything. Even from when she was a kid. I mean, y'know, a smaller kid."

"She did?" A hopeful look crossed his face. "That carried over? Seriously? She remembered me?"

"She did. Loved you to death, y'know," Sans said. "Really tore her up when she saw you melt in that weird time void place."

"Oh my god," he breathed. He looked like he could cry, but the smile on his face quickly fell to worry. "Oh. God, but I… I was a ghost. Some twisted thing that disrupted her memories. I couldn't even speak to her, I sounded like something out of a horror film. How do I even begin to explain?"

"You should just say it, I think," Papyrus said. "Frisk is very smart, she'll understand."

"She won't even recognize me," he muttered.

"Bet she will," Sans said, and he pointed at Gaster's face. "Your skull still has those cracks in it. She'll recognize you."

"…You think so?" He didn't look so sure, but he couldn't help the little glimmer of hope deep in his dark eyes as he rested his fingers gingerly on the crack that went down his cheek.

Papyrus took out his phone. "Would you like to see her? I have many photos. We like to take selfies, sometimes! Or just stuff to send to mom, things like that."

Gaster froze. He looked uncertain. "I… um…" He took a deep breath. "I do."

Papyrus scooted over to his side and queued up the pictures, and then handed it over.

Gaster stared; clenched it in his fingers tightly. There she was, in a slightly lopsided frame, slumped, napping on Sans on that old green couch he remembered. Tiny little thing. Still scrawny, under a squishy grey sweatshirt. Light brown skin, dark brown hair, cut straight and just barely to her shoulders. There was a scar on her cheek; a magic burn. He took a moment to process it. That was his little Frisk. With the exception of that mark, she was exactly as he remembered her. His mind hadn't just filled in the blanks. Something had stuck. He gently touched the screen, trying to ignore the tears in his eyes, and he swiped to the next photo.

A selfie with Papyrus. She had warm, brown eyes. Her smile was bright— brighter than he had ever hoped. In another, he could see the shine of her soul. Red. Vibrant, shining, red. A similar photo showed pinpricks of iridescent white glimmering it it, like starlight. And there, too, was Asriel, as they seemed to be engaged in a mock-battle. The boy was a little different than he remembered, but close enough that he felt his breath become short.

More selfies. Papyrus and Alphys, Papyrus and a blue fish monster he was sure he recognized but couldn't grasp the name of. A shot of Toriel baking. He smiled. It was good to see her. She looked happy. Then, a selfie of Papyrus, and behind him, Sans holding Frisk as they read a book together.

Gaster blew out a trembling breath. He bent his head and couldn't help the tears. Alphys touched his shoulder gently.

"A-Are you okay?" she asked.

He nodded. "I am," he huffed. "B-Better to do it now than… than in front of her. Oh god, I'm a bloody m-mess."

"It's going to be just fine," Papyrus assured him, dragging him into a hug. "Frisk will love you. She'll be so happy to meet you for real, I just know it. Don't worry."

He nodded again. "Sh-She's… She's getting enough to eat, right?" he asked softly. "And… And staying warm? Her skin, it's… it's more sensitive than our bones are, and—"

"She's fine," Sans said. "Chill. There was a learnin' curve, but we made do."

Gaster took another few moments to catch his breath. Alphys brought him some tissues and he smiled gratefully and wiped his face.

"Thank you," he said. He poured the rest of his coffee into his mouth. "I'll be alright."

She nodded. "Sh-She's actually, um…" Alphys said gently. "She's actually v-very strong."

"We have a really good kid," Sans said.

"Hah. I'm sure we do," Gaster said.

The front door of the lab burst open suddenly with a loud bang. Alphys and Gaster jumped.

"Hey, nerds!" Undyne said loudly, tossing some metal onto the floor. "Babe, I found you some cool crap and…" She seemed to forget what she was saying when she took note of the group sitting close to the fridge.

Sans grinned and tried not to laugh as Undyne's finger traced in the air between the skeletons.

"Uhh… Oh. Hi," she said, walking closer, ear-fins perked and curious. "Sorry, Paps, I thought… you and Sans were the only skeletons left."

"Ah! Not quite," Gaster said.

He got to his feet and Undyne smiled and tilted her head.

"Oh. Hey, you're… I recognize you. You're that scientist, right?" she asked, offering him her hand. "Oh! Shit, you're their dad. Right?"

"Dead on!" He shook her hand, unable to help a smile. "I'm so sorry, a name isn't coming to me."

"I'm Undyne."

"Undyne? Really?!" He began to absolutely beam and he clapped her strongly on the shoulder. "My god, it's been so long since…! I hardly recognized you! The last time I saw you, you were just a little girl!"

"Think I was closer to a teenager, dude," she said with a laugh.

"And now look at you! You're a fighter of some kind? A Guard?"

"Guard Captain," Undyne said.

"Guard Captain?! That's amazing. Asgore must be so proud," he said. "Congratulations."

"Hah! Thanks." She grinned. "I do alright."

"Really enjoyin' how chill she is about this," Sans said.

Undyne laughed. "You're, uh… Huh. Oh yeah, Gaster. Right? I… huh… Weird, my memories are, like, itchy, but yeah, I remember you comin' around a lot. Asgore's best friend. Right?"

"Dead on, again," he said as, behind him, Alphys pointed at Undyne and tapped Sans with her knuckles, looking excited and mouthing the word _itchy_. "Actually, that's a relief that someone not directly connected to me can remember me now."

"Must be. So where were you at all this time?" she asked. "Because I think I remember you bein' the one to patch up my face when I got hurt. Right?" She pointed at the spot hidden under her eyepatch.

"I was!" He smiled. "As for the "memory thing", I was stuck outside of time and space. It was all very complicated and unpleasant."

"Huh. Frisk stuff, huh?" she said.

Gaster couldn't help but look taken aback. "How did you know?"

She shrugged and thumped his shoulder. "Anything weird and time related, that's got that kid written all over it," she said. "Well. Welcome back, then! Guess you guys are pretty hyped, huh?"

"Absolutely!" Papyrus said.

Undyne grinned and grabbed Papyrus into a hug. He snickered, bones flushing.

"I'm so happy," he mumbled.

"Yeah, I bet!" she said. "I'm real glad for you."

"Awww," Alphys cooed.

"By the way. She's the, uh, fish I mentioned," Sans said.

"Oh really?!" Gaster looked between Alphys and Undyne. He smiled brightly. "Well! Welcome to the family to you, too!"

"OH! Right! Hey, thanks," Undyne said with a laugh. "Funny how that all played out, huh?"

"Nyeh heh! I, for one, think it's just fantastic!" Papyrus said brightly. "I mean, it's pretty hilarious that you ended up being Asriel's older sister in a way, which technically made you ours as well. I mean, except for Sans, I guess he would be your older brother?! And Alphys can be everyone's sister-in-law!"

Sans snickered and Undyne smiled sideways, patting the skeleton on the shoulder.

"Man, we didn't need just that plus-one to be family, though," she said. "But. Hey. For a technicality, I dig it."

"Nyeh heh heh! I know! Who wouldn't want a brother as cool as me, anyway?!" Papyrus said.

Alphys giggled. She held Undyne's hand. "Oh! O-Oh, Gaster, can I t-tell her, too?"

"It's not a secret," Sans said with a grin.

"Tell me what?" Undyne asked.

"Undyne. This is, um, kinda big but, D-Doctor Gaster… he's also F-Frisk's father," she said.

Undyne stared blankly for a few seconds. She looked at Gaster and tilted her head."Huh. Big shark jump. Okay." She looked at Sans and Papyrus curiously. "How long you known that?"

"Few months," Sans said.

"WHAT?! I only knew since just now!" Papyrus said shrilly, whirling on his brother with wide eyes. "Sans, why didn't you say anything?"

"Would it have changed anything?" Sans asked.

"Well, not really, but—"

"There you go." Sans grinned and pointed at his father. "Biggest deal is for Frisk and this dude."

"You should really tell me these things!" Papyrus said, pouting and folding his arms tight. "I would have made her my special celebration spaghetti."

"You can still do that," Sans said.

"So, wait, she doesn't know either?" Undyne asked. "Sheesh. She's gonna cry like a baby, dudes."

"You're not surprised?" Gaster asked.

Undyne shrugged. "I mean, yeah, of course," she admitted. "How's a monster make a human, anyway? Is there another parent? A mom? Dad two?"

"Just him," Sans said.

"Yeah, what the hell is that all about?" Undyne asked.

"He was such a huge lonely nerd that he figured out how to make monsters out of himself," he joked.

"Well, I… Technically. That's true," Gaster said. "Though Frisk is not a monster. It's a long story."

"Basically, he blew up, his determination that was already stupid high got slapped out of him and mashed with some other junk in the CORE, it went through some weird exponential time spiral, and somehow became the kiddo," Sans said, shrugging.

"That's…! Surprisingly accurate," Gaster said, putting a hand to his brow.

"S'pretty weird. Probably had to make a human body so it wouldn't just disintegrate," Sans mused, tapping his teeth. He winked. "I'm literally not exageratin' when I call her a time god, y'know."

"Whoa. That's messed up," Undyne said. "But she'll be real happy to hear all that, actually."

"I'm not so sure," Gaster said worriedly.

"Dad! Come on, what have we been saying?" Papyrus insisted, grabbing his sleeve. "Frisk thought she was alone! She was so scared she maybe had secretly dead or terrible parents. And then she was scared that the surface humans would try to make her go somewhere and we'd have to go on the run and…! If she has you instead, she's going to be so, so happy. She already likes you and everything!"

Gaster looked relieved. He rubbed the back of his skull. "I certainly hope so."

"Don't even doubt it for a second!" Papyrus said loudly. "Ooh! We should go home! We can meet her there! I'll make some spaghetti and we can introduce you at dinner or something! What do you say?"

Gaster froze up. He rubbed his hands together nervously. Alphys shot him a sympathetic smile.

"Um, P-Papyrus, I think y-your dad might be thinking of s-something maybe a l-little, um… quieter?" she said gently. "Th-This can't be easy."

"Why? What's hard about it?" Papyrus asked curiously. "You love her, right?"

"Of course," Gaster said, "but—"

"And she loves you! Of course she does! She just needs to know you're back, right?"

"You could always take her somewhere quiet," Undyne said with a shrug. "Explain everything."

"I… I could. She loves Waterfall. The wishing rooms, right?" He looked thoughtful. "I… I'm not sure… Maybe I could… get her to meet me there?"

"That sounds like it's gettin' overly complicated already, dude," Sans said.

"I d-dunno, that c-could be really s-sweet, you know?" Alphys said. "If… G-Gaster, i-if you're not s-sure what to say at first, you could always take some time to write a l-letter to her, you know? To, um… T-To get your thoughts straight? You could leave it somewhere for h-her, or P-Papyrus or s-someone could g-give it to her. That would give you a little time to g-get ready before she goes to meet you."

Gaster looked intrigued. Sans rubbed the back of his skull.

"Or, y'know, you could just, uh, tell her?" Sans said. "I'll do it if you don't want to."

"I can do this," Gaster said. "Maybe I… Maybe I will write a note."

"Would you like some help?!" Papyrus asked.

Gaster laughed and shook his head. "That's nice of you, Paps, but… I think this is something I should do on my own," he said quietly. "I'll… Hah. Grillby's still around?"

"You know it," Sans said.

"I'll… take a walk there," he said. "Get my thoughts sorted in Snowdin, I suppose."

"I'll walk with you!" Papyrus said brightly.

Gaster smiled and nodded. "I would like that very much," he said. "We have a lot of catching up to do, don't we?"

"We do!" Papyrus said brightly. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, then snatched his father's hand and then pulled him towards the door. "Come on! Ooh! I can tell you all about my puzzles, and my guard training. I'm getting very good, you know? And I'll tell you all about mom and Asriel, and you can come see our room before you go to the bar, how's that? And—"

They lost Papyrus's words as the lab door slammed closed behind them. Undyne grinned sideways and cast her eye towards Sans. He was still in his seat, looking rather content and a little bit amused.

"W-Wow…" Alphys muttered. She took off her glasses and wiped her eyes. She wandered over to Sans and, before he could say a word, she pulled him off his chair and hugged him tight.

He laughed. "What's this for?"

"I… I'm, um… Whew. I'm s-so glad he's… here. I d-didn't even r-realize… Wow. Th-This is big."

"It is. But it's fine," he said.

"But… B-But this whole thing with Frisk, it's…" She pulled back and turned away to wipe her eyes again and she laughed. "Oh g-god. I can't stop."

Undyne scoffed and strolled closer, stretching her arms above her head. "How d'you think the kid's gonna take it?"

"She'll cry and then she'll be fine," he said with a shrug. "Probably that. On loop for a bit."

"Seriously, though, you knew for months?" Undyne said.

"Yeah," he said.

"How?!" Undyne said. "If no one remembered your dad existed, then…? I don't get it."

"It was kinda obvious," he said with a shrug.

"Well? Fill us in," Undyne said.

"She's my little sis, I dunno," he said.

"Sans," Undyne said sternly.

Sans laughed. He paused for a moment as if to consider his words. "Welp. Alright. Kinda long and boring though. Might doze off partway through."

"I'm gonna dunk you right in the garbage if you do," Undyne said.

"Oh, cool, right where I belong." He winked. "Okay. Goes like this. Kiddo mentioned those cracks in dad's skull a while ago, before she remembered him. That started it for me. When the CORE blew and my memories were a mess, I drew a picture of someone. Same eye cracks. Guessed he was important. Also, emphasis on cracks, in this case," he said, shrugging again. "Considerin' all the other factors, it means skeleton."

"R-Right, right, because who else c-could have a c-cracked face like that?" Alphys muttered. "S-So… So… What made you think he w-was your dad when y-you couldn't remember?"

"Welp. Part of it was that drawing. Makes sense that if I thought I was losin' my memory that the first thing I would do was make sure I had somethin' of my brother. But who else would be important enough to me that I would go outta my way to draw him with enough detail that those eye cracks would be so prominent? Gotta be family," Sans said. "Paps and I, we were the only skeletons accordin' to every other monster ever. But, we all know that's not possible since we even exist at all, huh? Couldn't even remember how I got Papyrus. He's younger than me, so, that's weird, isn't it? I remembered him bein' born in the lab, remembered waitin' for him before that, but not who was makin' him. So, fill that in, and it's the skeleton with cracks in his skull who's gotta be our dad, right? Can't come from nothin', so, he's gotta be a missin' piece."

Alphys's eyes went wide. She nodded and watched him eagerly. He shrugged and started counting on his fingers, like he was keeping track of the steps in his head.

"Then, Alph, you and me figured out we knew him. He worked with us. I was pretty sure who he was right then. When Frisk remembered him; that he'd been with her for her whole life, she told me a conversation they had. Monster with the cracked face, he's real affectionate with her. Said he's got three kids. Calls her Frisky instead of Frisk."

"That's a big deal?" Undyne asked.

"Skeletons used to name each other based on a sort of… It's hard to explain. A visualization of their voice and hum, I guess," Sans explained. "We can kinda see it in our heads if we try to. That's how dad named me, and how I named Paps. And here's the thing. Frisk's name in skeleton, it's Frisky."

"S-So a… a skeleton gave her her name, and th-there's no other skeletons," Alphys said, eyes wide. "Oh… S-So at the very least! Y-You could have assumed he knew her when she was really young, c-couldn't you? E-Even if she didn't remember at the t-time."

Sans nodded. "So, I already knew that the guy with the cracked face, he's a skeleton. One that I knew, and well, too. And he's got three kids. Two accounted for: me and Paps. And now we have a weird little human made of determination with time travel powers, no human parents, with a name given by a skeleton. Who just happens to have a special connection to the monster with the cracked face. And who, once her energy shifted enough, could sync with me and Paps the same way we could with each other. No effort whatsoever. Gee. What a strange series of coincidences, huh?" He raised his brows.

Alphys gawked. "O-Oh my g-god, that's nuts! That's like… th-that's like… a weird, skeleton dad algebra equation!" she said.

Sans laughed and shrugged. "Now it's more like weird skeleton _dad-dition_," he said.

Alphys could't help snorting out a giggle.

Undyne folded her arms. "And you never thought to mention this?"

"Does it make sense to try to explain it if Gaster wasn't real?" Sans wondered. "Imaginary numbers are one thing. Imaginary skeletons, maybe a bit more complicated, huh?"

Undyne grimaced. "Guess you're right. But why didn't you tell her?"

"Tell her what? That she's my sister? She already knows that," he said. "I tell her that all the time."

"Yeah, but, for real though," Undyne said.

"It was always for real. Never felt any different. I mean, maybe if we never did the whole bone dragon thing, I would've pushed it a little harder, but… She knows how it is." He smiled and rubbed the back of his skull. "At least that was one thing she never had to be insecure about."

"W-Wow, S-S-Sans, that's super sweet," Alphys said.

He grinned. "Nah, just true," he said. "Bet you're kinda happy too, huh?"

Alphys's cheeks went red. She nodded. Undyne tilted her head, her ear-fins perking.

"You were close, too, huh?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," she said bashfully. "It's… I-It's really nice to, um… To see him again. He was my mentor. H-He, um, made me f-feel like family, too. When I st-started working here. Oh my god this is crazy, isn't it? Isn't it just nuts? It's so weird, it's like… I really, seriously c-can't believe it."

"Sans, uh… You sure you're okay?" Undyne asked.

"Yup," he said.

"It's kinda funny, now that I think about it," she said.

"I know, right?" he said.

"O-Oh my god, we have so much c-catching up to do," Alphys said. "Oh, and we'll need to get him a new phone! And… And! Oh, I'm sure I have an extra around here s-somewhere." She dove into a box of junk head-first and began to loudly rifle around. "And I'll h-have to update him on ten years of research and… Oh! I guess I'll n-need to include him on my determination thesis, b-because he came up with that word, right? And h-he'll need to learn about portable dimension b-boxes and conversion powder and…! OH!" She kicked her feet and yanked herself back out of the box with an old phone clasped in both hands before turning to Sans. "We'll need to tell him all about Frisk and the barrier, right?"

"Kinda touched on it," Sans said. "But yeah, guess so."

"You gonna tell him about your time crap, too?" Undyne asked.

"Don't have to, he used to have better premonition dreams than I do now," he said.

"Oh, wow, really?" Alphys asked. "That… That explains a lot, actually."

"So, is Papyrus seriously the most normal of you four?" Undyne joked.

"Nah, he's pretty extraordinary himself, actually," Sans said with a grin. "He's just not stuck in time-hell with the rest of us losers."

Alphys was starry-eyed. She hugged Sans again and scrambled away to her work table. "This won't take long!" she called. "Should I give him his old number?"

"Probably," he said.

A sound of buzzing and clinking erupted from upstairs and Alphys began to hum.

Sans turned to Undyne and raised his brows. "Hey, uh, you heard what's up tomorrow?" he asked.

"Nnnnno, why?" she said.

"Some human's comin' in. Gonna talk to Frisk. She's not exactly thrilled, so if you wouldn't mind showin' up…"

"Oh. Shit. Yeah. Of course," Undyne said. "Asgore know?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Okay, I'll get the deets from him," she said. "Jeez. What happened?"

"They didn't realize she lives here somehow," he said.

"For god's sake." Undyne rubbed her temples with her fingertips. "Hope the panic attacks didn't get her."

"Did. Just one so far, though," he said.

"Jeez, poor kid," Undyne said. "Yeah, don't worry, you guys can count on me. Oh. But… Hey, what about your dad?"

"What about 'im?" Sans asked.

"Well, like… I mean. What're they gonna even say, exactly? She's got a mom and a dad and three brothers, like… The King is basically her uncle or step-dad or something; I don't even know what they'd expect to do."

Sans shrugged. The big monster paced for a few seconds and then rubbed her head again. Her brows lifted and her ears drooped.

"She's gonna have two real heavy days, huh?" she said.

"Yup," Sans said.

She jabbed her thumb into her own chest. "I got her back."

"Thanks a million," he said.


	5. MILKSHAKES MAKE STRONG BONES

Lively and cold Snowdin town gave Gaster a heavy sense of nostalgia. The crunch of snow around his boots, the smell of the river; the shine of the coloured lights dyeing the whites festive colours in small patches. And it was cold. Colder than he remembered but, then again, he'd felt cold even in the CORE. He wondered how long that would last.

As he took in the town and Papyrus told him about every little detail, he couldn't help but smile. He felt like he hadn't been to this place in a hundred years. The sign at the west end of town was new, but almost identical to the old one, minus the "Howdy!" that used to sit on top of the other words.

Papyrus took him all the way to the Ruins door and that old, purple-hued stone wall. He was surprised to see it ajar, and then it very abruptly settled on him that Toriel was no longer inside. She had survived all those years ticking down. Toriel, in fact, had adopted his children. She might be at their house right this second.

He ran his gloved fingertips across the worn stone. A flash of a memory ran through his mind and he tilted his head up to look at the Delta Rune on the door. Lopsided. That felt like eons ago.

"Aaaaaand, that's it, that's everything," Papyrus said brightly. "Unless you'd like to see mom's old house, but there's not really that much in there that isn't in boxes already. Oh! Hey. Do you know mom, by the way? Toriel. She was the queen? She's a very large white goat… dragon… something."

"Hm? Oh! I do. Very well in fact," he said. "Or. I did. A long time ago."

"Oh? Did something happen?" Papyrus asked.

"After… After Asriel and Chara passed, she left for the Ruins and sealed herself in. I think I may have been the only one who knew, but… after a few months she stopped answering me entirely," he said. "I'm… happy. That she's alright. And that she's with you!" He turned to his son and couldn't help a smile. "I never would have guessed. I'm glad, actually. You like her, don't you?"

"Well, yes, obviously," Papyrus said with a laugh. "She took Frisk first and then we took Frisk— or maybe Frisk took us— so she took us, too."

"And when was that?" he asked.

"A year and a few months ago in the big roundabout timeline stuff, just a few months ago this time," he said.

"Aah." Gaster folded his arms. "When did you start remembering?"

"Frisk made me remember a few months ago," he said. "Just her timelines, though. Not all of Sans or Asriel's bad ones. Though I don't completely forget those, either. It's hard to explain."

"I see…"

"Hey. Dad?" Papyrus tilted his head. "Could you save? You could, right? Like what Frisk does?"

"Ah. Just, um… Partially," he said. "I believe my determination in terms of sheer numbers was high enough, but it was unnatural. It sort of worked. Where I could force it. The timeline had to already be much more pliable than normal."

"Frisk saw your memories, I think," he said. "I think… She saw when I followed you out of the apartment and you showed me that star behind the building, when I was just tiny. Wow, that's weird, I just remembered that."

Gaster patted him on the shoulder and smiled slightly. "You must've moved out of there a while ago, hm? Do you like it here?"

"Of course! I've lived here most of my life, you know." He grinned. "Come on, I can show you our house! It's pretty great. I do all the cleaning, of course. Or, I did, now Frisk helps a little but she's really quite short so it's still mostly me and sometimes mom and that's okay!" He grabbed his hand and nodded his head back up the road and began to walk, tugging him along. "It's nice, you'll like it, I'm sure. Though I'm not eeeexactly sure where you're going to sleep."

"I can sleep on the floor," Gaster volunteered.

"No, no, Sans already sleeps on the floor," he said. "You can have the couch, I think! Or we can set something up in Sans's mysterious basement room, or—"

"I'm excited to see all of it," he assured him.

Papyrus seemed to love to talk. About anything and everything, and very enthusiastically, too. Gaster could have listened to him for hours. Funny how his voice had dropped and yet the tone hadn't really changed very much at all. Ten years— he'd missed most of his boy's life. Missed him sprouting up so tall; becoming so bold and confident. He tried not to dwell on it, but his eye sockets welled up nonetheless. He pulled up his scarf bashfully.

The house he was dragged into just a little while later was cozy while still being a little sparse. There was some furniture he recognized and, to his absolute joy, many of his books had been kept, stored away in boxes in the attic.

He felt a little strange being in the bedroom upstairs, though. He decided very quickly not to intrude on Toriel's space, but Papyrus was insistent he see his— and the kids'— room. A sign on the door announced that it belonged to Papyrus, with little additions of Frisk and Asriel's names.

It felt so surreal to look at the things of the daughter who had never truly met him. She didn't have a lot. A strange but cute round dog plushie, a small handheld game system, and a handful of books. There was also a small box. As Papyrus rushed about, he peeked inside curiously. There was a carefully-folded square of tin foil, an iridescent pink crystal, a paper snowflake, and a hand-written ticket stub to a concert of some sort in Waterfall. He closed the box quietly. He noticed a small, colourful cube on the computer desk and lifted it curiously. A puzzle. He recognized this. His cheekbones flushed.

"Where did you get this?" he asked.

"Oh! Frisk gave it to me," he said. "From the dump. It's a really excellent little puzzle cube from the human world."

"Does…? Does your sister like puzzles at all?" he asked.

"Sure! Of course she does! She's my fantastic puzzle assistant, you know. She's very good at them. At that one, too! Once she gave it a try," he said. "And she realized it was all just maths. She's very good at math, by the way. Would you like to see our puzzle binders?"

"Of course I would," he said.

Papyrus was beaming instantly. It warmed the old skeleton to his core.

It was a little difficult for him to just sit there, though, as his son went through his notes, proudly showing off his diagrams and live testing. He was so proud. So overwhelmingly proud. He almost felt sick. Papyrus paused and looked at him with raised brows after a little while.

"You're all flushed, are you okay?" he asked.

"Ah. I'm fine. Sorry," Gaster said.

"Reeeeally? Are you sure?" Papyrus asked. "You look a little upset. Oh no! Are you upset?! Do you need anything?!"

"No, no, it's just…" He sighed and pulled Papyrus into his arms. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Oh!" Papyrus snickered and squeezed him. "Well! Understandable. I'm glad to see you, too. It's like seeing you as a whole new person, you know? Very exciting!"

Gaster nodded. He blew out a sigh— suddenly realized that sick feeling might not just have been him feeling overwhelmed. He pulled away and quickly got to his feet. "I-I'll be back," he said.

He managed to hide himself away behind the house before he buckled onto his knees in the snow. He coughed and a thick, tar-like substance oozed from his mouth. He cursed quietly but couldn't help but wretch, choking the gunk out. It took only a minute but it felt like an hour. He wheezed and sat back, sighing as he caught his breath.

"Um. Dad? Are you okay?" Papyrus asked.

Gaster cursed internally. He slowly got up, kicking snow over spot where the sludge had vanished and Papyrus offered him a dishtowel. He hurriedly wiped his face with it, though the black hadn't stained.

"So?" Papyrus pressed. He looked a little disturbed. "Are you?"

"Don't worry," he said.

"Oh. Okay. It's just…" The skeleton looked concerned and his brow furrowed. He scratched the back of his skull. "It was that black stuff, right? Frisk's been doing that, too."

Gaster's crackling soul stuttered and he felt a chill deep through his bones. He put a hand to his face. "Sh-She has?"

"Oh, yes, every week or so since the barrier dropped, but she always says it isn't so bad," he said. "But… Oh! I know. Go inside, okay? Get warm! I'll get you something and I will make you a nice hot drink! Okay? Okay!"

Gaster found himself being ushered towards the front door and then left alone inside in the quiet. He slipped his gloves off and rubbed his hands together, hoping the friction might help him warm them. He felt desperately cold. A faint tingle in the air and a speck of blue magic in his mind's eye announced Sans's arrival, and he turned to meet him the second he blinked in at the doorway.

"Well, you look awful," Sans said.

"I know," he said with a laugh. "I, uh… I've still got a bad dose of it, I'm afraid."

"Makes sense." He disappearing into the kitchen and began to fill the kettle.

"I like this place that you picked." Gaster smiled. "I also like that you kept the couch."

"Yeah, well… Got pretty sick of that heat, y'know?" Sans said, reappearing, flopping down, and kicking his feet up. "Paps show you around?"

"He did. Everything, briefly. The bedroom, mostly," he said. "And the kitchen. Thank you for keeping my books, by the way. He said there wasn't so much in the basement; that it just has some weird machine in it?"

"Oh. Heh. Yeah. Time machine," Sans said with a wink.

"Seriously?" Gaster tilted his head. "You… built a time machine?"

"Sure did," he said.

"Did it work?"

"Kinda?" Sans shrugged. "Tried to go back to the CORE exploding to see what the hell happened, but the disruption was too bad and I could never force it without gettin' dusted, so…"

"You…? You died?" Gaster asked.

"Sure, tons of times," he said. "Don't worry about it."

Gaster sighed. He dropped down onto the couch and wrapped him in his arms. Sans scoffed.

"No biggie," he said.

"I know. I know. I saw, it's just…" He sighed. "I wish you didn't have to know what it was like."

"Eh, I'm pretty numb to it at this point," he said. "Besides. The kiddo's got a handle on it. S'like I never have to worry again, it's great."

"I can't tell if that's awful or if it's a relief," Gaster said with a sigh.

"Little bit of column A…" Sans grinned and shrugged. "Don't worry."

"I'm your father and I'll worry if I want to," he said.

"Hey, fair enough," Sans said.

Gaster sighed again. He folded his arms and breathed deeply. He couldn't help but fidget and got up to slowly pace the room. Sans watched him with amusement.

"You'll be fine," he said.

"I hope so," Gaster said.

"Seriously. You don't have to be so sneaky about this," Sans said.

"So what would you do?" he asked worriedly.

"Find her, give her a hug; tell her the truth," he said with a shrug. "The hug is real important, you gotta do that."

"I don't know, I… I am, essentially, a stranger," he said.

"Nah. Not really," he said. "You popped up enough those last few weeks underground that she already trusted you. Like I said. She remembered you. She liked you a lot, despite all the weird crap. So. Don't worry too much."

Gaster took a deep breath. He rubbed the back of his skull, but he nodded and managed to smile. "I'll come up with something," he said. "Thank you."

"Speaking of," Sans said. "Here." He patted the inside of his jacket and then produced a black flip-phone with green accents on the sides. He held it up for him to take.

Gaster plucked it up with cautious curiosity. It was just big enough not to slip into the holes in his palms. He turned the screen on and tilted his head. "Oh, would you look at that…" he said quietly. "Is that…? Oh, my god, she really did it, didn't she? Sorry, I mean, the dimension boxes. Contained in this little device! And portable. That is something. They work well? Out of beta and everything?"

"Yup," Sans said. "But, uh… That's not all that's on there, huh?"

Gaster looked curious. He tapped through the screens. "Oh. She… She actually got me one of my old accounts back on this number, that's…" He froze. Eyes went wide.

"Don't freak out," Sans said.

It was too late for that. He had a huge backlog of texts. With trembling fingers, he brought up the messages and immediately felt his breath seize. "_Cnámha m'anam," _he whispered.

The texts were from Frisk. They reached back months. His eye sockets welled up.

"She… She was still trying?" he said.

"Maybe once a day, yeah," Sans said. "Give or take."

The skeleton dropped like a stone onto the couch and scrolled through everything slowly. She'd been keeping him— or what she knew of him— updated on little things for months. Then, he came to the longer messages. The ones from when he must've stopped being able to exist in either of his usual planes of reality. He cringed and took off his glasses, wiping his eyes quickly. He tried to say something, but his voice snagged. He coughed quietly.

"She's v-very persistent, isn't she?" he joked.

"Determined, even," Sans said.

Gaster clenched the phone in both hands and wilted. "This poor kid," he said softly. "You know her better than anyone. What do I do?"

"Say hi, that'd be good," he said.

"You know what I mean," he said, folding his arms tight.

He jumped as the door burst open and Papyrus ran back in and shoved a paper bag into his hands.

"You take that! And hello, Sans!" He raced into the kitchen. "I will just be a minute! Don't you worry!"

"Sup, bro?" Sans said as their father fished a cinnamon bunny out of the bag and cautiously bit into it before passing another to him.

"Dad did the unfortunate goo-spew thing like Frisk does, with that awful black stuff," Papyrus said. "So! I am making him some tea! You know, before he goes and puts all that greasy bar food in his face. Which I can't imagine helps very much. And… OH! We have a whole bag of these bunnies in here, uggghhhh, I didn't even notice! Oh well, I suppose more can't hurt."

Sans shot Gaster a curious look tinged with suspicion. The tall skeleton drooped; his cheekbones flushed. He sighed heavily.

"What is it?" Sans asked.

"I… I don't know," he said. "It's residue. From reforming, as far as I can tell. It's not poisonous."

"Why's it comin' outta her, though?"

Gaster could only shrug. He gladly accepted a cup of tea from Papyrus. He sipped it and finally a bit of warmth came back to his bones. It was Asgore's special blend— he'd know it anywhere. "Thank you," he said quietly. "I'll make sure she's alright. I promise." He smiled proudly. "You're very protective of her, aren't you?"

"Pfft, is he ever!" Papyrus said. "One time he pushed himself so hard to help her that his hum evolved, can you believe it?!" He thumped Sans affectionately on the shoulder. "Which is shocking, I know, seeing as he is incredibly weak, but it's a hundred percent true."

Gaster looked at Sans with wide eyes. He received a shrug as a reply. He couldn't help but smile and he put one hand to his own chest. Neither of the skeletons could see his soul flicker with colour through his heavy jacket, but they could hear his distorted, fractured hum rattle through the air. He chuckled, a little embarrassed.

"Well," he said, "I can only hope to follow your example, Sans. I'm in dire need of some retuning, it seems."

"Yeah, that sounds pretty bad," Sans said sympathetically.

"I would be lying if I said that was not the worst song I've ever heard in my entire life," Papyrus said, tapping his chin, "but don't worry, dad, I'm sure it'll get better eventually! You just came back from a horrible time place, after all."

"Hah, that's true," he said.

Gaster drank more tea and held the cup in both hands. He ran his fingers over the hard surface slowly and then rested them over the top for the warmth. Sans could see the guilt all over his face. He patted his arm.

"Sure you don't want me to go get her now?" he asked.

"I… I just need a little time. Do…? Do you know when she'll be home?"

"Depends if she wants to walk or not," he said.

Gaster tented his fingers. His nerves were palpable. Papyrus tilted his head. He shoved himself between the two and grabbed his father's shoulder.

"Why are you so worried?" he asked. "It's just Frisk! She's very nice! And she already likes you! And she really needs this."

"You're right. You're absolutely right." Gaster sighed out heavily. "Alright. Okay. I'll head out. I'll see you two soon? And… And hopefully, next time I do, Frisky will know she has a father, at the very least." He grabbed Papyrus and hugged him close. "Thank you for everything."

"Of course!" Papyrus said. "Good luck! She'll love you. I know it."

Sans stuck his thumbs up. Gaster pulled his hood up and put his gloves back on, and then headed back out into the cold.

Papyrus seemed very content and satisfied. He shot Sans a grin. "Well! This has been a weird day, right?! Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, you?" he said.

"I feel fantastic, but also confused, and also… worried? But happy. Incredibly happy," he said. "This is very surreal, isn't it?"

"Guess so."

"So you…" He tapped his fingertips together bashfully. "You really knew the whole time, right?"

"Not exactly," Sans said.

"Did you know we had a dad when we didn't remember?" he asked.

"Kinda? Not… I mean, the pieces made sense," he said. "Because, hell, I didn't make you."

"Oh. Yes. Of course." Papyrus laughed at himself and rubbed the back of his skull. "I never really thought about it. It's so weird that it's like, he was just kind of grabbed out of our memories, right? Is it like that for you? It didn't feel like there was anything missing but—"

"There were plot holes?" Sans suggested.

"Yes! Yes, plot holes," he said, nodding. "Oooh, Frisk is going to be so happy that he's okay."

"Sure is," Sans said. He folded his arms and there was a little heaviness in his brow.

"What? What's wrong?" Papyrus asked.

"Hm? Oh. Nothin'," Sans said. "Don't worry."

\- - -

When Frisk said goodbye to Asriel and Asgore, she walked away with a little lightness despite the shadow lurking in the back of her mind. She took the upper pathway back towards the multipurpose elevator. She rolled her fingers over her phone in her pocket. When she slipped into the lift to head down and away towards the lab, she called Sans. He didn't answer. She called Papyrus instead. Two rings and there he was.

"Frisk! Hello!" he said brightly. "Sans says sorry, he heard the phone but he couldn't find it. I think it's under the couch but he refuses to get up," he said. "H-How are you? How's Asriel?"

"Fine. Everything's fine." She already felt so much better hearing his voice. "He's okay, then, right?"

"Mhm! Yep! Absolutely fine!" he said.

"Okay. Good," she said. "Do you know what the problem was?"

"Problem?! Uh. Um. N-Nothing, I think, just a bit of magic doing something silly, it's no big deal!" His voice was rather shrill.

"Are you okay?" Frisk asked curiously.

"AH! Yes! Of course! Nyeh heh heh! Um. You should come home though, okay? Right away? I mean. If you can. Nyeh heh… heh."

"Yeah, I'm on my way," she said, leaning her shoulder back against the wall. "I'm in the elevator right now."

"OH! Good! Um. Do you want a lift home?" he asked.

"I'm in a lift," she said.

"Pffffff, Frriiiiiisk, not like thaaaaat," he whined.

She smiled to herself as she considered it. She did want to be home, but they'd just worry over her the second she walked back in, wouldn't they? Maybe just a little more break from her stuff would be nice for them. "I can take the boat."

"Oh! Okay. Um. Yes. Sure! Great! But don't take too long, okay?" he said.

"Yeah. I won't," she said. "See ya."

"Okay bye love you!" he said brightly.

When elevator clunked down and the doors opened to the sound of a pleasant ding, Frisk was surprised that Alphys pulled her out and into a hug right away.

"Oh hi," Frisk said shrilly.

"Hi, sweetie, h-how are you doing?" Alphys cooed. Her voice was high and she had a big, fond smile on her face.

Frisk grinned sideways. "C'mon Alphys, you don't gotta worry about me."

"Worry? Wh-What worry?" she asked.

"You only call me that when you're worried," Frisk said, giving her a teasing nudge in the side.

Alphys gulped, her scales flushing red. She snickered and snorted, and ruffled the kid's hair. "Aw, no, it's okay. Um. H-How are you?"

"Okay," she said with a shrug.

"Did you talk to Asgore about t-tomorrow?" she asked.

"Just a little."

"And?" Alphys raised her brows.

Frisk shrugged. "I dunno. Everyone keeps telling me not to worry. I'm sure it'll be fine. I mean, I can time travel, right? What could possibly happen?"

"But you're st-still nervous," the lizard said gently.

The kid flinched a little. She guessed she had a pretty bad poker face today.

She was surprised to see Undyne vault over the railing. She waved and the big fish monster jogged over and pulled her into a hug, too.

"Got you," she said. "Hey. I'll be there. Tomorrow. And so will… Uh. I mean. You got your family. You're gonna be okay." Suddenly, Undyne looked just a little sweaty. "S-So. Uhhh… You goin' home?"

"Yeah," she said.

"Okay. Cool. Uh." Undyne shot Alphys a look with raised brows.

Alphys shrugged as a reply. Frisk tilted her head curiously.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Uhhh. Nothin'." Undyne grinned her big, pointy teeth. "Hey! You know what? I'm gonna come in tomorrow in my armour and I'm gonna scare that human's pants right off and it's gonna be hilarious. And then we'll all, uh… We'll do somethin' nice when it's over, okay?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Frisk said sheepishly.

"Pfft, c'mon, kid," she said. "Hey. Let yourself get taken care of a little, alright?"

"Sh-She's right, Frisk," Alphys said quickly. "W-We know you haven't been f-feeling that good since the humans c-came back into the picture. Please d-don't try to handle it on your own, and I know Doctor G…. Aaaah… Uhh…" She put her hands to her snout and her eyes went wide.

Undyne let out an uncomfortably loud laugh and thumped Alphys on the shoulder. "Doctor's got just the thing! To help, you know? Like friendship and family and all that sappy stuff!" She smiled sympathetically. "Look. Kid. I get it, alright? You don't want people to fuss and worry over you. And that's, like, really admirable and junk. But the thing is, we all really like you, and you shouldn't feel guilty about it."

"Annnnnd yep, d-definitely just trust your, uh, good pal Doctor Alphys," the lizard said with a grin. "And I can f-for sure find something to help you. L-Like, um, some chocolate or something!"

"Th-Thank you," Frisk said.

Undyne and Alphys shared a look, and then Undyne offered the kid a hand. "Hey. If you want. I'll keep ya company on the boat."

Alphys started to nod as if urging her on. Frisk found herself smiling and she took the big monster's hand.

"Thanks, guys," she said.

\- - -

When Frisk flopped into the house after the leisurely drift down the river, she was exhausted. She hadn't really done anything, but she felt like she could just pass out and sleep until tomorrow afternoon. It wasn't even that late.

Sans saw her first, before she even greeted him. He picked her up and hugged her. She was a little surprised, but her heart swelled. She clung to him.

"S'okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said.

"What happened?"

He put her back on the floor and patted her head. "CORE went a little off. Wasn't a big deal, though. Just wanted to be careful."

"Oh. Okay. That's really good." She looked around, checking for Papyrus. She waved her brother closer. "Everyone's acting kinda weird," she said at a whisper.

"Oh yeah?" he said. "How so?"

"I dunno." She pressed the tips of her fingers together. "It's like they're trying not to tell me something or… something."

Sans grinned and he burst out laughing. Frisk looked puzzled, but couldn't help but smile when her big brother patted her on the head.

"You're too smart for your own good, y'know," he joked.

"I am?" she asked.

"OH! Hey, is that Frisk?! Is she back?!" Papyrus raced down from upstairs and swept her up into his arms. "Heelllooooo, little sister! Welcome home!" He nuzzled her head.

Unseen, their souls glittered orange together. Frisk felt warm and toasty from the inside out.

"Are you feeling any better?" he asked.

"I dunno, a little I guess." She threw her arms over his shoulders and flopped, pouting. "It's okay if I just want like, all the hugs, though, right?"

"Yes, of course!" he said.

"A-And it's okay if maybe I'm sorta nervous, right?" she said.

"Yes, also of course!" Papyrus assured her. "Friiiiisk, how would you like some special spaghetti tonight? You know, with the cheese and everything?"

"Sounds good," she said.

"Good! Great! Excellent."

He seemed tickled and then bounced away to the kitchen. Frisk was about to follow, but something still confused her. She turned back to Sans.

"What'd you mean?" she asked.

"Dunno," he said.

"Are…? Are you guys hiding something?" she asked, her brows furrowed.

"Oh, for sure," he said.

Frisk rubbed her brow and laughed weakly. "Okay, fine, be like that."

"Sure thing," he said. He patted her head. "Hey. S'good though. You'll like it."

"Oh! Okay. Well. I just thought maybe you guys heard something more," she said. "From the humans."

"Nah, nothin' like that," he said.

She deflated with relief. Sans tilted his head slightly and looked thoughtful for a long few seconds.

"Hey, uh, kiddo," he said. "I was thinkin'. Maybe we stop in at Grillby's for a bit, huh?"

"Isn't Papyrus cooking dinner?" she asked.

"When's that ever stopped us?" he asked, grinning. "I was just kinda feelin' fries and a shake, what d'you say?"

"Oh! Okay," she said, "if you don't mind, Paps?"

"Mind?! Me?! Nooo, not at all!" he assured her quickly. "You two have a good time! There will be plenty of time for pasta when you come home!"

"Oh. Uh. Also," Sans said, "you mind goin' to grab our spots? I just remembered I gotta check a thing with Alph about the stuff that happened earlier."

"SANS," Papyrus said shrilly.

"What? She's old enough to walk down the street on her own, bro." He was grinning widely when Papyrus stuck his head out of the kitchen to give him a disapproving look. "Aw, c'mon, don't gimme that face."

Papyrus sighed, tossed his oven mitts aside, and then knelt down in front of Frisk, gently holding her shoulders.

"Just so you know. I love you. So much. More than anything. Okay?" he said.

"Oh. Okay." Her cheeks flushed and she grinned. "I love you, too. Seriously, what's going on?"

"NOTHING. Nothing at all." He rushed back towards the kitchen. "Nothing. At. All. See you soon, little sister, don't worry, there will be plenty of pasta waiting when you get home!"

"Um." She didn't have the heart to tell him he'd repeated himself and she grinned bashfully. "Okay, bro, I'll see you later! See you there, Sans?"

"Mhm, just gimme ten, maybe?"

"Gotcha!" she said.

\- - -

Grillby's was pretty quiet when Frisk walked in, absent of all the regulars. The only person she saw was a tall someone in a leather jacket with a hood up, their head down on their arms on a table. Maybe a human? They were roughly human shaped. They looked really tired. The way the shoulders were, maybe a bit upset, too. As she passed them by, she took a monster candy out of her pocket and slipped it onto the table, then continued up to the counter.

She saw the whoopee cushion on the seat ahead of time and smirked. She moved it to Sans's chair and hopped up. Grillby smiled at her.

"Heya! Just waiting for Sans," she said.

He pointed his thumb back over his shoulder.

"Oh, no, it's okay, I can wait until he's here," she said.

He raised his brows. She smiled bashfully.

"Really, that guy ordered one, too? Well. Alright. Since you're making them now anyway," she said. "Two. Thanks a million, dude."

Grillby nodded. Frisk smiled.

"Well, they're really good!" she said.

Grillby smiled and turned back to one of the machines at the back counter and put his heat-proof mitts on.

She waited patiently, a little drowsy, with her cheek on her fist. "Any humans come through yet?"

He shrugged and nodded.

"Oh yeah? Small family?" she asked.

He nodded again and she smiled.

"Hope they didn't give you any trouble." She smiled when he shook his head and then cut his eyes at her. "Well, you have the best place in the underground, of course I'd tell them to stop by. I'm glad it worked out. Did they like it?"

He shrugged and nodded. She grinned.

"That's great," she said. "Hey, I was wondering. Thought about moving back up yet?"

His brow furrowed a bit. "Soon. Strange, though…"

She laughed. "I know. It'll be super weird. But you gotta take your daughter to see the stars, it'll be totally great! And. You'll do great. People love this place, wouldn't be home without it, y'know?"

The fire in his cheeks went a little blue. "Thanks…"

"It's totally true!" she assured him.

He finished preparing the first milkshake, in one of the tall glasses and clunked it down heavily on the counter's usual pick-up spot before turning back to ready the others. Frisk had never seen the new guy in the booth, so she was considering just bringing his ice-cream to him, since she knew that wasn't really Grillby's style. She heard bootsteps behind her after a few seconds, however, so she figured she didn't really need to worry.

She cast a curious glance over at the person who came to get the milkshake. Looked like they were kind of cold, the way they were dressed. They had gloves on, still, and the hood of a sweatshirt up even though they wore a heavy-looking coat. They also had a black scarf up over half their face, but the way their head was bent, she couldn't see the rest past the hood anyway. She lazily rested her elbow on the counter again and stared at the glasses near the back wall.

She heard the person say a quiet thanks to Grillby, his voice low, but with an accent she felt she might have heard once before. She couldn't quite place it. Then, to her surprise, she heard the telltale sound of rattling bones. She snuck a glance at him and he quickly looked away as if he had been doing the same to her. She caught that glow in the eyes. Gold and blue. The dark fissures in his white face. She couldn't believe it for a moment. She felt her heart thump. She turned on her stool and watched him slip back into a booth.

Shadowman. It had to be. Hurriedly, she pulled off her glove. The lines that were between her fingers were flickering delicately. If that wasn't proof enough, she didn't know what was. Her mind raced. He wasn't melting. He was speaking English. He had ordered a milkshake. She bit her lip. What if he didn't remember her? It took her a moment of consideration to decide it didn't matter. He was okay. That sad, lonely friend of hers, from the edges of her memories— he looked an awful lot like a monster, and he was very definitely alive. Her heart swelled.

She waited, trying to conceal her impatience, checking back over her shoulder once in a while to make sure he hadn't left. When Grillby brought her her milkshake, she smiled gratefully and pulled some change out of her pocket to leave on the counter and then slid off her stool.

She snuck up to the booth where the man sat. Peeking around the bench, she saw him close to the wall, head down, sipping his milkshake through a bendy straw and focussing intently on something he was writing. She steadied herself and then slid in beside him. He froze and she shot him a smile.

"Hiya," she said.

She'd clearly caught him off-guard. He jerked and shoved the paper to the side. He moved forward and quickly pulled his scarf up. Frisk tried really hard not to laugh.

"They're good, right?" she said, pointing at the cup. "The milkshakes. They're my favourite. You?"

She saw his gloved hand tense up— there was that rattling sound again. "…Hah. Mine as well." He kept his voice low. "Good for your—"

"Bones?" Frisk asked.

He looked up quickly. She could see the shine of his eyes again. She grinned.

"You don't mind if I hang out, do you?" she asked.

He shook his head quickly.

She scooted a little closer and sipped her milkshake. He bent his head a little; took off a pair of glasses and put them on the table, then rubbed his face. Frisk smiled sympathetically. She put her drink down and then gently grabbed his fingers.

"I'm really happy you're okay," she said.

"Wh…? What?" he asked.

"You, um, remember me, don't you?" she asked. She pointed to the energy flicking in her skin. "You left that, right? You remember?"

"Of course I remember," he said quietly.

Frisk grinned. "Oh good! I'm really glad. How're you feeling?"

He froze again. With a second's hesitation, his much larger hand closed around hers. The brightness of the magic faded down into nothing.

"…Good," he said. "Can't stop shaking. But… breathing feels good."

"I bet," Frisk said. "I'm really glad you're here. When I saw you melt, I… Well, never mind, as long as you're okay, everything's cool."

He chuckled quietly. "You are a strange kid, Frisky."

Her face lit up and she grinned. "Hah, tell me something I don't know," she said, but then she frowned. "You weren't gonna just go without saying anything, were you?"

"I… Hah." He leaned forward and put his cheek against his fist. "I wasn't. I'm sorry. I was going to… I was just trying to… Ah. Never mind. I… just wasn't sure what to say."

"_Hi_ would be good," she said.

He chuckled. "Hi."

She grinned, but her smile turned swiftly apologetic. "Oh, sorry, did I interrupt?"

"Only slightly. But that's alright," he said.

"Good! Because I'm so happy to see you," she said.

"That's… a bit of a surprise," he said quietly.

"Why?" she said.

"I wasn't exactly good for your health," he said.

"That's okay," she said. "Wasn't your fault, it was just dumb out-of-time memory junk. I'm just real happy you managed to get out of there!"

He wiped his eyes with his thumb and finally pushed back his hood. Frisk took him in with interest. Definitely a skeleton. Somehow, she felt like she knew his face, though it was not very much like pale, ghostly visage with the vacant eyes and fixed smile that she had come to expect. No, he looked quite a bit like Papyrus, now that she saw him properly. But, older. A little sharper in the cheekbones; his face accented with a thin, dark crack from each socket, upwards on the right and downwards on the left, familiar from his old form but not so exaggerated.

"Oh my god," he said quietly, his knuckles kneading at his eye sockets. "Hah. I told myself not to cry when I saw you. There goes that."

"Don't worry," she assured him again. "I'm like, the biggest crybaby ever, no one needs to be embarrassed around me."

He smiled and gently patted her hair. She all but glowed.

They sat in a somewhat comfortable silence for a little while. He kept looking at her, though, trying to get his thoughts together. Wanting to say something but not having the words. He finally broke the silence, drumming his fingers on the table.

"Um. Sweetie. Do you, uh…?" He looked embarrassed when she gave him a questioning look. "Do you know who I am?"

"Well, duh," she said.

He chuckled. "Really know, I mean."

"Well… I… I don't know your name," she said. "But I know you were there for me. And that you're really nice. And…" The notion struck her rather suddenly. Sans's picture. Of course. "Oh. God. You know my brothers, right? Are you related to them?"

He was clearly taken aback. "Did Sans tell you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Sans had this picture he drew. From when the CORE blew up and messed up his memories for like two days?" she said. "He can't draw at all, though, it was a really bad picture, but there were three people. One of them was him, one was Papyrus, and one was a tall guy with cracks in his skull, just like yours. So, since you're a skeleton and he knew you were important to him, you're probably related to them, right?"

"Mhm." He looked rather proud. "I'm their father."

"Their…?" Frisk's eyes went wide and and almost jumped to her feet. She slammed her palms onto the table. "They have a dad?!"

"Of course, it's not as if skeletons are born from ice cream," he said with a wink.

"Holy crap!" she squeaked. "Y-You're… Wow. That's… That's kind of great? Wow. Wait. Wh-Why did you come to me? And not to them?"

"You needed someone, too, didn't you?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, b-but, so did they! I mean, if you're their dad, shouldn't you have been with them? E-Even if the memories didn't stick right? Wouldn't that be the most important thing?"

"Oh. Sweetheart." He patted her hand gently. "You're important, too."

Frisk stared up at him, her eyes wide. He smiled warmly at her. He seemed so genuine about it. Her head was reeling with confusion, despite how elated she was to see him. Her brothers had a dad. That alone was enough to throw her for a loop, but the fact that it was him, of all people, who had helped her for as long as she could remember was absolutely baffling. She tried to process; tried to steady herself.

"What's, um…? I dunno if you ever told me, but what's your name?" she asked. That seemed like one of the least important things she could ask, but she wasn't sure what else she could even say.

"My friends call me Gaster," he said.

His name bounced around in her head. That seemed right. Why did she feel like she knew that already?

"Gaster…" she repeated. She put her cheek on her fist. It put an itch of an image in the back of her mind, but she couldn't quite reach. And then there were the Gaster Blasters. Of course. Had he invented them? "Man. That's kind of confusing."

"I'm sorry," he said.

She snickered and shook her head. "So, they know you're here, right? Do they remember you?"

He nodded. She laughed.

"It was a setup!" she said, smacking her palm on the table.

"More for me than for you," he said with a smile.

"No wonder Papyrus was acting so weird," she said. "And… And Alphys?! Alphys super knows, doesn't she?! And Undyne, too?"

"Please don't be upset with them," he said quickly. "I wanted to see you. More… More than almost anything, I just… needed to tell you myself."

"Oh my god." Frisk rubbed her face. "So what…?" A dream she'd had suddenly slapped her in the brain. She looked up at him with wide eyes. "You came out of the CORE."

"How did you know?" he asked.

"I dreamt it. But I was, like, in your eyes?" she said, puzzled. "I saw you come out of goo. D-Did you come out of goo?"

Stunned, he nodded. He laughed weakly and rubbed his face with both hands. He suddenly looked exhausted. Even so, he still hadn't stopped glowing. He rubbed his eye sockets and desperately tried to dull it. It wasn't really working. She smiled sympathetically.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"No way, why? Don't even," she said quickly. She gently tugged on his sleeve and he looked at her quickly. "Um. G-Gaster?"

"What is it?" he asked.

She beckoned him closer, and when he bent down, she hugged him close. He froze utterly, like he'd been turned to stone. She felt a little selfish, but she needed to do this. She could feel the hum of his soul faintly, some broken, fractured warble of song. She glowed and he rattled.

"I'm just so glad you're okay," she said. She gave him a quick, soft smooch on the cheek.

His face flushed a pale gradient of blue and gold, and he stared at her for a few seconds. "F-Frisky, I…" He put his hands to his face. "O-Oh my god. Oh. My god."

Frisk smiled apologetically. "S-Sorry, I—"

"Don't, it's… Oh." He picked her up swiftly and carefully and left the bench, then plunked her back down. "I just… I just n-need… Okay. I'll be right back, okay?" He put his hands on her shoulders. "I promise. I'm coming back. Just… stay here, okay?"

"Okay?" she said.

He nodded. "Good. Good. Alright." He patted her head. "You're such a good kid, you know that? Hang on."

He walked outside with hurried steps. He paced, his mind racing, only to let out an involuntary yelp when Sans was suddenly standing rather casually in his path.

"Oh. Thank god," he said quickly. "Sans, I need your help."

"Why? Did you tell her?" he asked. "She start cryin'?"

"I… I haven't yet," he said.

"Aw, dude, c'mon," he said. "It's not that hard."

"Not that hard?" he repeated shrilly. "Sans. It's… It's been ten years I spent on and off with that kid, with my very existence messing with her mind, barely able to say a thing to her and now it's… it's like it's all normal to her. She's not even panicking half as much as I am. How did I have such a sweet kid? After everything I put her through, and still she—"

"Yup. That's Frisk," Sans said with a wink. "The shit she's seen, dude, she's probably just happy you're alive."

"But she already knows that I'm your father. And… And I… I didn't even hug her. Oh my god, what is wrong with me?!"

"Chill," Sans said, and he grinned, wincing slightly. "But that is pretty bad, though."

"I know. I know." He sighed. "It's just that I… I wanted it to be perfect. I don't want to hurt her feelings and—"

"Sheesh, dude." Sans rubbed the back of his skull. "You think you're overthinkin' this a little bit?"

"It's shock. I must be in shock, I'm not acting logically, I'm just—"

"Chill."

"It's just that it's very important and I… I don't know! What do I say?" he demanded.

"Tell her the truth?" Sans suggested.

"Well, obviously, but… She's… She's adorable, isn't she? And so clever. And… small. God, she's small, isn't she? And so matter-of-fact. She's just like you, for god's sake—"

"Nah, she's great." He patted him on the arm. "You're talkin' without breathin'. Look, you want me to go in and just drop it? Or are you gonna—?"

"I should…" He nodded to himself and took a deep breath. "It should be me. I should do it. But. Oh my god. I'm a bloody mess. How do I?"

"Just go for it," Sans said with a shrug. His eyes cast off behind the tall skeleton and he started to grin.

"What? Just say it? That's it? Just… Just go up to her and say _hi Frisky, surprise, I'm your dad!_?"

"Wait, what?"

Gaster turned quickly to see Frisk standing behind him, still holding the door for a second as she came outside. She tilted her head slightly to one side. His cheekbones flushed brightly and he put his hands to his mouth, wide-eyed, totally frozen. Looked like he would kill to be able to time jump backwards about ten seconds. Sans, on the other hand, began to laugh so hard that tears came to his eyes. Trying to gather himself, he wandered to Frisk and thumped her affectionately on the shoulder.

"Whew! Kiddo. Fantastic. Perfect timing," he said, wiping his eyes with his thumb.

"Um. Thanks?" She grinned bashfully. "Did I, um…? Did I hear that right?"

Gaster started to rattle. Sans smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Yup. Sure did, kiddo," he said.

Frisk looked absolutely floored. "Wait, you… you mean…? You'd really be willing t-to be like my dad, too?" Her cheeks flushed a little as her eyes welled up. "I… I never had a dad. That's really cool of you, that you'd like me enough that you'd…"

"Oh. Oh, it's… it's not that. I mean. It is that, that's part of it, but… Oh god." He sighed at himself and rubbed his eyes as the kid started to look confused again. "Oh my god. I'm the worst. I am. The worst. Ever."

Sans tried not to laugh too hard and did not succeed, and Gaster walked in a circle quickly, pacing and anxious.

"Welp. I'm gonna go inside," Sans said once he stopped wheezing. He wiped under his sockets with his thumb again. "Order some grub. Frisk, whatchu want?"

"But S-Sans, wait, I—!" Frisk stammered.

"Chill out, kiddo," he assured her.

"But I can't believe you have a dad!" she squeaked.

"I know, weird, right?" Sans turned his gaze on Gaster again and winked. "Good luck."

Before Frisk could ask him what he meant, the door was clunking behind him. She rubbed the back of her head and then turned her attention back on Gaster. He looked shaken. When his eyes focussed on Frisk again, he grimaced for a moment. He went down on one knee. He took her hand.

"Can I… tell you a small story?" he asked.

She was still confused, but she nodded. The skeleton sighed quietly.

"I was the one who created the CORE, a long time ago. It was meant to be our energy source after we were sealed under the mountain, but it affected time in a way that I never predicted. Ten years ago, the CORE had a malfunction, and it pulled me from time itself. It… destroyed me, ripped me apart and scattered pieces of me all over," he said. "My… My determination was something that was taken. You know how strong it is, first hand, don't you?"

She nodded again. For some reason, she felt her ears heat up.

"It bound to all my soul, the determination of the magic in the CORE, and the energy in time itself. It multiplied exponentially into the only thing that could hold so much. A soul. And… Frisky. Sweetheart." He cautiously cupped her face. "It became you."

Frisk went cold. Her stomach hit the snow and there was a dizzy pressure behind her eyes. She cautiously raised a finger and pointed at herself. He nodded and began to smile.

"You became our anchor then. And… And mine, too. You tethered me to this world again. You brought me back."

"S-So…" Her throat was dry; her head was spinning. "Wait. Wait wait. Y-You…? You made… me? I'm… I'm m-made of… you?"

He nodded.

The kid was floored. Her vision tunnelled. "Are you sure?" She couldn't even remember thinking to say that, let alone opening her mouth.

"I'm sure." He tilted his head and he smiled fondly. "I saw your soul pull out of mine. It was one of the last things I saw, in fact."

Frisk put her shaking hand to her soul spot. She felt like she might faint.

"What I said when you walked out, I… I meant every word," he said. "I'm your father. And I… I love you. Always have. Even when I was that… mess. I'm sorry it took so long to tell you."

He wilted a little. Frisk stared back at him blankly for a long, quiet while. He was about to pull back to give her some space, but she didn't want him to. She latched onto his shoulders tightly. He froze. His eye sockets welled up. He buckled and curled around her, clutching her tight against his chest.

For Frisk, it felt like something missing, blank, was coloured in. She could have stayed there forever. Acceptance— was that what it was? She hoped he felt it, too. Because even if had really been just the word, she had loved him forever, even with those fractured memories.

"Oh crap," she squeaked.

He laughed quietly. Frisk pulled back just a fraction and cupped Gaster's face with warm red magic glowing in her palms. He drew in a sharp breath and immediately reciprocated, eyes shining bright enough to make the few tears on his face glow faintly. She revelled in that light for a moment before she started to giggle, grabbed him around the neck and snuggled in close. He held her like he'd be okay never letting go. She could feel his soul, its pulse stumbling; fractured, but so warm and content that it overwhelmed her.

It took a little while, but the itchiness in her eyes finally got her and she had to pull back, sniffling, laughing quietly, and wiping her sleeves across her face. "I… Jeez. I don't even know what to say."

"I know, it's… It's…" He sighed. "It must be very confusing and—"

"You're my dad," she squeaked. "You're just legit my dad. Oh my god. I… I have a dad. I have a dad? Oh my god. That's… Oh! Oh. My. God." She grabbed his shoulders. The realization hit her like a train. A chill passed through her whole body; she was light-headed and her stomach flipped. Her eyes were wide and glossy with tears. "They're my brothers. They're my a-actual brothers."

"They are—" He grunted when she threw herself against him, her skinny arms grasping him with surprising strength. "Oh, Frisky, it's alright."

"O-Oh my god, I'm sh-shaking t-too hard," she said through a choked laugh. "Oh my god, dude."

She struggled to catch her breath and wiped her face on her arm again as she backed away a smidge. Gaster reached out to her and brushed her tears away with his thumb, _tsking_ in a soft, affectionate way. Even that sent a tingle of warmth through her. This gentle skeleton— this was who she came from. Her heart swelled. She was, very suddenly, absolutely smitten with the idea.

"Dude, y-you…" She sniffled and hurriedly wiped her face again. "You totally blew my mind just now."

"I know, it's… It's a big change," he said. He seemed almost regretful. Like it was some burden he'd placed on her.

"Well. Yeah. But I'm happy, though," she said quickly. "I thought… You know, I thought maybe I had parents and they just didn't want me."

Gaster looked stunned for a moment— his heart broke. He shook his head vehemently. "I… I know I could not be a good father to you, but I've always loved you. I… I don't know if there's anything I could ever say to make those years okay, but… but you always belonged with us. You know that now, don't you?"

"Mhm!" she said. "That… Hah! That's funny, Sans always said that, too."

"I hope you believed him," he said.

Frisk smiled sheepishly. She wiped her eyes. "He's a really great big brother, you know?"

Gaster smiled and nodded. "He was always like that for Papyrus; I'm so glad he could be that for you, too. It's… sort of his element."

Frisk nodded and grinned. She couldn't stop her heart from pounding. What could she even say to him? "Sh-Should we go back in?"

"Ah! You're getting cold," he said. "I apologize. Let's."

Inside the warmth of Grillby's walls, Sans was waiting against their table, half-asleep, arms folded. Frisk raced to him and grabbed his sleeves.

"Sans. Sans Sans Sans," she said.

"Mhm?" He put a hand on her head and opened one eye; it shone blue. "Hey. Looks like you might've gotten some good news, huh?"

"D-Dude! Dude, we're… Oh my god, we're really—"

"Hey." He took her by the shoulder and grinned. "Always were."

Frisk beamed. She grabbed his face and pulled him down to touch her brow to his, and they glowed bright purple together. He snickered and squished her shoulders gently.

"S'good," she said quietly. Tears began to dribble down her cheeks and her voice snagged. "S'really good, huh?"

"Mhm," he said.

"I love you so much," she squeaked. "I l-love all you guys so much."

"I know, kiddo, I know. Love you, too," he said. "Don't cry too hard, huh?"

"H-Hah!" She giggled and buried her face into him. "Big bro… W-We really were the same, weren't we?"

He beamed, plucking her up off her feet and into his arms. She yelped and laughed, and did her best to catch her breath as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She coughed and trembled, squeaking as she tried to regain herself.

"Get it together, sis," he joked.

"Oh. God." She sniffled and hid her face against his shoulder. "I… I'm gonna puke."

"Don't you dare," he said.

Gaster watched cautiously, wringing his hands, until Sans shot him a look. The short skeleton's cheekbones were a little blue, but the knowing smile on his face reassured his father. Sans stroked the back of the kid's head and she blew out a long, deep sigh.

"Oh man. Jeez. Thank you. Thank you a million times," she said quietly.

Her soul stuck against his and, for the first time in a long while, he didn't feel any of her guilt in how close she wanted to be. That lingering, tiny flicker of doubt that had always seemed to come back like a bad cough had left her. Finally, he thought.

"Oh my god…" she whispered. "Papyrus knows? He does, right? You told him?"

"Yeah. Filled him a few hours ago," Sans said. "Guy cried like a baby."

"Aw! Well, I guess this is b-better, then, because if we were together, we'd totally flood the room."

Sans laughed. "What else is new?"

"That's good, though. That's super good. H-How do you feel?" she asked.

"Me? Pretty good," he said.

"Y-Yeah?" She drew back a little and put a hand on his skull. "That's a lot to come back at once, huh? Your head okay? I mean. Jeez."

"Mhm. Memories just kinda plopped back in," he said. "Think you know how that feels, huh?"

"You're so calm," she said with a laugh. "Thanks."

"Hey, no problem, takes zero effort," he said with a wink, and then turned to look at Gaster. "Go on, you nerd, sit down, you look like you're about to fall over."

Gaster hurriedly slid back into the booth and Sans plunked the kid on the cushy bench beside him. He snuck in across from them and Frisk, after wiping her eyes on her sleeve, leaned over the table.

"So, how long've you known?" she asked.

"What makes you think it's not news to me?"

Frisk smirked and rested her cheek on her fist. "What, you think I can't recognize that smug look after all this time, bro?"

He laughed, grinning wide. "Hm. Figured it out when you remembered him. It kinda filled in the pieces. Plus, you know, your hum? Says your name in skeleton is _Frisky_, so…"

"Oh my god," she said, and she turned to Gaster. "Really? That's where it comes from? My hum?"

"It is," he said, "though, I have to admit, I'm surprised you managed to get that yourself. I never expected you to even hear any name I called you, let alone start using it."

Frisk stared at him for a little while. She carefully took one of his long hands in both of hers. "So it was really pretty messed up wherever you were, huh?" she asked.

"That's more than fair to say. I'll be honest, I never expected to come back. But I'm so glad I did."

"How? You were all melty and weird, and no one could remember you except…?" Frisk frowned. "How'd you get out of there? I tried to bring you a few times, right?"

"You did bring me," he said fondly.

"So…! So what worked?" she asked.

"It was through sheer determination," he said with a smile. "Your soul acting as an anchor is not just a metaphor."

"Oh really?" Frisk's eyes went wide. She cupped her soul again and smiled faintly. "I'm… Wow. I'm really glad. I never expected you were… I guess that explains a lot, huh?"

"I know this might be a bit strange for a while," he said. "But… But I mean, don't… Don't feel obligated to call me "_dad_" or anything even remotely paternal if you're not comfortable, you can just call me "_Gaster_", or… "_hey you_", or—"

"I'm sure I'll figure it out, pops," she joked.

His eyes went wide and his cheekbones flushed. Sans burst out laughing. Frisk snickered and grinned up at him.

"Wait. Pops. Paps. Paps. Pops," she said. "That's too confusing. Guess I'll just have to stick to dad, huh?"

Gaster's eyes welled up again, and he scooped her up into his arms and squished her close. She was more than happy to hug him again. Sans grinned wide.

"Jeez, you really are a wreck, huh?" he said.

"I know, I know…" he muttered.

"Hey, I'm not judgin'," Sans said. "Welcome to the club. Right, kiddo?"

"Uh-huh!" she said brightly. "You're member number four! Don't worry, meetings only involve hot chocolate and bad TV shows. And Papyrus is the cheerleader."

"H-Hah!" He gently lowered her and she sat comfortably in his lap.

The kid grinned. "I like this."

"Told ya. Don't have to worry for a second about tomorrow, huh?" Sans said.

"What? OH!" Frisk's eyes went wide. "Oh my god, I didn't even think of… Oh my god." She laughed, put her face in her hands, and groaned.

"What?" Gaster asked gently.

She took a deep breath and looked at Sans with an expression that might have been incredulous if she wasn't smiling. "You literally told me. Like a bunch of times. Didn't you?"

"Well, yeah," he said. "Course I did."

"Oh my god."

"Told you what?" Gaster asked.

"He told me like a hundred times ever since the humans noticed me," she said, "that they would never find a human related to me in a million years. And that… I'm his sister. Aaaannndd I'm an idiot."

"You called her an idiot?" Gaster yelped.

"No no no, I called me an idiot," Frisk said swiftly. "Sans'd never call me an idiot."

"Because you're not one," Sans said. He winked. "Guess it turned out that you're a bit of a bonehead though, huh?"

"Pfffft, okay, I'll take it," she said. She let out a deep sigh and rubbed her eyes again. "I'm not gonna wake up, right?"

"You're awake," Sans said.

Frisk had to take another moment. She steadied herself and tilted her head back to shoot Gaster a curious look. "So, like, what the heck am I, though?"

"Determination?" Sans suggested.

"You are… human. Mostly," Gaster said. "I… I think."

Frisk laughed. "Science guy doesn't know, uh-oh."

"So…? So you remember I'm a scientist?" he asked curiously.

"We figured that out a while ago," Frisk said with a smile. "But… Um. Hm. Actually. I feel like… I dunno, I remember…? You in the lab somewhere? In the… basement, maybe? Huh. Weird."

"What else do you remember? A-About me?" he asked. "Sorry if that sounds conceited."

"Um. Well. You like coffee, right? All your stuff, it smelled like coffee," she said. "Aaannd… You lived on the surface. So you must be super old, then. As old as mom? Um, Toriel, I mean, Toriel's my mom."

"Good," he said. "Just a little younger, actually. I honestly never thought you'd remember any of that. Anything else?"

"It's kinda rough other than that," she said. "I'm not sure. Did I… tell you a lot?"

"You told me a little about a lot," he said. "You told me about coming to the mountain and learning to time travel. You told me about trying to make a soul for your friend. You told me you crossed the barrier. Both of you."

"Spilled all the beans, huh, kiddo?" Sans said with a grin.

"Guess so!" she said with a laugh. "I think that's my only missing bit. Maybe. I hope?"

"Don't be too concerned," he assured her. "You remember more than I could ever have hoped. But, I… I am sorry that some of that might be less than pleasant."

"What d'you mean?" she said. "I mean. Yeah. It was bad. But none of that part was your fault. I like the, uh, what d'you call it? A retcon?"

"Retcon," Sans confirmed.

"Yeah! Frisk backstory retcon!" she joked. "It's weird but it's a little less lonely. Aw, Sans, bummer that you don't have it."

"Have it?" Gaster repeated.

"You're explainin'," Sans said.

"What? Why?" she asked.

"Grillby's gesturin' at me." He began to slide off the seat.

Frisk stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm waiting until you get back, you know!"

"Is this about when you two shared your souls?" Gaster asked gently.

"Oh, no way, I told you already?!" she asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

He tilted his head. "You said you shared memories as well. Does that mean all of them?"

"Yep! Except the ones with you, apparently," she said. "Jeez, I guess I did spill all the beans."

"God, that's… something else, Frisky," he said. "Sans has quite a few years on you, that couldn't have been easy."

"Nah. Easiest thing in the world," she said with a smile.

Gaster looked thoughtful. He rested his cheek on his fist. "I still can hardly believe it. But, I suppose you're the master of bending rules, aren't you? I think I recall you mentioned a dragon, as well?"

"Yeah! Bone dragon! That's what we were together. We looked super cool! Do you have any paper?"

"I do." He passed her the letter he had been trying to write, the words almost entirely crossed out.

She already had a pen, a red one.

"Y-You… kept that?" he asked.

"Kept what?" she asked.

"That pen."

She looked puzzled for a second. She looked at the pen and then back at him. She grinned. "Yeah! Always felt important after that. It was from somewhere weird, right? It was grey, but it changed."

"It was from outside of time," Gaster said.

"Oh! I get it," she said. "I… Hah. I get why you were so excited to see that, now. Do you want it back?"

"Absolutely not," he said quickly. "It's yours."

"Thanks!" she said brightly.

She scooted back onto the bench and sat on her knees. She started to draw what they were, oblivious to his obvious puzzlement, as Sans came back with their food.

"He basically already knew," Frisk said.

"Oh dang," Sans said. "You showin' him?"

She nodded. "We had three spikes, right?"

"Mhm, three spikes and two horns," he said.

"Right, right." She outlined the head: it was a little cartoonish, but it was mostly accurate. "And our left eye was just like yours!"

"Mhm. Bet if you knew how to glow then, we couldda done red in the right one," he said.

"Aw man that would've been so cool!" she said with a laugh. "Hey, if I ever explode again, grab me before a reset, we'll see if it works. Plus, we're both totally missing each other's Gaster memories now, so…"

"That's super morbid, kiddo," he said, and he sipped his milkshake and looked thoughtful. "Just don't do it on purpose."

Frisk grinned.

"That's fascinating," Gaster said, resting his cheek on his fist. "You'd… honestly be willing to do that a second time?"

"We know what to expect," Sans said with a shrug. "Plus. Kinda promised."

"And it is super cool," Frisk said. "But. Just with Sans."

"Really? Technically, it would be a possibility with anyone, wouldn't it? Since it's impossible for you to die under any normal circumstances," Gaster said curiously.

"Yeah. But the memory transfer thing is a big deal," she said. "I dunno if I'd want to intrude on someone else like that. I mean, me and Sans, we didn't know that was gonna happen the first time. And there's no way Sans wants anyone else in his memories ever, right, bro? Since I have 'em all."

"Mhm, exactly," he said.

"And then I also have some of Az and Chara's, and that's a whole other dumb mess," Frisk said. "Nobody else needs to deal with that junk."

She finished up her drawing and slid it over to the tall skeleton. Sans shot her a grin.

"Welp. You're a better artist than me," he said with a laugh.

"I think it doesn't look too bad!" she said proudly.

"Let me see." Gaster put his glasses back on. "Oh! Okay. That's… Really? You two were this?"

"Uh-huh!" Frisk said. She pulled out her phone to show the little dragon skull charm attached to it. "Like this, see?"

"Ah, I do." He peered closely at the drawing. "And these are wings? What's that in the membrane?"

"Space. Or. It looked like space," she said. "I'm not sure why. I guess it was just magic."

"Did they function?"

"Yup. Flew around the mountain," Sans said, drawing a circle in the air with a fry. "Saw the stars, got rained on; it was a blast."

"But… Frisky, you had no skin," Gaster said, "wasn't that weird for you?"

"It was, but it was okay, for Sans it was normal, so it was pretty normal for me, too," she said.

Gaster smiled and gently ruffled her hair. She seemed quite content with that. She scooted up to his ribs and he smiled fondly.

"So. You're gonna come live with us, right?" she said.

"W-Well, I—"

"Course he is," Sans said.

"We're gonna have to explain a lot to mom," Frisk said.

"Don't worry about that. I'll do it," Gaster said. "We… We're old friends. I'm sure I can figure it out. Honestly. The last thing I want to do is disrupt the family you've all made for yourselves."

"Disrupt? That's a weird way to put it," Frisk said with a laugh. "You belong with us. Right, Sans?"

"We're kinda a mishmash family anyway. It'll work out. We'll just make the house bigger."

Gaster's bones flushed. "If it's not much trouble…"

"Where else would you go?" the kid joked.

Gaster's cheekbones flushed a little and he tapped his fingertips together. "I'll be honest, this is still a little nerve-wracking for me."

"Oh jeez, hope I didn't make you too nervous!" Frisk said quickly, an apologetic tilt to her brows. "I was just super excited to see you weren't just goop."

"Oh. No, Frisky, I…" His voice snagged and he put a hand over his eyes. "Ah… I'm… I'm a wreck, I'm just a bloody wreck."

"Dad, it's okay," she assured him. "Take your time."

He put his face in both hands.

"Just keep breathin'," Sans suggested.

"Should I hold off on it?" Frisk asked him at a whisper. "I thought it would be just good to start the habit right away?"

"No, dude, you're totally right," he assured her. "He's just had a rough… everything."

"Yeah, I got that," she said, her smile sympathetic.

Gaster breathed out, long and heavy, and then rubbed his brows. He finally took a fry from his plate, and his magic lifted the lid off his milkshake and he dipped the fry before eating it. Frisk's face lit up and she grinned wide and pointed. Sans snickered.

"Who wouldda thought, right?" he said.

"Hm? Sorry, have I done something strange?" Gaster asked.

"Nope!" Frisk said brightly.


	6. SNOW HOME

Gaster was over the moon. It was as clear to Sans as the cracks on his face. His eyes seemed to glitter as he followed every jump of emotion from Frisk. He'd casually asked about the barrier situation, and Frisk had replied with the question of if he wanted to hear the whole thing. Maybe a bit naïvely, Gaster had said yes. The kid was more than happy to tell him every bit of the story.

It put a smile on Sans's face to see his kid so animated. She was all alight and had so much energy all of a sudden that it was like nothing was wrong. She underplayed the rough bits— she always did— but, actually, she was a pretty good storyteller. Gaster was leaning on the table, food forgotten, enthralled by her words, even the parts she warned were boring.

It was increasingly hilarious that his father had been worried about how she'd react. She wasn't the least bit shy. It was just like they were old friends— in a way, he supposed, they were.

When she was done, with a surprisingly proud smile on her face, Gaster wrapped her in a relieved hug, unable to help himself. Sans could feel his grin spreading. Frisk was everything their father had worked for his entire life— a much more powerful and almost perfect version of what Sans's own soul was originally intended to be. A way to freedom in the best possible way.

"Saaaaans. Sans? Sans." Frisk reached across the table and grabbed one of his hands in both of hers, snapping him from his thoughts. "Um. So, uh. This is pretty crazy, right?"

"Yeah, a bit," he said.

"So what do we tell mom? Should I call her? Oh man, and what about Az?" She whipped around to look at Gaster. "You knew him?"

"Ah… I did," he said.

"This is the weirdest thing in the whole world," Frisk said with a laugh. "Saaaaaans?"

"Yeah?" he said.

Her eyes seemed to glitter. In fact, they did. A little of her iris flickered red. They'd been doing that a lot more recently. She gripped tight to his fingers and grinned sheepishly. "Thanks."

He snickered. "Went well, right?"

"Super great," she said with a grin.

"Finish your stuff, huh?"

"Oh!" She grabbed her milkshake and took a swig. "I totally forgot!"

Sans smiled fondly. "Don't choke."

\- - -

Outside again, the second they hit the cold air, Gaster shivered and bundled up, hood, gloves, scarf and all. Sans shot him a curious look. He shrugged slightly. Sans gently nudged Frisk with his elbow.

"Kiddo, how 'bout you head home, huh?" he said.

"Oh yeah?" she asked.

"Yeah. Gotta talk to this giant dork," he said, jerking his thumb at Gaster. "Give Paps the update?"

"Oh. Heh. Yeah," she said, smiling bashfully. "I'm gonna cry and then he's gonna cry."

Sans snickered and patted her head. She stood on her toes and he bent down to let her smooch his cheek. She grinned and then beckoned at Gaster. When he bent down, she gave him a kiss, too. His cheekbones went stark with colour and he froze entirely. She grinned, waved, and scampered off down the road.

"See you guys at home!" she called.

Gaster stood stiff like he'd been turned to ice. Sans held in a laugh and nudged him with his elbow. He jolted quickly.

"Jeez," Sans said.

The old skeleton looked like he could crumple into a pile of bones. Quickly, he had his arms around his son and squeezed him close. Now Sans couldn't keep in a chuckle.

"That went well," he said.

"_Cnámha m'anam_." Gaster's voice was even lower and more gravelly than usual. He coughed, then let him go and took a deep breath. "She… She liked me."

"Course she did." Sans nodded up the road in the opposite direction. "C'mon."

He started on his way and his father hurriedly moved to follow him. He rubbed the back of his skull and his bones rattled. Sans shot him a sympathetic smile.

"You alright?" he asked.

Gaster nodded. "I never expected her to just…" He waved his hands as if trying to pull words from the air. "To just accept it like that."

"Why?" Sans asked.

"She's clearly a human," he said. "We're clearly not."

"She's been family basically since we met, dude," Sans said with a wink. "I don't think skin or, uh, lack thereof really matters to her."

Gaster sighed deeply, but he started to laugh softly as well. "You're amazing, do you know that?"

Sans shrugged. His father looked at him very seriously.

"I mean it," he said. "After all those other anomalies, you had no way of knowing. And yet you still had enough in you to give that girl your trust."

"Yeah, well." Sans shrugged again and grinned. "What can I say? The time travel messed us both up in ways that made it so we wouldda been like this no matter where she was from. And it's not like this just went one way, huh?"

Gaster started to grin. Sans cut his eyes at him.

"What?" he said.

"I see…" Gaster chuckled. He wiped his eyes quickly. "I'm so glad you found each other."

"Yeah, dysfunctional together is almost functional," he said with a wink. "Thank god for Papyrus."

Gaster laughed. "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Hm? Oh. Nothin' much, just wanted to give those kids a bit of privacy," Sans said with a shrug. "It'll be emotional enough with just the two of them without us weirdos hangin' around."

"Ah," Gaster said. "Judging by earlier, he must be very close to her. Right?"

Sans nodded. "In her first timeline, when she got booted through the barrier, and we couldn't find her, Paps lost it. Inconsolable for like, a week, until we found her again. Tried not to be apart since, even after a reset. It's kinda clingy but I think it's real good for 'em both."

"For everything being such a bloody mess, I'm glad things turned out that way," Gaster said. "That must've been hard. But, at least you were able to remember her, right?"

"Sure," he said. "So did most of our, uh… I dunno, circle, I guess, this last time."

"Right, how on earth did that work?" Gaster asked. "That must've been such a relief, but how is that possible?"

"I found a way to hook into her determination and basically use her as a memory save," Sans said with a shrug. "Wasn't ideal but the world was about to end and I didn't wanna send her backwards with nothin'."

"You… used _her_ as a save," his father repeated, eyes wide. "How is that possible?"

He shrugged. "Kinda used myself as one, too. It wasn't perfect. But, she's so stuck into that time stuff, it just kinda worked since I knew how to do it to begin with," he said. "Our magic or whatever has always been stuck to each other. Combine it, and, well, there you go."

"Sans, that's…"

"I know, sounds weird, but I'm kinda protective of the kid, y'know?" he said. "And if leavin' some weird marks on her could save her, then, I'd do whatever it takes."

Sans stalled in his steps as he noticed Gaster had come to a halt. His father seemed stunned, but he was starry-eyed and glowing faintly.

"What's that face for?" Sans asked with a laugh.

"You're… You're a genius. You're a bloody genius," he said, starting to beam. "I… I never even thought… Sans. I'm blown away."

"S'not that big of a deal," he said with a shrug.

"For you to have mastered the temporal energies to that point, disregarding what should have been physical limitations and tapping straight into the— That's… That's phenomenal. I never would have thought to try that."

"Eh. Desperate times," Sans said. "You probably wouldda."

"You are a genius." Gaster's smile only grew brighter. "I'm so proud of you. Oh. Sorry. I hope that doesn't sound patronizing. It's just. I am. Very proud, I mean. Not patronizing. I mean. I hope not."

"Y'know, not all that much has changed since you been gone," Sans said with a grin. "I mean, with the way me and Paps are. S'not like I'd just suddenly think you're a weirdo or something. Oh, c'mon, you don't need to cry."

Gaster hurriedly wiped his eyes on the back of his glove again. "It's just… I thought I'd never see you again," he muttered, his voice croaking. "Any of you. Any of this."

"I know," Sans said.

"I was never supposed to come back," he said. "The chances of pulling me out of that hell were so infinitesimally small that I still almost can't believe I'm even here. That I can feel… anything. That I can even think clearly."

"There wasn't any way to fix you besides the kid, huh?" Sans asked.

"I… I couldn't say, really. I doubt it," he said. "It took what would have otherwise been a catastrophic amount of determination."

"Heh. Catastrophic," Sans repeated. "Funny word to describe Frisk with."

"Isn't it?" Gaster laughed tiredly. "I'm still a bit overwhelmed. Forgive me."

"Don't," Sans said. "Looks like you need a breather, too, huh? No worries. Actually. I wanted to ask why you're freezin'."

"I… I don't know," he said. "I haven't been able to get warm since I came back. And I keep having… episodes. I'm sure I'll… Well…"

"Hm. Alright. We'll keep an eye socket on you, huh?" Sans winked. "Come on. I know a spot that's pretty, uh, interestin'. I'll show you where the kid got in. S'full of these golden flowers. And it's definitely warmer than here. I think you'll like it."

\- - -

The closer Frisk got to home, the slower her steps felt. Her chest was tight and her whole body was numb. Her mind was spending most of its energy trying to reorganize where she fit in the universe. No more blank family tree; no more uncertainty about humans leaving her alone in the cold of the surface world. She was sure she had to be in shock or something, but her focus was on getting home. She had to see Papyrus. She had no idea what to say, but that was fine.

When she got there, she hesitated. She had to take a long, deep breath. Told herself not to cry yet. She pushed back the door and braced herself. She didn't know why her heart was beating so quickly.

"Hey, Papyrus?" she asked. "I'm back."

"OH! Oh! Little sister! Hello!" He stumbled out of the kitchen, tossing his apron aside so quickly that he almost slipped on it. "H-How are you? Did you have a good time?"

She nodded. "Pretty good time," she said, and she tilted her head "You okay?"

"Oh, yes, perfectly fine! As always," he assured her. He tented his fingers. "So, um. Did you, I don't know, meet anyone interesting out there?" He was a picture of nerves despite trying to hide it.

Frisk smiled fondly: he was too honest for keeping secrets like this. She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," she said. "Found Sans. And I saw Grillby. Annnnd, oh, totally met our dad."

"Our d…?! OH! Oh Frisk!" Papyrus let out a squeaking sound, knelt down, and grabbed her by the shoulders. "You met him?! And?! How do you feel?!"

"Still kinda shocked, I think," she said. "But… I'm really happy, bro."

Papyrus beamed. He pulled her in against his chest, the pulse of his soul synching close, almost overwhelmingly so. She held onto him tightly. The instant she hoped she wouldn't start crying again was exactly when she did.

"See? Little sister. You were never alone," he cooed quietly. "I'm so happy for you. I'm just… I-I… Oooh no. Nyooo. I'm crying."

"It's okay, me too!" she snickered.

He giggled. He took a little space to wipe his eyes. Frisk laughed and did the same. Her brother grinned and gently squished her cheeks.

"Squishy little skeleton," he joked.

She laughed and squished her hands on his cheekbones in return.

"Bet it feels good to have your dad back, huh?" she said.

"Oh. Yes. Definitely," he said. "Weird, though. Weird because I didn't remember. And now I do. I was younger than you are, even, when he vanished. But! Hey. You know what?"

"What?" she asked.

He grinned. "We know when your birthday is now."

"We do?" she asked.

"Yes! The day dad vanished. That's the day you were made!" he said brightly.

"Oh! Yeah, I guess you're right," Frisk said.

"Nyeh heh heh heh! Well. You know. Maybe it was a big mess, but since time was going to break anyway and this is how it all had to go, having you, that's definitely worth it."

Frisk blushed. "Thanks, Papyrus."

"Don't thank me, it is just completely true," he said. "Ooh, you are just going to love having dad as your dad! He's really nice, and smart, and he's a huge dork! And he loves ice cream! Actually. Now that I think about it. You two are quite a bit alike."

"You think?" Frisk asked.

"I know!" he said, and he pulled her snugly into his lap as he sat down. "I'm so happy for you. Really. And I'm so excited! Now no one can ever ever ever steal you away." He looked bashful all of a sudden and pushed his index fingers together. "I always had this little worry deep down inside me. It was a secret. Of course. But, um." He sighed. "I worried that one day some weird humans would just show up and try to say that they were your real family when really we are your real family. And then this whole thing happened and… And I was so worried. Because I could never lose you. And now I never will! It was all really a big relief for me. Does that make sense?"

Frisk was taken aback. She'd had no idea this thing with the humans was as much a nightmare for him as it was for her. She should have known. She hugged him and settled close. "No way. We'll always be together. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried."

"Nyeh heh heh! As if I'd try." He curled up around her and let out a quiet, relaxed sigh. "Do you have somewhere to be?"

"Nope, don't think so," she said.

"Want to just stay here for a while?" he asked.

"Yeah, for sure!" She snuggled right in and he seemed so happy he could melt.

"Best timeline," he cooed.

\- - -

Gaster was sick in the Ruins. That same black sludge. It was some kind of twisted, liquid magic, presumably. It stained the ground and then vanished like nothing had ever been there. Disturbing, in some ways, but then again, neither of the skeletons were really surprised. Sans had never seen the void his father had existed in, but he'd felt it. It had killed him, in fact.

Sans offered a shortcut. Really preferred not walking. But, they had some time they needed to kill, and Gaster hadn't seen the Ruins in centuries. It was pleasant and nostalgic to stroll through it until the nausea had hit him.

Gaster had to stick his whole head in the river to make himself feel any sort of relief, though the water pouring out of his eye sockets wasn't exactly pleasant afterwards, either. Sans tried not to laugh and thumped his father on the back. Gaster coughed and chuckled, wiping his face on his scarf.

"Well that was… something," he said.

"Excitin'," Sans joked.

Gaster huffed. He rubbed the back of his skull and puffed out a sigh. "Banjaxed," he muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, you're kinda a mess," Sans said, helping him back to his feet.

"Oh, god, you don't even know," Gaster joked. "You should see my soul. And my leg."

"How many holes you got, now?" Sans said. "Don't have any more secret kids out there, do ya?"

"Pffff. No. No no," he said. "I'm just… a little rough around the edges, is all."

"Rough around the top, too."

Gaster scoffed. "I'd say you're cracking me up, but I've done enough of that myself. Are we almost there?"

Sans snorted out a laugh and pointed up ahead, and his father lit right up.

The heavy stone door left ajar in their path lead to a double set of stairs. They framed a patch of red leaves and a bright tear in time that glittered pleasantly. Gaster's eyes lit up, bicoloured and bright, when he saw it.

"They're all over, now, aren't they?" he asked.

"Sure are," Sans said.

"I wonder…" He pulled off a glove and stuck his hand right into it. When he pulled back, the hole in his palm shimmered an extra few seconds with that bright colour. His eye sockets watered and he quickly brushed them with his thumbs. "She wasn't in a good place the last time she was here, was she?"

"Not really," Sans said.

"Poor thing," he said softly. He slipped the glove back on and rubbed his hands together. "Hope this wears off soon…"

"Ask the kid to give you some of the red stuff when we get home," Sans said. "It helps."

The deepest section of the mountain wasn't much farther. Gaster expected to see mostly darkness, so he was thoroughly taken aback by the smattering of bright, golden flowers that greeted them. Sans pointed up and his father followed his finger. He gasped and reflexively took a step back.

"She fell from there?!" he said.

"Jumped," Sans corrected.

"How did she s…?!" Gaster's expression turned melancholy. "Oh. She… probably didn't. Was that where this all started?"

"Nah. Down here. She only had to do it once," he said.

"Brave," he muttered, smiling grimly. "I wish I could have helped."

Sans shrugged. "Sure. Me too. Wanna take a look?"

Gaster hesitated. He rolled his fingers over his thumbs, winced, and then put his hand on Sans's shoulder.

The cave was wiped away, replaced by a night sky thick with clouds looming down over them, crags of rocks beneath their feet, and an entrance down below to their backs. Gaster took a heavy step backwards, eyes wide, jaw agape. He darted forward and peeked down over the edge to the jutting mountainside and forest below, the treetops bustling in the wind, looking much more like dark water than foliage in the low light. He whipped around to look at Sans and couldn't help a grin.

"It's beautiful," he said.

Sans laughed. He folded his arms and leaned back, cocking his head to the side. "Guess it kinda is."

"And this…" He peeked into the cave. "Oh! It's actually a bit of a drop just in here, isn't it? I suppose down was the only way out."

"Good thing, too," Sans said. "Tori got her right after."

"Right! Right. Of course." He scuffed his gloved fingers across the stone and then peered upwards at the clouds. He shivered. He shot Sans a smile. "I'm grateful for that."

"Me too," Sans said. "Welp. What d'you think? That enough time?"

"I hope so."

Sans grabbed him and his eyes were instantly readjusting to the cozy light inside the living room. Stunned for a moment, Gaster stood, frozen, as Sans casually flopped on the couch and kicked his feet up.

"Nyeh heh! I'd know that cushion squishing sound anywhere!" Papyrus bounded to meet them from the kitchen, squeezing Gaster into a quick hug and then racing to Sans, grabbing up both of his hands. "Brother. Oh. My. God."

"Doin' alright?" he asked.

"So very alright! Amazingly alright!" he said certainly.

"Where's the kid at, by the way?"

Papyrus pointed at the ceiling. "Saving."

Sans wasn't really willing to wait. He blinked upstairs and found the kid at the light in the attic. He sat on a box and she turned at the sound of his weight settling. Her face broke into a bright grin and she ran to him. He gladly accepted her into his arms. She giggled.

"So, I saved," she said. "He's stuck with us."

"Good," he said. "Holdin' up?"

"Y-Yeah! Yeah, I'm okay. I… I still kinda can't believe that I… That we…" Her voice cracked. Her eyes began to shimmer. "We…" She wiped her face on the back of her arm; coughed to clear her throat and grinned wide up at him. "Aaah, you know! I'm just r-really happy. It's so weird but it's so great!"

"Hm." He bonked his head on hers. "Welp. S'good, though. You have basically forever to get used to him."

"Won't take that long," she said. "Ooh! Is he back, too?"

"Yup," Sans said. "Took a shortcut."

Frisk stared back at him blankly but then grinned wide. "You're so cool, bro."

She snuggled into him and their souls sparked a soft purple together. She felt relieved. Content. No guilt. Not even for crying. He couldn't help but beam with pride.

Sans plunked them back downstairs and Frisk was almost instantly facing Gaster. He looked thoroughly shocked and she smiled and jumped to her feet on the couch. She looked him up and down, and then got on top of the arm in an attempt to approach his height.

"Hey, look at you!" she said. "C'mere?"

Gaster cautiously pointed at himself. He edged over and Frisk grabbed both of his arms and looked up at him. His cheekbones flushed faintly blue and gold, and the kid tilted her head slightly. She reached up for his face and he bent slightly to allow her to put her hands up against his bones.

"Wow, I mean, it's kinda great, right? How weird is it that you're just, like, here, standing in the house, right? You look so normal now," she said. "Did you look like this before you went in?"

"M-Mostly," he said. "The larger crack is relatively new."

"Oh yeah?" She brushed her thumb over the healed one coming down his cheek. She grinned and then poked her own face. "Look, we're almost the same!"

"Frisky…" he said quietly. He shook his head. "You're much cuter."

She scoffed and laughed. "You look good, though!" she said. "You know, from being all time-melty and going back to being a pretty normal-looking skeleton. I expected you to be super goopy next time I saw you, so this is way better."

"I… I suppose you're right," he said with a tepid smile. He looked like he was trying not to cry. "Frisky, I…" His voice caught.

"Aw, jeez, you're not feelin' good, though, huh?" she said. "C'mere?"

She hugged onto him and he was stunned still, only to cautiously scoop her up. She set her hands aglow with red and held him tight. He froze up as the warmth seeped in and his soul instinctively wanted to reach out. He tried to stop it but it glowed faintly, a spiky, out of tune, cold and bristling mess. The kid yelped and then began to laugh.

"Oof, it's still pretty messed up, huh?" she asked sympathetically.

"It's, uh…" He lost his words again. He squeezed the kid gently and almost choked when she relaxed against him despite his awful soul.

"Nyeh heh heh!" Papyrus thumped Gaster heartily on the shoulder, grinning wide at him even though he stumbled and quickly put the kid down. "You look like you could use a big, hot plate of my special spaghetti. They don't call me Master Chef Papyrus for nothing!" He pulled a big, steaming plate of pasta from somewhere and held it out with a twinkle in his eye. "It'll fix you right up."

"Oh. Th-Thank you," he said, his voice croaking as he took it. His finger bones clattered against the plate and he hurried to sit down at the table to the side of the room.

Papyrus thumped him on the back and he took a cautious bite of the food. He broke down almost instantly. The younger skeleton squeaked with surprise.

"I didn't think it was THAT bad!" he said shrilly.

"I-It's fantastic, _a stór," _Gaster stammered, wiping the streams from his eyes quickly. "_Go raibh maith agat_." He shovelled pasta into his mouth with more speed than seemed wise.

Frisk watched him with pity in her eyes as his shoulders sagged. She shot Sans a worried look, and though he looked mildly sympathetic, he didn't seem overly concerned. She'd follow his lead. He knew his— no, their— father best.

Papyrus dragged over a chair and sat beside him, rubbing his back gently. "Hey, now. You're going to be okay! And you can have as much spaghetti as you like! Forever and ever. Promise! Okay?"

"I'm alright," Gaster said. "Don't worry about me. Aren't you all eating?"

"Ah! Yes, of course, I'll get plates for everyone!" Papyrus leapt to his feet in a hurry and raced away, accompanied by the sounds of clinking cutlery.

The tall skeleton reluctantly heaved himself out of his seat again. He hesitated, but he quietly unzipped his coat and took it off to put it near the door with the others. That heavy jacket had made up a lot of the bulk in his shoulders, but he was still a little more physically imposing than Papyrus was despite the typical thinness of tall skeletons like them. Now, he shivered in the faded, black hoodie he was in underneath. The elbows were patched and the front showed a worn logo of some sort— one that vaguely looked like a bunch of beakers framed with a big circle. He folded his arms tight to his chest.

"Hey, if you're still cold…" Sans said.

"It's fine. I mean. I am," Gaster said, "but I'll get accustomed to it."

"Can I help?" Frisk asked worriedly. "Want a blanket or something?"

"I'm alright," he assured her, raising both hands quickly. "It's just… ah…"

"He's still kinda chilled from the whole nothin' void," Sans said.

"Jeez," Frisk said quietly. She looked between the two of them curiously. "Hey, how long have you been back, anyway?"

"A day or so," he said.

"Oh, okay, so that's maybe normal, then, if it hasn't actually been that long," she said. She laughed. "Sorry. I mean. Whatever could maybe be called normal after that. What a weird place, right?"

"Absolutely," Gaster said as he sat down again. "It was good that you could pass through so seamlessly. I am a little surprised."

"Of course she could." Papyrus returned with plates filled with pasta for himself and the others, and dutifully passed them out. "She is a super time kid, after all!"

"Universe's resident time god," Sans joked.

He looked down at the bashfully grinning kid with surprise. His gaze softened and he smiled fondly. "I suppose you are, aren't you?"

"I try to do a good job," she said. "I got superpowers now, so that's kinda helpful."

Sans scoffed and laughed. She nudged him with her elbow and he did the same in return. Gaster, however, looked intrigued.

"Superpowers, you say?" he asked. "What kinds of superpowers?"

"Oh! Well. I can glow. And I can make a bubble thing that glows," she said proudly. "And I can give super hugs with my soul feeling thing, everyone seems to like that. I used to be able to borrow Sans's kinda future sight thing or Papyrus's bone attacks, but that doesn't really work anymore. Oh, but I can use time magic I guess, to turn stuff back in time to fix things or freeze stuff if I gotta. It's kinda hard, still, though."

"And her eyes glow sometimes!" Papyrus said. "Though we, um, can't really figure out what makes them do that. And I'm not sure if that counts as a super power but I guess since she's a human…" He shrugged. "Oh also she could do a big hex shield for a couple days but not since then."

"Hex shield?" Gaster tilted his head.

"Yes, like a big shield made of hexagon patterns," Papyrus said.

"Like… Like this?" Gaster held a hand out and the magic in him pooled in the gap in his hand. Suddenly, at his fingertips stretched a barrier of energy, a little distorted and flickering, but shifting black with fragments of gold and blue.

Frisk's eyes went wide. Papyrus grinned.

"Yes! Exactly like that, except red!" he said. "Hey, wait a second, how are you doing that?! I don't remember that at all. Can we do that?"

"Not exactly, it's more of a… Well, I mean, maybe, if I can find the spell again," he admitted. "I composed this myself a little bit after the sixth human arrived. I ended up not needing it much." He pulled his fingers away from the magic and it flickered out and dissolved into obsidian sparkles. "Frisky, you…? You had this?"

"Mhm! I got it after we did a determination ex…" Her words trailed and she couldn't help a look of shock. "Oh! It was your determination, wasn't it?! In the basement? You set that all up!"

"Ah. I get it," Sans said.

"I'm very glad it was of use," Gaster said.

"So… So, wait." Frisk frowned and crossed her arms. "I had all those messages in skeleton writing on my hand, but I still don't remember where those came from. That was you, right?"

"Oh! God. That. Right," he said quickly. "Don't fret about that. I am glad it helped, though. It… did help?"

"Of course it did!" she said. "Az wouldn't be back if it didn't. And we mightta blown up in the CORE, too. That shield saved us from a ton of rocks."

"Wait. Wait wait. Can we back up for a second. Are you telling me you can just design a new magic and just use it like that?!" Papyrus yelped. "I want to do that! How did you do that?"

"Oh. Well. It's not exactly easy. It's a similar process to learning any new colour of magic, involving soul tuning, though," he explained. "This shield was artificial. It is a little bit like writing music. But using obscene amounts of energy. And a lot of trial and error."

"Wowie." Papyrus's eyes glittered. "That's amazing! I didn't know that was even a thing!"

Gaster nodded. "Unfortunately, it's a bit of a lost medium." His attention turned to the small kid again. "It seems like you've gotten quite used to those powers, hm?"

"Oh, yeah! They were kinda freaky at first but I can use the backwards one to heal people, so that's pretty great," she said.

"To heal?" He looked thoroughly surprised by that. "You can…? Of course. That would make sense… Did you figure that out all on your own?"

"Sans helped," she said.

"Did I ever," he said with a laugh.

Gaster looked between the two of them again. Sans mussed up the kid's hair and she grinned and flopped back into him.

Gaster had a million things he wanted to ask; wanted to say, but when he opened his mouth, he couldn't speak. Cold enveloped him and he cupped his hands to his mouth as his teeth began to chatter.

All eyes turned on him with concern. He held up one finger with blue and black magic facsimiles of his hands as if to ask them to wait as he silently choked on air behind his real hands. Sans leaned up off the couch and his brow furrowed.

"Uh. You alright?" he asked.

His voice still absent, he sat back on his chair and nodded; shivered hard enough that his bones began to rattle. Papyrus cooed sympathetically and wrapped him in a hug and set his amber magic ablaze. Gaster buckled in his arms.

"I have you," Papyrus assured him. "It's alright. Wait it out."

Frisk looked between her brothers. She tugged Sans's sleeve. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I, uh… Hmm…" He finally got up and shifted over to Gaster, and gently shooed their brother to the side. "Okay. Lemme feel."

Gaster sighed breathlessly and sat back and put a quaking hand over his soul. They couldn't see it, but the shrill, backwards sound warbled out loudly. Sans put his hand to the spot and his fingers glowed with blue. Though the tall skeleton was curled up tight on himself, seemingly freezing, his false hands shrugged. Sans snickered.

"You'll be alright. Breathe. And Paps, c'mere," he said. "Focus right in the centre."

Papyrus saluted. "Got it!" He grabbed him again and glowed bright. "Don't worry, dad."

The false hands stuck their thumbs up.

Frisk frowned with worry. She folded her arms. Gaster's eyes, shimmering uncomfortably with magic, met hers and he looked, suddenly, cautious and guilty. He opened his mouth but still couldn't say a word. He flinched away. Frisk's heart broke for a moment. She got up and she held his real hands, setting the magic in her fingers aglow to warm him up. He smiled faintly.

"Is this normal?" she asked worriedly.

One of his false hands levelled out and moved from side to side, as if to say, "_sort of_".

"His soul's a mess," Sans said. "Told you it's, uh, pretty sound-based, right? So. His voice might kinda cut out every once in a while. We'll fix it. Eventually."

"That's scary," she said. "Sorry. Sans's totally right, though, if anyone can help you, it's him. Aaaaand maybe Alphys, I bet."

Gaster's smile widened a bit. He nodded and squeezed her hands gently. His shivering was lessening by the second.

"Ooh! Hey!" Papyrus said loudly. "You're right, I bet if anyone has something that could help, it would be Doctor Alphys, wouldn't it?! Maybe she's got some magic medicine stashed away in the lab! I could take the boat there, I guess, it wouldn't take that long."

"Shouldn't you be doin' the healin'?" Sans asked.

"Pffft, you could use the practice," Papyrus said. "Besides. Maybe Alphys will want to come back with me! She can't go your way."

He dashed to the door and swept up his big, purple Delta Rune sweater and ran out with a wave. Gaster huffed out a silent laugh and shot Sans a curious look. He shrugged.

"He's right, I guess," Sans said. "It's startin' to level out a little, actually. Kiddo, you wanna see if you can maybe do somethin' with it?"

"Oh! Yeah!" She hopped up to sit on the table. "Do you mind?" She shook out her hands and let them glow again, shooting him a sheepish smile. "I guess this might be a little ex… experimental," she said, "but I just saved a few minutes ago, so we won't really lose much if I gotta go back. If that's okay with you."

He seemed intrigued. He nodded.

Frisk reached out and put one hand on his head and the other on his soul. She closed her eyes and tried to visualize it as her magic snuck through his bones, trying to figure him out. She felt the chill in him. Like it was emanating from the centre of each bone. The picture his hum began to paint in her mind was such a jagged thing. It didn't even look like a soul. It seemed like it was split— out of alignment, like when those old tapes from the human world didn't run right and the picture overlapped and broke in places. She concentrated hard. He'd been fine just a few minutes ago, so she reached from there. His soul flickered in her mind's eye and, to her surprise, resisted. It was absolutely unmoved. She guessed that made sense, in a way. She bit her lip and felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Pushed it, just a little more.

There was a pressure settling behind her eyes but she let her magic give his soul a good, hard shove. The alignment slid, just a little. Just enough, it seemed, because she instantly heard Gaster let out a relieved sigh.

"Th-That… Oh. There it is. That feels better already," he said. He smiled warmly at her when she opened her eyes. "Oh!" He tentatively cupped her cheek. "Your eyes."

"Black or red?" she joked.

"Red."

"They'll be normal in a minute." She stretched. "Phew!"

"And, here." Sans appeared — though she hadn't realized he'd been gone— and handed her a steaming teacup. "Good work."

"Yeah, guess you're off the hook," she said with a grin.

He winked. "Exactly."

"Should we call Paps back?" she asked.

"Nah, he's probably right about Alph. She may have somethin' to help," he said.

Frisk nodded. She tipped back her tea and then let out a loud, deep breath. "Okay! I'm gonna go get some blankets and stuff so the couch'll be extra cozy, it'll be good." She passed Sans back her cup with a grateful smile and then bounded away quickly, though she did stumble on the last step.

Sans smiled fondly. "She's somethin' else, huh?"

Gaster touched his hand against his soul spot and he cracked a grin. "Very much so." He let out a deep breath, his shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."

"Stop," Sans said.

"I can't believe it," he muttered. "That's… a lot of power for a child, isn't it?"

"She's got it handled," he said with a shrug.

"Hm." He smiled. "You've helped her a lot, I can see it."

He shrugged again.

"This is… so surreal," he said.

"Tell me about it."

Gaster paced the room quietly. He touched his fingertips against the wall. He hurried back into the kitchen and scoffed at the high sink. He took note of the ladder beside one of the counters.

"I can't believe I'm here," he said quietly.

"Yeah, weird," Sans said.

"That you're here," he said quietly. "And Papyrus… He's so… So… everything. Everything I wanted for him."

"Yeah, he's pretty great," Sans said.

"And Frisky, she's just…" He put a hand to his soul. "I… I just wish…" Gaster's eyes traced back to the stairs. He tented his fingers and recoiled nervously onto himself. His bones rattled and he sat down on the table to catch his breath. "There's a lot I want to talk about. I… I want to tell her so much."

"So go," he said.

Gaster drooped even lower. "It's… It's too much, isn't it? I… How do I explain?"

"Explain what?" Sans said.

"…How I left her there," he said softly. "How I… I was there but I couldn't… I couldn't even…"

"Dude. That's useless," Sans said. "She doesn't blame you."

Gaster winced. Sans nudged him with his elbow. The tall skeleton lifted his chin and he took a deep breath. He stood up stiffly and then grabbed Sans into a tight hug, causing him to grunt and laugh.

"Okay, okay. Seriously." Sans said. "Think you two need each other right now."

"Doesn't all this frighten her?" he asked sheepishly. "Don't I…? Am I not just some…? I don't know."

Sans rolled his eyes so dramatically that it might as well have been audible. Gaster's bones flushed and he laughed and shook his head.

"Okay, I take your point," he said.

He headed for the stairs and then hesitantly looked back at Sans. The short skeleton raised a hand and set blue upon his father's soul and gave him a gentle nudge. Gaster scoffed and forced himself upwards.

He knocked on the bedroom door, waiting to open it until he heard some sort of affirmation from the kid. He hesitantly edged in only to see Frisk assembling a pile of blankets and pillows near the bed, along with a couple books which, all together, would have been far too much for her to carry on her own. He watched how she moved, how the light played off her hair; how small she was in relation to everything around her. It was all so strange that is was real. He could see this kid— his daughter— with his own eyes.

"Hey! So, I got you some stuff to keep you warm," she said brightly, kneeling as she stacked up the books, with the largest one on the bottom. "And also to spend some time if you're kinda a night-owl like Paps is sometimes. I'm not sure what kinda books you like, so I grabbed a few. Do you like adventure stories?"

"Those are fine," he said.

It was weird, how real it was all feeling. He'd never expected her to know who he was. Never expected to be able to properly answer a single question she asked him. Never dared to hope for this.

"Cool! There's this one series called the _Trident of Vengeance_ that's really good. There's like, four books, if you like this one? Me and Sans are on book three right now," she said.

He was snapped from his thoughts. "Oh? He… reads to you, does he?"

"We trade chapters every once in a while," she said. "I'm still learning. But I'm getting a lot better. Annnnd… Um." She turned back to look at him and gently placed a final book down in the small pile. "Hey, are you okay? Does your soul hurt after that? It's not just going back, is it?"

"It's fine for now," he said quietly.

"Phew!" she said.

He shuffled awkwardly. Took him a second to get the words out. "Frisky. Um. May I talk to you, for a moment?"

She looked back at him over her shoulder. "Yeah, dude, of course."

He smiled fondly. He sat on the floor and she plunked down across from him. Carefully, he held her hands. She was momentarily fascinated by the holes in his palms. He chuckled.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm good," she said.

"Good. Good." He raised a hand towards her head, then paused. "I'm… sorry, I never asked if you mind."

She shook her head. He gently brushed a little hair away from her face. He looked thoughtful. She laughed.

"It's okay, you can touch my head and stuff. Papyrus was pretty interested in my hair when we first met, too," she said.

"It's just… I hope this doesn't come off as too clinical, but you're absolutely fascinating to me," he admitted. "I wonder how this is what you came to look like."

She smiled hesitantly and shrugged.

Honestly, the skeleton was enthralled by every aspect of her. Why had the determination picked that specific brown tone for her hair; why this lighter one for her skin? Why this warm chestnut colour for her eyes? Why these cute, sharp little features? All of it was perfect. He was sure whatever she looked like, he would have found it perfect, but even so… He chuckled and gently ruffled her hair. "You're very cute," he said.

She scoffed, her cheeks flushing. "Aw, nah."

He cautiously reached out towards her face. "May I?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead," she said.

He curiously cupped her face in both hands. He felt her ears carefully. Then, her eyebrows. Cautiously, he brushed his thumb over the scar near her eye that ran down her cheek. "That mark…" he said quietly.

"Just a magic burn," she said. "From Sans saving my butt one time. No worries."

"Ah, you were lucky, then. Sitting down might have become quite awkward," he said.

She snorted.

He tilted her head upwards gently with his fingers under her chin. He looked thoughtful and then held her hands, his fingers focussing particularly on her knuckles and her fingernails. There were a lot of tiny, faint marks scratched on her skin. A particularly light one on the side of her hand stood out. She took the opportunity to gently touch the ridge of the holes in one of his palms.

"A little different, isn't it?" he said, smiling.

"Do they hurt?" she asked.

His smile only grew. "That's funny. When you saw them the first time, that was what you asked me right away," he said. "They don't. Not anymore. Just a little sensitive to the cold."

"Was that how you made Sans and Paps?" she asked. "You took parts of your hands?"

He nodded. "I did. It was a _hole_ thing."

"Pfff! So you're where he gets it from," she teased.

He smiled wide. He held out his left, and then his right. "Sans. And Papyrus. Left first. For no other reason than I'm right-handed. Strange, isn't it?"

"You weren't expecting him, huh?" she asked.

"I wasn't."

"But you expected Papyrus?" she asked.

"You know, back then," he said, "we basically lived in the lab. And, poor Sans, when he was little, all he really had was me. And the King, and an intern or two, every once in a while. So I thought… a little brother, that'd be just right for him, wouldn't it?"

Frisk grinned and nodded. "That's really perfect, actually," she said. "I, um… I'm not sure how I…? Oh." Her cheeks flushed. "Actually. I think I kinda read your diary. About when you made Sans. I mean. I didn't know what that was at the time"

"Diary…? Oh! You mean my subjective experience notes for the experiment." He laughed. "Good, I'm glad, actually. Do you remember it, now?"

"Do I…? Oh! Yeah!" she said. "Wow, that's weird."

Gaster chuckled and looked at her fondly. He lifted her hands up again and his eyes roamed her skinny arms. His cool fingertips tested her skin. "These little marks," he muttered.

"From climbing the mountain, mostly," she said a bit shyly. "No big deal."

His brow furrowed a little. His thumb brushed over the faint discolouration of a scar on the side of her neck. "These… These are all scars, correct?"

She nodded.

"How did you get this one?"

"Oh. Umm. You know, I can't really remember," she said apologetically. "Probably from climbing under a fence or something, I dunno. Honestly, half the time I don't even notice getting scratched."

He sighed. He pulled back and rubbed at his forehead, like a headache was coming on. "Frisky. Frisk. I… I came up here because I wanted to apologize."

"Um. Okay. What for?" she asked with confusion.

He went quiet for a little; looked like he was trying to gather his thoughts. He put a hand on her shoulder gently. "Do you remember anything at all from when you were…? When you were very, very young?"

Frisk frowned a little. She thought back, and then shrugged and shook her head. "Like, really really little? Dunno. Not very much."

He sighed with relief. "Thank god," he said quietly. "I just… wanted to say, I'm sorry. I couldn't help you. I… tried."

"Hey, that's okay," she said. "I think I turned out okay. I'm a bit short, but that's fine, right?"

He smiled a little, but it was poorly masking a heavy sense of heartbreak. He pulled her into his arms and held her, cozy against his chest. "You… You do get enough to eat now, don't you? And… And you stay warm? You've stayed safe, right?" He shuddered and his voice went soft. "I'm… so sorry. Frisky, I'm so sorry."

"What? C'mon," she said quickly. "I'm okay! I'm okay. Everything is okay."

She felt his shoulders tremble. He snuggled her and he let out a raspy, tearful huff. Her heart broke for him.

"C'mon," she said gently. "It's okay."

"I… c-couldn't… I couldn't… do anything." His voice was gravelly and quiet. "I c-couldn't even… I couldn't even k-keep you warm. Y-You were… You were always so cold, and… A-And… so tiny, and… sweetheart, I'm so sorry."

Frisk was floored. She held him tight and squeezed her eyes shut, glowing as bright as she could. He breathed in sharply at the touch of her soul to his, then let her sink in as close as she could get despite the frozen spikiness of his. She felt his sorrow, his relief; his heartache. That desperate helplessness. The weight of his twisted, melted form; the inability to say a coherent word to those he cared about most in the world. How useless he felt.

She gulped. Her eyes welled up. Her throat felt like sand. She reached up and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. "Hey. Listen," she said quietly. "It's okay. We're all here. We're all together."

"…It was all… my fault."

"Dad." She pulled back enough to cup his face, red shimmering in her palms.

The tears on his bones were glowing from the mismatched light burning in his eye sockets.

"Hey. Hey," she said. "Look at me. Okay? Look at me right in the eyes."

He did as she asked and she nodded and started to smile.

"I forgive you," she said.

He blinked. "W… What?"

"I forgive you. I know telling you it isn't your fault will never fly, huh? You'll always carry that with you, no matter what words I say. So. I forgive you. And besides." She grinned a little. "Your biggest goof-ups made Sans and me, and because of that we could save Asriel and everyone else, so, I think that's not so bad a record, right?"

He stared with shock for a few long seconds. He scooped her up in a hurry, starting to grin, and he let out a dry, raspy laugh. "You're perfect," he said quietly. "You're just perfect."

She giggled and kissed his cheek gently. "Naw, nobody's perfect. Except Papyrus."

He chuckled. He ran his fingers gently through her hair. He went quiet for a little and she clung to him, closing her eyes and letting her energy connect to his. It wasn't like with her brothers, but the familiarity made it all but effortless.

He breathed out a long, quiet sigh. "I… I'm sorry. I wish you hadn't seen that," he said.

"No, it was good," she assured him. "Don't hold stuff like that in, dude, you'll get super sick."

"I just…" He sighed. "I wish I could have been… normal."

"But you couldn't, so you did your best, and everything's fine now," she assured him, and she laughed. "Jeez. This is too familiar."

"Frisky, I…" He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hand. "Thank you. Honestly. You're… You're very kind. I…" He sighed. "I'm not sure if I deserve that. But. I do appreciate it. Oh. And… A-And, please, if you're uncomfortable at any point, don't… I mean. You don't have to call me…" He drooped, his shoulders trembling. "This must be so incredibly strange for you. I'm sorry, I just— "

"Hey. So. I mean, you remember me, don't you?" Frisk said.

"Wh…What?" he asked.

"You remember everything, right? Like what we talked about and stuff? When you were in the void thing? Or what about when we kinda lived in that shed, or near the riverbank in that town with the big clock tower, huh? Or any of those other places."

"Of course," he said hurriedly.

She grinned and hugged him tighter. "Me too, now. So, you don't gotta act like you're just showing up outta nowhere, you know? Maybe I dunno all the stuff about you, but I feel like that's kinda okay. You know?"

Gaster chuckled softly. "…Hah. Thank you." He had to wipe his eyes once more. "Maybe, could we keep that I had a bit of a moment in here quiet from the others?"

Frisk snickered. "Five gold says Sans totally already knows."

"You're right, I'm certainly not taking that bet," he said.

He pulled back to catch his breath and wiped his eyes. "_Chuaigh cos,_" he grumbled. "I never used to be like this. And now I'm bursting into tears at absolutely anything."

Frisk grinned and she started to laugh. She hugged him again. "Me too! Can I tell you something?"

"Of course," he said swiftly.

"I totally cried over Paps's spaghetti, too," she said. "When I came back. Hey. Bet we're pretty alike, huh?"

"I wouldn't be shocked," he said.

She looked thoughtful. She stood on her toes and waved him closer. When he leaned down curiously, she grabbed his head and gently bonked it against hers.

"Stole it," she said.

"Wh… What?" he asked.

"Sans does that for me," she said. "Whenever I get too low. It helps."

"A… transfer of thoughts?" he asked.

"It's not real," Frisk said, sticking her tongue out. "But! Pretend it is. And then it's just somewhere else. It helps. Promise."

Gaster started at her for a few seconds before he began to smile. He chuckled. "You're lovely. It may take a while, but, honestly, that does help."

"Gotcha covered, dad," she assured him.

He smiled a bit wider, his cheekbones flushing. She grinned.

"I have an idea," she said. "We should ask Sans if we can watch his favourite tape."

"His favourite tape?" he repeated.

Frisk nodded enthusiastically. "It's really funny," she said. "I don't think you've seen it, he found it after your accident, but it's one of my favourites now, too. But I'm sure you'll love it. Might cheer you up a little." She got to her feet.

He slumped a little and then plopped on his back onto the floor. "If I fall to pieces in the meanwhile, just ask Papyrus to reassemble me, alright? He always loved puzzles."

Frisk snickered. "You got it. I'll go ask Sans," she said. "I'm sure he'll say yes. Just catch your breath, okay? You're gonna be just fine. Promise."

"Hah. Thank you."

Frisk scurried out of the room and slid down the banister to meet Sans, who was lazing on the couch. "Hey," she said.

"Hey." He smiled a bit. "He okay now? Get some of that guilt outta his system?"

"Getting there," Frisk said. "Do you think we could watch that tape with the robots?"

"Mhm."

She grinned. "He's gonna love it!"

"Guess I'll get it." Sans vanished.

Frisk scampered into the kitchen and put the kettle on and got the packets for the hot chocolate out.

By the time she finished making it, Sans was back on the sofa, drowsily holding the remote. She gave him a mug and he raised it gratefully. She shot him a thumbs-up and then hurried back upstairs. Gaster was still on the floor. Still in one piece.

"Heya," she said. "You're not in a pile, that's good. Caught your breath at all?"

"A bit," he said. "Thank you."

"Brought you something."

He looked at her curiously and then sat up, rubbing the back of his skull. She passed him the warm mug. He looked at it blankly for a few seconds and then sipped it.

"Ooh. That's nice. Thank you, Frisky. Frisk. Sorry."

"Why sorry?" she asked.

"You chose Frisk."

"That's okay!" she said with a laugh. "Seems like every monster I ever met had a new nickname for me! I don't mind whatever you call me."

He smiled bashfully. When he got to his feet, he chugged his drink and patted Frisk gently on the head. "Thank you," he said again.

She grinned and nodded. She grabbed his hand and brought him downstairs.

She got him to the couch with Sans and took his mug from him to refill it. He sat down and rubbed at his eyes. Sans shot him a sympathetic smile. He held out his hand. His father raised his brows, but he grabbed it, and Sans grinned and shocked him with a little pulse of blue.

"You alright?" he asked.

Gaster nodded. He rubbed his brow with the heel of his hand. "_Croith mé_. I… I need to keep it together," he muttered.

"You gotta forgive yourself a little, huh?" Sans said. "Won't do that kid any good if she sees guilt in you whenever you look at her."

"You're right," Gaster said. "I can't hold onto that forever. It'll drive me crazy."

"Drive me crazy, too," Sans said with a wink.

Frisk came back with more hot chocolate for Gaster, and then squished herself between the two skeletons quite comfortably. Sans took a sip of his drink and grinned, ruffling her hair.

"Ah, kiddo, you're too good to me," he said.

She shook her head, but grinned wide. "Happy you like it," she said.

"You're not still spiking things with ketchup, are you?" Gaster asked.

"You know it," Sans said.

He rolled his eyes and laughed, giving Frisk a playful nudge with his elbow. "I have no idea where he gets that from," he said.


	7. REALLY OLD FRIENDS

Papyrus forced himself to tone down his usually cacophonous greeting to his family as he returned home with Alphys in tow. Two of the usual suspects were dozed off on the couch, while their newest addition silently watched what was left of their show with heavy eyes, arms folded tightly to his chest. Alphys twiddled her fingers in a wave and he raised a couple digits off his arm to return the gesture and smiled.

“I g-guess it went well, then?” she asked quietly.

Gaster looked down at the slumped pair and he gently patted Frisk’s head with a fond smile.

“Are you being quiet because they are sleeping or did you lose your voice again?” Papyrus asked worriedly. 

The phantom, blue hands appeared and held up two fingers. Papyrus sighed.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “But! Luckily! I brought help.”

“Paps?” Frisk sat up groggily, blinking, and Sans fell away from her and onto the floor. She looked around and smiled at Alphys, then noticed Gaster. She yelped and then began to laugh. “Oh!! You’re still here!”

To the skeleton’s surprise, the kid threw her arms around him. His bones flushed instantly and, through shivers, he hugged her close.

“Ah, F-Frisk, you look so happy!!” Alphys said with a big smile. “Um. Y-You, um…? No h-hard f-f-feelings, right?”

“Course not,” Frisk said. “Jeez, Alphys.”

“Aaaah, I’m sorry, though!” she said. 

“But you remember that one story you did? The DadSans AU? You were almost right, though, isn’t that weird?” the kid asked.

Alphys stared back blankly. She blushed. “Oh n-no, no no no, don’t b-bring that up!! Oh god. I mean…” She coughed into her fist and hurriedly tried to straighten herself up despite her wobbly smile. “Did you guys, umm…? Did y-you have an okay time? I mean, meeting and everything?”

Gaster stuck four thumbs up and couldn’t help but grin. Frisk let him go, but turned as she sat on his lap and smiled brightly. He bashfully kept a light, huggy hold on her.

“It’s not like it was the first time!” she said with a laugh. “Buuttt, it was totally my first time having a dad for real, though, so that was extra exciting. Mostly I was just super happy he wasn’t a goo-mess.”

“I b-bet,” Alphys said gently. 

She turned her eyes on the tall skeleton and frowned with a feigned disapproval. She put her hands on her hips. “G-Gaster, why didn’t you say you were h-having this kind of issue, huh? Papyrus had to tell me a-all about it!”

He looked embarrassed and his phantom hands shrugged. The lizard sighed dramatically. She brushed her finger across her phone screen and a big white box on a trolly clunked out onto the floor, the sound finally waking Sans, who leaned up curiously on his elbow. 

Alphys knocked on the top of the box with her fist and it popped open, revealing a few compartments of things, including a small, dark screen with the shape of a soul in white on it. She took out a stethoscope— in some sense, anyway, it was a little more like a modified set of earmuffs — plugged it into the screen, and then touched its little metal disk against the skeleton’s soul spot after Frisk shifted off his lap to give her access. 

The lizard yelped and pulled back the second she heard it, eyes wide. “Jeez!!! G-Gaster, that sounds h-horrible!!”

“It’s, uh…” His voice was a croak. He smiled sideways. “It’s no lullaby, for sure.”

“And you k-keep losing your voice, right?” she said.

“I do, I…” It happened again. He shrugged. 

Alphys leaned over the screen where the picture of the soul looked more like some sort of burr or crystallized spike of ice as its corrupted waveform tried to play around an already shattered image. Papyrus leaned over too and winced.

“That looks like it hurts,” he said. “Does it hurt?”

Gaster shook his head. He opened his mouth but words were still gone. He flinched. Frisk held out her phone. He stared back at her with surprise, and she opened a note app. He took it from her and tried to type, but his fingers were shaking too hard. He drooped. She held out her hand to him in reply. He looked puzzled until she tapped on her palm.

“Well?” she said.

He grinned wide and gently grasped her hand in his to hold it steady. Slowly, he began to trace letters in her palm and she concentrated hard as he did. 

“What’re you doing?” Papyrus asked curiously.

Frisk held up one finger to ask him to wait. After a minute, she smiled at him. “We used to do this all the time when he was just speaking weird backwards language but he needed to tell me something,” she said. “He says it doesn’t hurt, it’s just cold. But it gets a lot colder right before it happens. Right?”

Gaster nodded. 

Alphys looked thoughtful and she tapped her chin. “Th-That sounds an awful lot like a bad but pretty n-normal case of the offkeys.”

“Offkies?” Frisk asked.

“S’kinda like a cold where your soul kinda goes outta sync with the rest of ya,” Sans explained. “Not super common, but it happens.”

“Oooooh, _off key_, I get it. Is that kinda like a worse version of what happened to Undyne when she fixed your head?” Frisk asked.

“Kinda.” 

“Oh! Th-Thanks for bringing that up, Frisk,” Alphys said, and she looked at Gaster with a reassuring smile. “I think I kinda know what t-to do for you, but after that, I w-want you do go do an a-attunement with Undyne, okay? Sh-She managed to get F-Frisk’s hum going with it, so it should be strong enough to help you, um, if you do it right. Aaaand w-we should find you a n-notepad to carry around, in case th-that shaking stops. Okay?”

Gaster looked intrigued. He nodded. Alphys smiled and texted with one hand, but she still looked like she was a little at a loss. 

“N-Now… We have, um, a f-few options, but… Hmm…?” 

Sans gestured to the box. “Opera cake?” he suggested.

“Ah! Good idea!!” she said with a grin. 

She typed something quickly into the screen and, out of one of the compartments, raised something that looks suspiciously like a microwave. Instead of numbers or temperatures, though, the numbers on the front listed status increases and flavours. Alphys hit on coffee, chocolate, cream, batter, and a music note, and then zapped the thing so hard with yellow magic that she squeaked and hopped away, shaking her hand out. The machine beeped melodically. 

“AH! Jeez.” She laughed. “Well. Give it a m-minute.”

“What is that, exactly?” Papyrus asked.

“Is it like a tiny oven?” Frisk said, leaning closer.

“Sort of! It’s e-experimental.” Alphys grinned proudly. “I a-actually started working on it around the same t-time as Mettaton’s body, but I never finished it, but b-basically it should make, um, small doses of concentrated status-reduction or status-increasing foods. You know, t-to cure poison or… or b-burns or whatever. It w-was supposed to go in first aid kits, but without, um, humans coming back down here— with the exception of you, Frisk— it wasn’t really needed. I mean. It’s a bit simpler now s-since we know h-humans don’t actually have magic anymore, soooo…” She pulled a can of soda out of her purse and held it out to Gaster. “Anyway. I need you to drink this.”

He popped the tab and chugged it without complaint. 

The small oven rumbled and dinged. She pulled out a little tray of tiny, wrapped squares. She unpackaged one, stared at it intently, and poked it. It let out a soft, chocolatey note of music that hung, sweet, in the air. She passed it to Gaster. 

“Give th-that a try.”

He ate it quickly and, after a few seconds, the picture on the monitor shifted slightly. Looked a little more heart-shaped. They all stared at the skeleton curiously and he let out a quiet sigh that did, in fact, carry his voice.

“Ah… That’s a little better,” he said. “Thank you.”

“Knew it!” Alphys said with a smile.

Alphys yanked a paper bag out from yet another compartment. She shovelled all the other little squares into it and handed them to him. “Keep these. And t-take one if you feel that ch-chill coming on again, okay?”

“I should have suspected you’d know what to do,” he said with a smile. “And this… attunement you mentioned, you think that might be some sort of help?”

“Might be a fix, even, judgin’ by what it managed to do to a human soul, even,” Sans said.

“That’s interesting. I’ve… I’ve heard the word,” Gaster said, “but I didn’t realize it was still a common practice.”

“It’s not, I’ve literally never heard of it except from through Undyne,” Papyrus said. “So… I guess that offkeys thing isn’t incredibly common, is it? ”

“N-Not really, it’s usually c-caused by, um, extreme strain,” Alphys said. “And… Again, since there wasn’t much to really s-strain about with no humans around, I think there’s only been maybe a d-dozen cases in the last, I dunno, five years. ANYWAY. SO. Gaster, take it easy, okay?”

“I will do my best,” he said.

“Y-You’d better! Honestly, how long did you say y-you’ve been back? Have you even slept since then?!” 

“Well, not exactly,” he said. “In my defence. I did have some very important things to take care of.”

Alphys laughed and shook her head. “You h-haven’t changed at all, huh?” She pointed at Sans. “You make sure h-he takes care of himself. Have you even had a meal?!”

“I did do that,” he said, somewhat sheepishly. “_Ná bíodh imní ort._”

“I’ll w-worry if I want to!” Alphys laughed and thumped his shoulder. “Honestly.”

Frisk looked over at the bashful skeleton. The bone around his eye sockets was pretty dark.

“Hey, dad?” she said. “I mean. It’s not that late. But it’s kinda late. And if you wanna go to sleep, we could totally just leave you alone, or you could use one of the beds upstairs. Mom’s gone for the weekend, so—”

“I’m just fine.” He forced himself to his feet. “Actually. There’s… There’s something I should do.”

Though Papyrus and Frisk looked at him curiously, Alphys nodded and grabbed his hand, shooting him a smile.

“Want me to go with you?” she asked.

“Part of the way,” he said. “I’ll walk you home.”

“Oh! I get it! Are you going to see Asgore?” Papyrus asked. “ALSO! GASP! That means you will see Asriel!! Will you be okay?!” 

“I… Well…” Gaster smiled bashfully. “Probably not. But. I’m eager for it anyway. And don’t worry. I’ll explain everything to them.”

Frisk looked thoughtful. She grabbed his bag. “You have a phone?”

“I do.” He passed it over.

She flipped it open and swiped through menus for the dimension box to put it away. She frowned slightly. “Did…? Did you get my texts?”

“Just a little bit before we met,” he said quietly. He looked ashamed. 

She smiled, much to his surprise. She quickly brushed her the back of her hand over one of her eyes. “G-Good! I’m glad. I, um, kinda used some of those like a diary a little at some point, so, um, they might be a little embarrassing.”

“I won’t read them if you don’t want me to,” he said swiftly.

“I wouldn’t have sent them if I didn’t,” Frisk said with a laugh.

“I w-wondered why you had so many texts,” Alphys said quietly. She raised her hands quickly. “Ah!! I didn’t r-read them, I p-promise.”

Frisk giggled and shook her head. She stood up on the couch and grabbed Gaster’s hand, making sure he took the phone tightly. “Need a little time, huh? Be careful, okay?”

“Careful?” he asked curiously. 

“Yeah. If you’re still not feeling well. Keep your phone on. There’s, um, a new waterproof app, so make sure you get that, in case you start shaking really hard in Waterfall or something.And there’s a flashlight, too, it works way better than just using the screen for light if you need it. And don’t do anything weird,” she said. “Just, y’know, come back and stuff.”

Gaster was taken aback. He was at a loss for a few seconds, then grabbed the kid into a warm hug. Sans burst out laughing. 

“Hopeless,” he joked.

“I know, I know” Gaster said.

\- - -

Riding down the dark river was so familiar. It was strange for Gaster to feel the wind traveling the groove in his head. He rested his elbows on the side of the boat and watched the crystals form streaks of light above them. Even back before the CORE, he hadn’t taken the boat in far too long.

“S-So.” Alphys scooted up beside him. She smiled warmly. “H-How are you holding up?”

“I’m consistently a wreck. I can’t stop crying. My soul feels like it’s full of holes and icicles.” He grinned. “So. All in all. I’m doing very well, actually.”

“Hah! W-Well, I’m glad.” she said. She stretched her arms high above her head and popped her back. “You g-gotta, um, let me know if you need any m-more help with anything at all, okay? I mean… T-Ten year leave of absence, right?”

“That’s still very surreal to me,” he said. “All of this is. But it must be for you, as well.”

“Oh m-my god, you don’t even know!” She laughed and blushed. “I mean. I know it’s not n-nearly as bad as what happened to you, but having… I d-don’t know, almost two sets of memories, with and without you, it’s so w-weird! Like… I guess how t-time decided to cover you up.”

“Do you mind if I ask?” he said.

“No! It’s actually w-weird, it’s d-different for different situations,” she said. “Mostly it’s either you’re just gone, or sometimes it’s like you’re a passerby a-at the edge whose voice and f-face you can’t actually remember.”

Gaster’s gaze drifted off. He tried to wrap his mind around it. “That is interesting.” The crystals began to blur in his eyes. “I apologize if I caused you any stress.”

“You’re worth it,” she said. She took his phone from him. “Now let’s just fix this up f-for you.”

He’d zoned out almost completely when Alphys touched his hand. He jumped. She looked at him expectantly.

“Sorry, did you say something?” he asked.

“I w-was just wondering,” she said as she returned his phone, “how it was, meeting F-Frisk? Was it l-like you hoped?”

“Oh! She found me out before I even approached her. And… she was incredibly sweet. Funny thing, I thought she might panic, but it turned out I was the one who… Hah. She ended up comforting me more than anything else. Strange, isn’t it?”

Alphys laughed. “No. That sounds j-just like her, actually.” She smiled. “She’s a r-really good kid. She works h-hard on everything she tries. You’re going to really l-like getting to know her.”

“I know,” he said.

She patted his shoulder. “H-Hey. You’re going to be okay. I j-just know it.”

He was sure she was right. He’d probably have to rinse out his eye sockets at the end of this, but he supposed that was inevitable.

He walked Alphys back to the lab after disembarking, and she promised she would show him how the lab had changed since he’d left— once he was more settled, that is. 

There were many of the star-like tears in time in Hotland. They looked strangely suited for the environment. He reached his hand into one to try to pull himself through. He was certain there was one near Asgore’s house — could see it in his mind’s eye after a few seconds. When he emerged, though, slumping out onto grey stone, he couldn’t see anything at all. He felt like a slosh. As if his body had melted and he preferred freezing back into some structure despite the numbing frost.

It took him a while to heave himself up on his hands and knees, and for his eyes to decide they wanted to function again. He felt an awful, chattering chill through his bones and coughed up a mouthful of pitch tar that, after a moment, dissolved into the stone below him as if sucked into a sponge. Miserable experience, he thought. Reserve that for emergencies. He supposed he’d have to take the long way home.

He managed to steady enough to clunk himself into a sitting position. He took a long, deep breath and pulled out his phone with shaking fingers. It took him far too long to hit the right button, and but he managed to get the bag of tiny opera cakes and hurriedly ate one. After a few seconds, he felt like he could move again. The moments he took catching his breath felt like an hour, and almost as soon as he felt like he had it, it slipped away from him with a start when his phone rang, just once.

Fumbling for it, he peered at it with squinting eyes and took off his glasses, rubbed his sockets, and then put them back on. It was a text, from Frisk. He almost choked. He’d accidentally sent her a gibberish message in his bumblings.

“_u ok?_” she asked.

“_Sorry to worry you._” He replied quickly. “_I’m fine. My fingers slipped._”

“_ok!!! take it slow!!! <3_” she sent back.

He appreciated that. More than she knew. He sighed to himself and tried to calm his buzzing, distorted resonance. 

His legs felt numb and it hurt a little to walk, but he trudged down the path across the high walkway overlooking the city below. It hardly looked a day older than the last time he came this way, though seeing it with a faint amount of colour tinting the buildings was a pleasant surprise.

The sight of Asgore’s house, warm and welcoming, and with a hint of colour itself, at the end of the road sent his mind reeling. He had a flash of doubt. Would his old friend recall? He hoped desperately that he would. And Asriel… Nothing would prepare him for that.

He took a deep breath. He was glad he hadn’t thrown himself into the world from the starlight that glimmered right before the doorway. Didn’t want to spew inexplicable time goo out on his King’s doorstep. Another deep breath. It would be fine. Memories or not, Asgore was one of the kindest monsters to ever live. He’d hear him out regardless, he was sure. Even so, he brushed himself off and straightened his scarf. He knocked on the door. Nerves made the pulse in his soul speed and the inside of his skull get uncomfortably hot.

“Howdy! Please come in!” he heard from somewhere inside. “I’m just tidying some teacups! I’ll be with you in a second!”

Gaster’s hands were shaking when he opened the door. The inside was cozy. It smelled like flowers. Just like he remembered it. Like stepping into a warm, familiar family photograph. The memories of this place sang.

“Who’s there, by the way?” Asgore called.

The skeleton felt like a nervous child.“Um. It’s, uh, Gaster.”

He heard china clink heavily. In the moment it took for the sound to finish, Asgore— in a big cushy green and white sweater, scented with pleasant orange dish soap— was in the hallway before him, eyes wide with shock. Gaster waved a little nervously and was immediately squashed into a tight hug. The huge monster let out a booming laugh and, shaking, Gaster gripped into him and withered with a sigh of relief. He started to glow and certainly couldn’t be bothered to keep it in check as he melted against his friend’s shoulder.

“GASTER! W. D. Gaster, how are you, you old bag of bones?!” Asgore demanded.

“I’m… shattered. And a mess. But. I’m good,” he said. He pulled back and thumped him on both shoulders. “You? H-How are you?”

“I am excellent!” Asgore was positively beaming. “It’s so good to see you!”

Gaster grinned tiredly. “You haven’t changed a bit.”

“You have! Don’t be so nervous coming into my home, old friend!” Asgore said. He cupped his skull with a huge, soft paw. “I can’t believe it! Look at you! You look good!”

“With these old broken bones?” he joked.

“Of course. What happened?”

“Ah. Um. Internal magic blowout,” he said. “It’s… It’s fine. It’s just a bit unsightly.”

“Nonsense, as long as it’s no harm, then it’s just fine,” Asgore said gently. “But…” His brow furrowed. “I… I’m not sure I understand. Where were you? It’s been… It has to have been ten years, hasn’t it?”

“About that,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize! It must’ve been very important, but… Where were you? Why on earth didn’t I send out a search?” he asked, and his brow furrowed just a bit. “Wow, this will sound absolutely awful, but I don’t think I even realized you were missing until just now, now that I think about it.”

Gaster couldn’t help a smile. He had to take off his glasses to wipe his eyes and he laughed. Asgore hugged him tight again. He chuckled, though he could feel tears encroaching on him. 

“I know. That’s fine,” he said. “I was erased from time, no one realized.”

Asgore let him go, giving him enough room to wipe his face on his scarf. Even so, tears dripped down his cheeks. He laughed at himself.

“Sorry, I just can’t seem to stop crying today,” he said.

“Don’t you dare apologize for that!” Asgore said. His ears bristled. “But. What did you say? Erased from time?” His voice came out a little shrilly. He passed a hand through his golden hair and let out a deep breath. “Oh. Right. Right, right. All that time travel stuff. I didn’t realize you were involved in that. But, I guess, of course you were, right?”

“I presume someone at least tried to explain that part?” Gaster asked worriedly.

“Oh! Yes, yes, don’t worry,” he said. “Sans did. And Alphys. And Fr… Oh!! Oh. My god. Um. Gaster, I don’t know how to say this, so I guess I’ll just say it. A-Asriel’s alive. A little human came down here and she… she saved him.”

The skeleton couldn’t help a grin. “So I was told. My boys seem very fond of him. And Frisk, well…” He felt his soul stutter. He laughed weakly at himself. “Sorry. I’m just a mess whenever I even mention her.”

“Oh?” Asgore tilted his head. “Oh! You must’ve met her! Because of Sans and Papyrus! They’re always together, it’s so sweet.”

He took Gaster’s shoulder and guided him towards the kitchen. “Come, come, let’s get you something to drink! When did you get back exactly?”

“Yesterday. I think,” he said. “My sense of time is a little skewed at the moment.”

Asgore filled the kettle up with water for what felt like Gaster’s dozenth hot drink today, not that he minded. “And what changed, exactly? Did you… accomplish whatever you were trying to do?” He put it on the burner and turned the stovetop on.

It was strange— it had been so long, but this felt so normal; so familiar. “As much as I could. But, honestly, I wasn’t supposed to come back,” Gaster said quietly.

Asgore almost stumbled; whirled on him with a worried frown sinking his brow. “What on earth do you mean by that? You can’t tell me you meant to sacrifice—?!”

“I know. I know what you’re going to say.” Gaster put up his hands quickly. “But when I say there was no other choice, I sincerely mean it this time.”

“But you thought there was no way to come back?” he demanded. “Gaster, come now, you couldn’t possibly…” Asgore sighed and took his friend’s hand gently. His big fingers passed very deliberately over the hole in his palm. “I know… that this one here is irreplaceable but… you’ve made enough sacrifices for us, my friend.”

The skeleton couldn’t help the colours in his eyes from flaring. Asgore cracked a smile and laughed quietly, grabbing his other hand and squeezing them both. 

“So! Tell me! How does one come back from being erased in time, hm?” he asked.

“Actually… Frisk found me,” he said. “That’s… part of how I—”

“Oh! No wonder you’re so emotional about her,” he said. “You must be so grateful. I am! And I bet she just loved you, right? She’s absolutely inseparable from your boys.”

“There is that,” he said.

Asgore pulled out a teapot that looked like a bunny and gently put a sprinkle of tealeaves and golden flower petals into the little strainer at its centre. “I don’t know how much they told you, but it’s thanks to that girl that the barrier’s down now. Such a brave little thing. And so powerful, my goodness! Good thing she’s on our side. Maybe it’s not my place to say, but I’m very proud of her. You will just love her, I’m sure of it.”

“I do,” he said softly. “More than I have the words for.”

Asgore beamed. He patted him on the shoulder. “Oh! Actually. Speaking of humans. I have something you will be happy to see. Something very precious.” He took an old, battered phone from his sweater and put it on the counter, and then whisked a midnight blue, bound tome from inside it. He cradled it in his hands carefully before handing it over to the skeleton. “Does it look familiar?”

There was no title on the thick book, but there was an inlaid border in faint, metallic gold. Skeleton runes, even older than the ones Gaster knew. His eyes went wide. 

“But how…?!” He opened it and his jaw dropped at the sight of pages scrawled with handwritten notes of spells in complex music.

Most of it was written in the skeleton script. The ink was in red and blue, depending on the page, and the magic compositions were heavy and dire, and a bit sombre. Custom spells that would be difficult even for a very strong monster to use.

“A… A book of Dirges?! How…? Where did you get this? I thought this magic was all lost! It’s very…” His fingertips skimmed gently over a series of symbols. “Powerful.”

“What a wonderful time for you to come back, hm?” Asgore said with a fond smile.

“_Cnámha m’anam…” _Gaster’s eyes shot up to meet his friend’s. “Where on earth did you find this?”

“It was given to me. By a human visitor,” the big monster said. “He said he’d found it buried in the archives of a university years ago, though nobody could read anything but the music itself. He gave it as a gift. Had no idea of the value. I offered him gold, but he refused.” He winked. “So I may have dropped some in his wife’s bag. Purely by accident, of course.”

“Of course.” Gaster chuckled. He wiped his wet eye sockets again and clutched the book to his chest. “So much was lost, but… This is really good news. If we could study this; develop some lessons from it, we may be able to get more monsters composing more complex spells on their own again.”

“It really is a whole new world,” Asgore said brightly. He threw his arms around the skeleton and grinned. “And things are going to be wonderful from now on!”

Gaster smiled. He offered the book back, but Asgore shook his head. 

“No, my friend, you keep it with you,” he said. “You’re the most suited to read it.”

The skeleton nodded and stashed it away inside his own phone. He jolted slightly as a door closed down the hall. He felt himself go cold at the sound of paws on the wooden floor.

“Hey, dad? I was just wondering, if…?” Asriel froze in the kitchen’s entrance. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. “U-Uncle G?!”

Now, Gaster couldn’t keep it together. Didn’t even have time to think to try. He dropped to his knees and pulled the boy into his arms. Asriel squeaked with surprise, but quickly clung to him tightly. 

Eons past flashed through Gaster’s mind. He’d been there for this child’s birth. He’d been a babysitter, a teacher; an uncle. He remembered Chara’s illness, Asriel’s return from the surface; his funeral. His dust spread in the garden. He remembered the change in his friends. The colour draining from the city. The hole in the heart of the entire kingdom.

He could feel something of his daughter’s soul when Asriel’s lit up against him. The melody that played in that mishmash of energy, though, was as clear as a bell. He could hear it, that same song that had always belonged to the Prince. It was stronger now, though. More complete. Sure and steady in its position entangled in that red magic. It was one of the best things he’d ever heard.

Gaster’s breath was rasping and his vision blurred with tears, but he was beaming. “L-Let me look at you.” He pulled back and held the little goat’s face. Stripes on his cheeks and horns on his head, and much lighter irises, but no different than he remembered otherwise. “_A stór, _you’ve grown.”

Asriel grinned big canines at him and snickered despite his tear-filled eyes. “Jeez. Th-That was a surprise.”

“Absolutely—”

“Oh!! Oh my god.” The boy’s eyes bugged out. “…Shadowman?”

Gaster froze. It occurred to him that Asriel knew everything. Of course. His children were his siblings. “You’re right.”

“Holy crap!! Does Frisk know?!” he yelped. “Did you see her? Did she see you?!”

“I did. Everything…” He had to pull back and wipe his eyes. “Everything’s fine. You… _Anam géar. _Prince Dreemurr, I’m so glad to see you.”

“Hey, same to you!!” he said brightly. “Oh! Oh man! I…” He looked over past Gaster to see his father and smiled bashfully. “I have so much I wanna…! Hey! C-Can I show you something? It’s super cool!! I think you’ll like it.”

“Of course,” Gaster said. “Anything.”

Asriel hopped up and grabbed his hand. “I’ll be right back,” he told Asgore.

“Take as much time as you need, you two,” he said, his voice a little craggy from holding back tears. He smiled wide.

Gaster let the boy pull him to the bedroom. Once they were there, Asriel pushed the door closed, wiped his eyes again, and shot the skeleton a tired smile. 

“Sorry,” he said. “You know my story, right? I think we have a lot to talk about.”

Gaster was taken aback. The boy’s voice wasn’t really different, but his inflection was. It was a lot less like the child he remembered. 

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Oh. Yeah. I’m fine. I’m really glad to see you,” he said. “My memories got rewritten right away. It’s kinda amazing. And… Wow, I guess you’re Sans and Papyrus’s dad, right?”

“I am. But… Asriel.” He held his shoulder. “You sound…”

“Oh. Heh. Yeah.” He brushed his thumb under his eyes again. “I kinda try to… to act more like before I died around dad, y’know? But I’m, uh… I’m older than I look. Or, at least, I’ve been around longer than I shouldda been.”

“Frisk told me everything,” he said quietly. 

“Probably not everything, if I know her.” He winked. “Left some stuff for me, I bet.”

“She told me what happened to you,” he assured him. “I’m so sorry. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Eh, debatable. So. What’s your deal? Why were you around her so much? Time stuff?”

“Ah. Well. Partially, but…” He folded his arms. “This may be… This may be unbelievable. But. I thought I should tell you since she told me the sort of family you’ve all built. I’m her father.”

“Wow, that was quick,” Asriel said with wide eyes. He cupped his chin. “Well, actually, if you’ve known her since she was a little kid except you were a weird ghost, maybe it’s not actually that quick. That’s real good of you to adopt her, she’ll—”

“Oh. Sorry,” Gaster said, raising his hands quickly. “Not… Not adoption. I made her. In a sense.”

“You… made her,” he repeated.

“When I shattered in the CORE,” he said. “It made her soul out of mine.”

“Wh… Wait, WHAT?!” Asriel quickly cupped his paws over his mouth before he relaxed and let out a long, deep breath. “Dude, you’re serious?!”

Gaster nodded sheepishly. Asriel stared at him silently for a few moments. His ears lifted slightly. 

“Huh. Well. Okay,” he said. “That’s… Alright! Okay. Good.”

“Good?” Gaster repeated with a laugh.

“Yeah, actually! Really good,” he said. “That means she’s safe. So. Good. How is she?”

“I think she’s okay,” he said. 

“Good! That’s… That’s really good, actually. I’ll call her after you go,” he said. “Oh man. So. Like…” He grinned mischievously. “She’s my sister now, so does that mean I technically get two dads?”

“Um! If that’s what you need from me,” he said.

Asriel barked out a laugh and grinned up at him fondly. “You were always kinda good at that. Don’t worry. I won’t be weird about it. Really. I’m glad you’re here. And, jeez. I’m so glad it was you! Who was the shadowman guy, I mean.”

“Really?” he said.

“Yeah of course! To be totally real with you, I didn’t trust you at all.” He winked. “Frisk did. I’m glad I was wrong.”

Gaster chuckled. “Can’t say I blame you for your suspicions.”

A soft knocking on the door drew their attention.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Asgore’s voice called gently, “but the tea is ready.”

Asriel smiled and tilted his head towards the door. “We can talk about this more when I get home, alright?”

“Of course,” Gaster said. “Ah… Prince—”

“Hey, you don’t have to call me that,” he said. “Never did. Don’t worry. Let’s not keep the old man waiting.” He smiled brightly. “Welcome home, huh?” 

The kid grabbed Gaster with arms that squeezed like a vice. He was strong. Too strong for his size. The skeleton had a million questions to ask, but he owed these two some answers before that.

\- - -

Grey darkness settled in Snowdin, the air woven with big, fluffy snowflakes. A cozy, quiet blanket. Warm inside, Frisk watched from the window, phone clutched in her hands. She had so much she wanted to say.

She slipped upstairs when her brothers weren’t watching. The bedroom felt foreign for just a second. Everything did. Like everything had changed. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the things that were different.

She rested her hand against her soul and felt its song tremble through her skin. Her eyes bubbled over with tears and she quickly tried to wipe them away. She took a deep breath and flopped back onto the blanket pile to catch her breath. Everything was hitting her like a sack of bricks. She took a deep, trembling breath and just let herself go, allowing the warm streams to fall down her face until she felt exhausted, but satisfied. She closed her eyes to rest.

Her head felt comfortably foggy. She only managed to rouse herself at all when she heard the sharp rap of knuckles against the door. She let out a quiet noise of affirmation. She heard the soft creak of the hinges and knew from the slowish steps that it was Sans. He plopped onto the floor beside her and put his hand on her forehead.

“Doin’ alright?” he asked.

“Hm? Oh. Yeah.” She opened her watery eyes and her smile widened a little. “I’m just really happy.”

“Yeah?” There was a little glimmer of blue in his eye. “Feels better?”

She looked at her hands and rubbed her thumbs over her fingers. “Yeah. Feels… weird. But good. I just…” She sat up and took her brother’s hands. She ran her thumb over his cool finger bones. “Look, I… I know this isn’t that huge of a deal for you. You’ve always been so amazing to me, you know? But for me, it’s just…”Her eyes started watering again. She huffed. 

Sans tilted his head and gently patted her hair. She smiled and took a deep breath.

“I n-never thought I’d… I never thought I’d know,” she said. “And I told myself, after living with you guys, that I didn’t even want to know anymore. Which w-was true, but… I thought I’d always have that little, stupid voice in my head telling me, _they’re not really your brothers and they’d be just fine if you weren’t here_. And… A-And now maybe it’ll shut the heck up.”

“Jeez, kiddo.” Sans smiled sympathetically and brushed her tears away with his thumb. “C’mere, huh?” He waved her closer and bonked his head against hers. 

She snickered and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. He grinned and mussed up her hair, and she hugged him tight around his ribcage.

“Thanks,” she said.

“You know it wasn’t like that for us. Right?” he said.

“I know. I… I felt guilty for even—”

He bonked his skull against hers again. She laughed.

“Okay okay,” she said. She sat up, grabbing him, and kissed his forehead. 

He snickered as she plopped herself into his lap. She sighed dramatically.

“Should I have said earlier?” he asked.

“Said what? You’ve been saying it this whole time,” she said. “You’re the best, y’know? Both of you guys.”

“Welp. You’re half right,” he said.

“Oh stop,” she scolded.

He laughed quietly. “Hey. You know. It’d always be true. Always was. Even if he wasn’t a thing. The fact that we… That _I_ love you never had a thing to do with us bein’ related.”

“Aaaaah, you’re so nice I can’t stand it!” she cooed. 

“That’s a first.”

“Saaaans,” she whined.

He grinned and cuddled her up in his arms. She was more than happy with that. Their souls drifted together and shone purple, and she blew out a long, heavy, contented sigh.

“I’m really lucky, huh?” she said.

“Funny. I was gonna say the same thing,” he said.

“Can I just creeeeeep on in here?” Papyrus stuck his head into the room. “Are you busy? Oh! Nyeh heh! Look at you two!” He rushed on over and and scooped them both into his arms. “Frrriiisssk, why were you crying?”

“Happy crying!” she said.

“Oh good! What a ridiculous day! How are you guys?”

“Fine,” Sans said.

“I’m actually a thing that should exist I guess,” Frisk said with a laugh.

“Shhhhshush shush,” Papyrus scolded lightly. “Even if you never ever even had any parents ever and you literally just plopped out of the sky, you should exist, you silly Frisk.”

“Yeah, still time god, kinda have to,” Sans joked.

“I still don’t know what to tell mom,” she said.

“Let him deal with it,” he said. “Besides. They haven’t seen each other in like a million years, so let ‘em catch up, too.”

“I agree! Though it would probably be nice to tell mom, you already have a big day tomorrow,” Papyrus said. “You don’t need to worry about all that other stuff, too!”

“Wow, whoever comes is really gonna be super wasting their time, huh?” she said sheepishly.

“Told you,” Sans said.

“Well, guess we can feed them spaghetti unless they’re a jerk or something,” she said.

“But what if spaghetti would make them less of a jerk?” Papyrus suggested. 

“I see your point.” She slumped and rubbed her eyes. “Anyone wanna make a pie with me?”

“Pie? This late?” Papyrus said. “I mean, it’s not late at all for me, but you are so small and tired and you had such a big day!”

Sans raised his brows at his brother, then tilted his head slightly towards the window. Papyrus’s eyes got big.

“Oh!! You’re worried about dad, I guess!!” Papyrus said. He leapt up, sending the others tumbling to the floor, and determinedly stuck a finger in the air. “Then! We will make a pie! All the filling and a crust! And it will be fantastic! And we will wait up for him! Nyeh HEH!”

\- - -

There was a nagging weight deep in Undyne’s soul. She didn’t like it. She hadn’t been this worried about Frisk since the kid had been knocked out in the CORE. She hadn’t gotten word from Asgore, either. 

When she turned up on the King’s doorstep, she knocked hard and then let herself in. The place smelled like salt and tea. She was a little surprised to hear multiple voices in there. 

“Uh. Hey?” She poked her head into the living room.

There, she saw Asgore at the head of the table, with Gaster at his side and Asriel with his chair dragged up closer to the skeleton’s. The kid was the one who reacted first. He grinned and stuck his paw up, then hopped to his feet. 

“Hey!!” he said brightly. He hugged her and definitely didn’t call her a fishface.

She scoffed and gave him a squish as she noticed Asgore’s face breaking into a big smile, and the skeleton raising a hand to greet her quietly.

“Howdy, Undyne!” he said brightly. “Have you met Gaster?”

“Yup. Did for sure,” she said. “The guys stayed home?”

“They did. Um…” The skeleton looked a little embarrassed and paused himself as Asgore got up to crush Undyne into a tight hug. He cleared is throat, more from nerves than anything else. “We thought it was best if I came alone this time.”

“Because he’s a huge wreck,” Asriel volunteered.

“Can you blame me?” he joked. He smiled slightly. “I can get out of your hair, if you prefer, Captain.”

“No. Dude. Relax.” Undyne smiled sideways. “I’m here about your kid, after all.”

Gaster immediately straightened. A ping of nerves from his twisted soul was palpable. “Is something wrong?”

“Well. Kinda? I mean. Not now. Tomorrow,” Undyne said, turning her attention on Asgore. “I don’t get how this happened. But I’m stayin’ with her tomorrow.”

“Of course,” Asgore said. “Thank you, my child.”

“You gotta give the order, though,” Undyne said sternly. “You know. The one.”

“Oh! Right. Yes. Of course,” Asgore said. He stood up straight and puffed out his chest, putting his paw over his soul. “Undyne, Captain of the Royal Guard, I order you to protect Frisk of the Underground by any means you deem necessary, and to accompany her as close as you can until any perceived danger has passed. And you are not dismissed until everything is over. How was that? Good? Royal enough?”

“Perfect.” Undyne stuck her thumb up. She looked at Asriel. “You gonna be there, squirt?”

“No, ah… I’m the pre-warning squad,” he said. “I wanted to, but, you know her.”

“I’m a little lost,” Gaster said.

“Kid gets hung up on not bothering people to her own, uh, detriment, y’know?” Undyne said.

“So, that order was… Oh, I understand,” he said quietly. “Thank you, Undyne. I’m sure, no matter what she says, she’ll feel a lot safer with you around.”

“You, too,” she said sternly. “Stick as close as you can. But don’t tell them you’re her actual dad, right?”

“Right, ah… They would… probably cause us a lot of trouble if they thought we could just make humans in the lab,” he said quietly.

“Wait, can you do that?!” Asgore said, wide-eyed.

“She was more of a… one time thing, from a maelstrom of very specific but inevitable circumstances created by the nature of our universe,” Gaster said.

“So, no,” Asriel said.

“Right, that,” Undyne said. “So. Get your stories straight. Asgore, they sent you a time, yet?”

“No,” he said apologetically.

Undyne frowned and pursed her lips for a moment. “I don’t like this.”

“Yeah, who does?” Asriel said. 

“Everyone, please,” Asgore said quickly. “It’s going to be okay. I trust the human Ambassador. And what reason would they have to try anything underhanded?” He smiled softly. “After all this time… Their hatred for us has died off, it seems. The least we can do is give them an honest chance. We will be cautious, of course, but I don’t think their intentions are bad.”

Undyne folded her arms and shifted uncomfortably. Asriel’s ears pressed back and he looked at her worriedly. He beckoned her down. A brow raised, she tilted her ear towards him.

“Dad’s real nice but he’s being naïve. I think we can trust this Ambassador person, to a point, but Frisk saw something in her dreams. If anyone else tries to sneak in… If anyone else tries to take her…” He raised his brows and then lowered his voice to a very soft, unassuming whisper. “Stab ‘em.”

It was kind of funny, she thought. She hadn’t forgotten who he was; what he’d done. But it was a little weird to hear those words coming from that voice. He was dead serious, of course. Made sense. He smiled slightly with those big fangs of his.

“Or. If you don’t want that on you. I’m okay breaking myself for her,” he said.

She nodded and thumped her fist over her soul. “Gotcha covered.”

“Great, thanks, big sis!!” He said that much louder and grinned bright. He threw his arms around her shoulders. “You’ll keep her safe, I just know it!”

She resisted the urge to jokingly call him a freak as she hugged him close. It’d be a little hypocritical, though. If things got bad, she was on the same page.

As she straightened up, Asgore clasped a reassuring hand on her shoulder and smiled at her fondly.

“Please don’t worry so much,” he said. “All of you. Trust me.”

“We do,” Undyne said.

“Come, sit with us,” he said. “Have some tea.”

She looked at the others, her eye settling on Gaster. He actually didn’t look so well— she could see a tremor in the fingers that were resting on the table— but he smiled slightly and gestured for her to join him. She pulled out a chair and clunked herself in.

\- - -

When it was time to go, Undyne took it upon herself to walk closely with Gaster back towards Snowdin. The skeleton was quiet and very cold, holding his arms tight to his chest. It was kind of weird to see him seem almost fragile like that. She remembered him big and commanding, and overwhelmingly certain about everything. She remembered him holding her as a child when he gently stitched up the wound where he eye used to sit — the one that had missed the window for proper repair— explaining everything to her in such technical terms it had almost put her to sleep. It had been thanks to him that her scarring wasn’t much worse. She wanted to talk to him, but she wasn’t really sure what to say. Thanks for that thing all those years ago? Thanks for coming back for Frisk? It sounded so corny in her head.

As they walked through Waterfall, he began to slow. Undyne matched his pace and shot him a worried look.

“Yo, you alright?” she asked.

He didn’t unclench his arms but a blue, translucent hand in magic appeared and stuck its thumb up. The skeleton’s real body didn’t seem to agree much, however, because within a second, he was plummeting stonewards. Undyne ducked and caught him, only to see the man was oozing some sort of sludge from his eye sockets and mouth.

“Gah!! What the hell is that?!” she said. 

He didn’t move. She winced. Hefting him up in her arms, she carried him to the closest cave wall and gently sat him down against it. She grabbed his scarf and gently unwrapped it from around his neck, took off his glasses, and then used the end to wipe his face. She held his head and put her other hand over his soul. Just the whisper of it made her scales bristle and the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She grimaced and set about healing as fast as she could.

It felt like it took forever, but the skeleton choked and hurriedly retreated in on himself, looking around with flickering eyes.

“Hey! Hey. You okay?” Undyne asked. “You fainted.”

“D-Did I?” His voice was weak and gravelly. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re not gonna fall, are you?!” she insisted. “You better freakin’ not.”

“Oh. It’s… It’s not like that.” He struggled to stand but slipped and was forced to rest a little longer. “I’m not falling… Except literally, I guess. I’ll be okay.”

“Look, Alph texted me about attunement stuff for you,” she said, handing him his glasses back. “You gotta go home and rest. And then the second you feel ready, you come to me. And we’ll do what we can. Okay?”

Gaster smiled at her fondly. She raised her brows.

“What?” she asked.

“Hm? Oh. Nothing. I was just… Never mind.” He tried to stand again, grasping to the wall tightly. He managed to get about halfway up before starting to slip again. “Ah. Damn.”

Undyne rolled her eye and grabbed him up in her arms, holding him under his knees and around his shoulders. “Don’t even think about complaining. Now let’s get you home.”

The skeleton did look embarrassed, but he didn’t complain. He could walk again by the time they’d reached Snowdin, but he was still looking wobbly. She opened the door for him and helped him inside, and wasn’t surprised in the least to see Frisk waiting, half asleep, leaning over the arm of the couch. Now, he shook again, but for what was clearly a different reason. 

The kid propped herself up slightly and smiled at them. Gaster bent and put his hand against her head gently.

“Did you stay awake this whole time?” he asked quietly. “You look so tired.”

“S’okay,” she said. She looked around him to Undyne. “He alright?”

Gaster’s face flushed two-tone blue and gold, and Undyne grinned wide.

“Squirt, you’re hilarious,” she said. “He fainted on the way in. Got kinda wobbly. But… What d’ya think, Gaster, you’re doin’ a little better now, right?”

“Ah… I am. The chills have mostly subsided, thankfully,” he said. 

Frisk waved him over and he stiffly sat down beside her. She hugged him quickly and then got up and headed for the kitchen. “We made pie,” she said proudly. “Kinda like mom’s! A bit messier, but it’s good. Undyne, you want?” 

“Heck yeah.” 

She followed the kid into the kitchen to see a huge pie resting on the counter. There was a wedge already sliced from it. Golden, butterscotch goo had oozed out ever so slightly. It smelled pretty good. Frisk climbed a little stepladder to reach the counter and reached for a blunt-edged spatula and aligned it to make a slice. Undyne smiled sideways and put a hand on hers, then grabbed the large knife at the back of the counter. 

“Here, ya punk,” she said. “Let me.”

“Thanks,” Frisk said bashfully. She withdrew and looked up at the big monster curiously. “So, um, were you friends with dad, too?”

“Ah, not really. I was pretty young mostly, when I’d see him,” she said. “Kinda knew him, though. He fixed up where my eye was.”

“Oh wow,” Frisk said.

“Don’t get me wrong. Everyone kinda knew about him. And I saw him when he’d visit Asgore, back before I got my own place.” She reached up to a cupboard and pulled out three plates, letting them gently clunk onto the counter. “Always thought he was pretty nice. Kinda surreal that he’s your dad, though, right? Not a bad guy for it.”

Frisk smiled brightly. The fish monster chuckled and patted her head. 

“Hey, uh. This all wasn’t too hard, was it?” she asked as she doled out the chunks of pie.

“What? Oh!” she said. “No way. It was easy. I mean. I was really hoping he’d show up sometime, y’know? I mean, I didn’t know he was our dad. That was just kinda extra awesome.”

“So how’s it feel bein’ part skeleton all of a sudden?” she asked. “And how’s that work, anyway? You count as a half, or what?”

“I have no idea,” Frisk said. “But, like, I always had bones anyway so it’s not like it’s that different.”

“Hah! Guess that was a dumb question,” Undyne said. “I have bones, too. Where are your brothers at, by the way?”

“Sans passed out,” she said. “Dreams haven’t been great, so Papyrus went to keep him company.”

“Ah. Right. Sorry,” she said. “Well. Hopefully it’ll be better after tomorrow. At least a little.”

Frisk shrugged. The look on her face told Undyne that maybe it didn’t really work like that. The kid didn’t feel like correcting her, though. She sighed and put the knife down, and then pulled her into a hug.

“I’m stayin’. Tomorrow,” she said.

“Oh!!” Frisk sounded shrill and pleased, but then she recoiled a little. “Y-You don’t have to, it’s okay.”

“Sure do,” she said.

“But I don’t wanna mess up your day,” Frisk insisted.

“You won’t. Besides. Got orders right from Asgore himself,” she said. “Wouldn’t wanna disobey a direct order, huh? Who knows what’ll happen!”

The kid looked surprised. She smiled sheepishly and squished against the fish. “Th-Thanks.”

Undyne snorted and patted her head. “So. We good?” she asked.

“What? Yeah, of course, why?” Frisk said.

“Wanted to tell you about that guy all day,” she said. “Sorry.”

“Oh! Don’t even think about that.” Frisk laughed quietly and hugged onto her tight. “It’s okay, it’s complicated, huh? Don’t worry.”

“Thanks.” Undyne breathed out a sigh. “Okay. Pie? Pie. Alright.”


	8. HUMANS? IN MY UNDERGROUND?

The wee hours of the morning were encroaching. Undyne had long since left and even so — and in spite of the grey around his eye sockets — Gaster had still not even attempted to sleep. Frisk couldn’t be sure, but she suspected his reasoning might be similar to when she or Sans pushed themselves to keep awake. She wondered why. He was so quiet, though. A combination of feeling ill and exhaustion, probably.

Despite that, the old skeleton looked content. Even if the chills came back a few times and his soul played its song in reverse, he had become relatively stable after two slices of pie. 

The solidarity play— now titled “The Dark Prince and the Time Travel Princess”, for whatever Mettaton’s reasons were— was still playing on the MTT channel. It was an edited version, though, cut with extra special effects and close-ups from cameras Frisk didn’t even realize had been filming from certain angles. Her father seemed fascinated despite his obvious exhaustion. She was watching him a lot more than the show as she lazed with her back against one of the armrests.

Frisk tried not to doze. It was hard, though, and her eyelids were getting heavy. She could see a shadow around Gaster when she squinted. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and that jarred her upright a little. It was Asriel.

“_u ok?_” he asked.

“_yup_” she said.

“_lol so I guess u kno i saw ur dad_” he said. “_thats gotta be the weirdest thing thats ever happened like ever so…._”

“_I know right????_” Frisk said. She couldn’t help but smile. “_i’m super happy tho_”

“_me too. for u and dad_” he said. “_they were like bffs, i mean, he’s basically my uncle so this is pretty cool. how are the boneheads btw?_”

“_paps is like T_T but also ^_^_” Frisk said. “_and sans is just sans_”

“_lmao ok_” Asriel said. “_good?_”

“_he was so chill it was really good_” Frisk said. “_hes so nice to me when weird stuff happens, seriusly. think i’d kinda go nuts without him_”

“_lol u 2 r super weird but i’m happy for u_” he said. “_hey its really late, go 2 bed ok? i got your back tomorro._”

Frisk smiled fondly. She was glad to have him, too. “_ok ok i’ll go soon. gotta babysit this giant skeleton tho i think he’s trying to do the antinitemare strat lol_”

“_pffffff guess u really r related =P_” Asriel said. “_goodnight love u_”

“_<3 love u too!!!!_” she said.

She looked up from the screen as she dulled it and checked Gaster. His eyes were glowing faintly.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Hm? Oh. Just fine,” he said. “Who is this playing the piano?”

“Undyne,” she said.

“So she… knows your song,” he said softly. “It was playing. Before. And yet…”

“Oh. Yeah.” She smiled. “It kinda mashes with Asriel’s. We dunno why. Something probably to do with weird time stuff. Kinda cool, right? She was the first one that noticed that they went together.”

The skeleton smiled slightly. He nodded and brushed his fingers across his eyes. 

Frisk watched him silently for a few seconds. She grabbed up one of the blankets she’d dragged down earlier and pulled it up over herself before scooting right up against his side. He froze for a moment and looked down at her with wide eyes, seeming to forget the show entirely. 

“Going to bed after this?” she asked. “I might pass out so, like, just move me or whatever. I think there’s only a bit left. Hey, watch the ending fight though, Papyrus was so cool, it was nuts.”

“Alright.” His voice warbled. He hesitantly put an arm around her. “Frisky?”

“Mhm?” she said drowsily.

“I… I think you did a very good job,” he said quietly.

“Thanks,” she said. “We only had to do it one time, even, no resets or anything. It was pretty good for something we kinda did in a week or whatever, right?”

“And this… worked?”

“It worked really well, actually,” the kid said with a laugh.

He went quiet again. Cautiously and quietly, she made her red magic build and let the warmth of it waft gently like the scent of fresh cookies. After a while, he lethargically began to run his fingers over her head. Frisk didn’t mind in the least. Somewhere around the start of the credits, the drowsy kid noticed he had gone limp. 

Gaster had fallen asleep, his chin dropped down onto his chest. He looked peaceful. Comfortable, despite sitting up. He must’ve been exhausted. It occurred to Frisk that this was a big deal for him. He hadn’t slept in ten years.

She stood up on the couch beside him and gently grabbed his shoulders. It took her a moment, but she was able to guide him down to lay back across the squishy green cushions. She pulled down one of the back pillows to put under his head; dragged a blanket over him to make sure he was cozy. She took off his glasses and put them on the arm of the sofa where they’d be easy to find.

Satisfied and quite proud of herself, she turned off the TV and headed upstairs to the bedroom. Sans was clocked out on the bed and Papyrus still was up, some clothes laid out in a pile as he sat with his back to the wall, stitching the sleeve of a black turtleneck. He smiled at her warmly.

“Hello, little sister! Going to bed?” he asked.

“Soon,” she said. “Dad passed the heck out. He looks like he really needed it.”

“Oh! I’m glad he’s managing to get some rest,” he said. “All that time stuff must’ve taken a lot out of him. It was very good of you to spend so much time with him today, I’m sure he really appreciated it. So, what do you think of him?”

“He’s really nice, actually. And huggy! Like you,” she said with a smile. She sat down beside him. “It’s so weird, it’s like… I mean, I did know him for a long time, kinda, but it’s sort of like he just fits right in, you know?”

“Nyeh heh heh! That’s fantastic, I’m so happy to hear that,” he said.

“Hey, maybe you could tell me a bit more?” she asked hopefully. “Maybe something you remember from when you were a kid?”

“Oh! Well, let me think…” He put down the shirt he was working on and folded his arms. “Well! You know we had that apartment in New Home, but really, we spent most of our time in the lab. Dad was always doing experiments and building things, and I remember Sans did a lot of that with him, too. We sort of joked that we were a bit like lab-rats!”

“He did experiments on you guys?” Frisk asked with a furrow in her brow.

“Yes, of course! Nothing bad, obviously! It was just that we were the first monsters of our kind. Not skeletons, I mean, but made out of one monster like we were. There was a lot of tests to go through to make sure we were healthy and that our magic was working right,” he said. “When I say we, I mostly mean Sans.”

Her eyes flitted to her brother, oblivious dozed off sideways across the car-shaped bed. “Right, right, because he was always really weak, huh?”

“Mhm! Exactly right! But he also always had those strange powers,” Papyrus said. “Anyway, basically, we did weird experiments, he taught us a lot of things, we did magic together, and puzzles: basically all the things a good dad would do! Except in a lab mostly instead of not in a lab.”

“That’s good,” Frisk said. “I… I wish I couldda been there.”

“Me too!” Papyrus said. “At the same time, though, now that you are here, it feels like you always were. I hope that helps a little.”

“It does,” she said.

“You should get some rest,” he said. “Today was a good day, but so emotionally draining! Even for me. I’d actually say I’m exhausted. How about you?”

“Y… Yeah. Yeah. For sure,” she said.

“Hey. Kid. Whatcha still doin’ awake?”

She looked up to see Sans groggily peering at them over the edge of the bed, grinning slightly. His voice was low and rough, a lot more so than usual, and the grey around his eye sockets was heavy. He forced himself up on his elbow and Frisk scampered over to happily snuggle up in his arms. He snickered and she could feel a cool relief from the song in his soul. 

“Stuck again, huh?” she said. “Bad?”

“Neutral,” he said. “No worries.”

“Was it super weird again?” she asked.

He laughed. “Pretty weird. Hey. You eat enough?”

“As if I wouldn’t make sure she was eating enough!” Papyrus cawed.

“I had pie with dad and Undyne,” she said.

“Good.” He flopped back and folded his arms behind his head. “Go to bed.”

“Ugh, how could I sleep?” she asked. “After everything today. Seriously. My head’s goin’ nuts.”

“Just close your eyes, silly,” Papyrus said.

Sans stuck his hand up. “Okay. Listen up. Lie down.”

Frisk raised her brows, but she dropped onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. “Okay.”

“Alright. So. Do me a favour?” he said. “Close your eyes.”

“That won’t make me fall asleep,” she said with a smile.

“Dude. I know. Just do it,” he said.

Frisk let out an exaggerated sigh, but she let her eyes close. The bed did suddenly feel a lot comfier. “Now what?” She felt what little light there was bouncing on her eyelids fade off.

“I’ve got, uh… a new book, actually,” he said. “By the same human guy who did the space book.”

Frisk opened her eyes but couldn’t see much but a faint glow of Papyrus’s amber magic. “Oh really? Where?”

“Actually, it was in dad’s stuff.” He laughed. “Go figure, huh? So. Sit back. I’ll read it.”

“Okay okay.” Frisk closed her eyes again. “…Thanks.” She rested her arms behind her head and tried to get comfy. 

He shuffled and plunked himself against the backboard. He began softly flipping pages and making thoughtful sounds. The rustling of the pages was somehow soothing to her. He started to read, but she didn’t catch much of it at all.

\- - - 

Morning broke with a start for Frisk as Papyrus picked her up under her arms. 

“See?!” he said brightly to— presumably— Sans. “She’s up. Right? You’re up?”

“Um…” She rubbed her head as she tried to get her eyes to focus. “Yeah…?”

“Soooo you should go save and then we’re ready? Right?” 

“Ready?” she asked groggily.

“For the humans.” Papyrus tilted his head. “You didn’t forget, did you?”

“Mmno… No. I…” She blinked. “Um. Was yesterday real?”

The skeleton looked puzzled and tilted his head the other way. Sans, though, burst out laughing.

“Yup. Still got a dad,” he said.

The kid puffed out a sigh and grabbed Papyrus in a hug. He cackled quietly and reciprocated without hesitation.

“Things are going to be just fine,” he said brightly.

With Papyrus trailing close behind, Frisk touched the light in the attic and then sent Toriel a text to say what she’d done. She felt weird not mentioning Gaster.It wasn’t like it was a secret, but it was strange. She guessed it was something that shouldn’t really be said over text. 

Downstairs, Sans was clunking mugs of tea out onto the side table, along with plates of cinnamon bunnies and some microwaved hotdogs. Papyrus beelined into the kitchen.

“Well, look at you, being proactive for once!” he said.

“Kid’s gotta eat,” he said. “Plus. We got an extra broken nerd. Gotta keep an eye socket out for him, too, huh?” He jerked his thumb at a long lump of patchwork quilt on the couch.

Papyrus peeked out again with a bowl of pasta in one hand. Gaster was still keeled over, blankets drawn up tight over his shoulders, his face pressed up against the back cushions. Frisk crept a little closer to him and looked over him curiously.

“Aw, jeez,” she said quietly. “He’s kinda shaky, huh?”

She snuck her way onto the couch and rubbed her hands together, building a gentle charge of red magic in her palms. She snuck his hand out of his blankets and held the gently rattling skeleton, injecting her warm magic through him. She could see it coalescing strangely in the hole in his palm, then vanishing into the bone. She drew back with a proud smile on her face. 

Almost as soon as she got up, though, the skeleton shot upright, wide-eyed, glowing faintly in his sockets— that blue and gold tinged with the little sparks of red he’d absorbed. His gaze cast across the room as he recoiled like a cornered animal. He put a hand to his chest. 

“Good morning, dad!” Papyrus said brightly. “Did you sleep well?”

Gaster looked stunned. His voice came out at a croak. “I-Is this real?”

“Yup,” Sans said, leaning his elbow on the table. He waved him over. “C’mon, get a thing in your face.”

Gaster didn’t seem to process it. Frisk smiled sympathetically and reached out for his hands.

“Sorry to wake you up,” she said. “You were shaking pretty hard, though. Are you okay?”

He stared at her for a silent couple seconds. Then, defrosting, he hurriedly scooped her up into a hug and let out a deep, relieved sigh. She snickered and squished against him. The big skeleton shuddered. As Papyrus walked over, blue magic seized on his soul and he squeaked as his father pulled him in and hugged him tight, too. He muttered something low in a language Frisk didn’t understand, but it made Papyrus laugh and his cheekbones flushed with amber.

“Daaaad!” he whined, but he snickered. “Honestly. Everything will be just fine.”

“I thought it was a dream,” he muttered.

“Me too,” Frisk joked.

Gaster let out a hoarse, disbelieving laugh and cupped the kid’s face gently in both hands. “Just look at you.”

“She is strangely adorable, isn’t she?” Papyrus said.

Frisk scoffed and waved her hands at them. “Aw, c’mon. But. Seriously. Dad, are you feeling any better?”

Gaster froze up again. He gulped. “Ah… I’m just fine.”

“Well, that’s a relief! Come here.” Papyrus grabbed him and guided him over to the side table. He handed him his glasses. “Breakfast! Keep your energy up! Don’t you worry for a second, we’ll get you feeling more than fine again in no time!”

Gaster was stiff. He grabbed Sans into a quick, affectionate hug before allowing Papyrus to lead him to the breakfast table. The normalcy almost did him in again. He slumped forward and put his face in his hands. Sans gently patted him on the shoulder and then gestured to the others to give him space. Frisk looked at her brother worriedly.

“S’okay,” he said. “Just… give him a minute or five.” He patted her head as he strolled over with her breakfast. “Here.”

“Sans, what do we do, though?” she asked at a whisper.

“Welp. You should eat,” he said. “And get ready for that trash that’s goin’ on later.”

“Um. Right. Okay.” She took a bite of the cinnamon bunny and looked up at him worriedly. “It’s okay if I, um, lie a little, right?”

“Listen. Kiddo.” Sans took her shoulders and grinned. “You lie as well as you can. I got your back. Obviously.”

“Thanks,” she said. 

Gaster finally heaved himself upright and Papyrus rubbed his back gently. He dragged over a chair to sit down with him and pushed a plate and teacup towards him.

“I’m sorry,” Gaster muttered gruffly, his voice cracking slightly.

“Stop that apologetic nonsense,” Papyrus said. “It’s all okay! Everyone’s an emotional mess right now. Well, I mean, I’m not. But Frisk is! And Sans— Well, Sans probably isn’t, either, but Alphys was! So. You’re not alone.”

“Thank you, Paps,” he said quietly. He sighed and then turned in his seat with his tea clutched close, looking back at Frisk and Sans. “Tell me. What do I need to do?”

“Well. Mostly. Stay outta the way,” Sans said. “It’s what we’re all gonna have to do. Let them talk to Frisk, she’ll pretend she’s normal, and hopefully that’ll be the end of it.”

“That’s it?” Gaster sounded skeptical.

“Just don’t mention the, um, time travel stuff,” Frisk said.

“No time travel, no Frisk breakin’ the barrier, keep it quiet that she’s your actual kid,” Sans said, counting on his fingers. “No deaths, time void, memory magic… Actually, kid, don’t show them any magic at all.”

“Really? You don’t think her magic could convince them everything is okay?” Papyrus wondered. He tented his fingers. “It just feels so friendly.”

“Gotcha, but we gotta have just a really, painfully average kid today,” Sans said. “Humans, uh, don’t really use any magic anymore, right, kiddo?”

“Not that I’ve ever heard of except in movies and stuff,” she admitted. “Right. No drawing attention at all.”

“I hate to make more of this than it might be,” Gaster said quietly. “But… What about those scars?”

“Oh!” Frisk put her hand to her cheek. “Like the one here? It faded a bunch, you think it matters?”

“I wanted to know about it right away,” he said.

“Oh. Um…” The kid tilted her head. “I guess I’ll make something up.” She shrugged.

Sans looked at her silently for a few seconds. His brow furrowed slightly. He held out his hand. “Come with me.”

Without question, she took his hand, and he brought her upstairs to his old bedroom. With a shot of blue magic, he plunked her up on Toriel’s bed and then sat opposite her. She looked at him inquisitively.

“Let’s practice,” he said.

“Practice?” she repeated.

“Mhm. So you don’t end up flounderin’,” he said. “Since I’m assumin’ that save this morning is your last one for a bit.”

“O-Oh. Yeah. Mom asked me to give her some time to get home if things go really sideways,” she said. “Okay. So, um…”

“Just pretend I’m the human. I’ll ask you somethin’,” he said. He folded his arms. “How old are you?”

“Ten,” she said.

“Gee, kiddo, you look awfully small for bein’ a ten year old.”

Frisk pitched her voice up, just a little. “I’m six!”

“Not bad. I’d buy six more than ten if I didn’t know you,” he said. “Do you go to school? Do you like it?”

“Oh! Yeah! My mom’s a teacher, and she teaches all the classes!” she said enthusiastically. “School’s okay. Sometimes I don’t like homework. But I like playing with all my friends!” She tilted her head. “…How was that?”

“Sounds like a little kid,” he said, nodding. “Should be fine. Okay. Where’d you get that scar?”

“Which scar?” She tried to ask it with genuine confusion.

“The one on your face,” he said.

“Oh! I smacked myself playing in the trees,” she said. “It really scared my mom though so I don’t go over there anymore.”

“Who are all these weirdos livin’ with you?” he asked.

Frisk couldn’t help a laugh. “Do you really think they’ll call you guys weirdos?”

“Maybe. Who knows?” Sans grinned sideways.

“Okay. So.” She cleared her throat. “Well! There’s my brothers. I have three. And my mom and dad. And I have a big sister, too, but she has her own house.”

“And… how did you meet your, uh, parents?” he asked. 

“Oh. Um. I dunno. What should I say?” she said worriedly. “Should I say I fell? Should…? What about dad? What do you think?”

“Hmm.” He tapped his chin. “Well. Okay. You… have no parents.”

“Right,” she said.

“You never met them. Homeless.”

“Right.” She nodded.

“You fell asleep in a truck. You didn’t realize it had moved. And when you did, you were in the middle of nowhere,” he said.

“The truck drove away and it started to rain,” Frisk said. “And I went to find somewhere dry. I went into a cave and mom found me. Oh! And dad. Mom and dad.”

“And then?” Sans asked.

Frisk sighed. She flopped onto her back and stretched out her arms, staring up at the ceiling. “And then… I had a family. I dunno what else to say.”

“How long you lived here?” he said.

“Since I was four,” she said. “Heh. I wish.”

“You and me both,” Sans said quietly.

She sat up again and rubbed her head, only to find her big brother looking troubled. “What? Do you think that’s good enough?”

“Yeah. For sure,” he said.

“What’s wrong, are your eyes gonna go black?” she asked worriedly, leaning forward with a frown on her face. 

“Ah. Don’t worry about it,” he said. 

“Come on,” she prodded. 

“Heh. I’m losin’ my touch.” He rubbed his eye socket with his palm. “Just… wish it’d been different. But at the same time…” He patted her on the head. “Sounds sappy, but I wouldn’t change you for anything, y’know?”

Frisk felt her eyes tear up. She latched onto him and he chuckled and held her close. 

“Jeez, kid,” he said.

“You’re so nice.” She huffed out a sigh and snickered. “I’m gonna be fine.”

“I know,” he said.

\- - -

Hackles raised and paws tapping, Asriel curled in his chair like a gargoyle, waiting. He could hear his father’s tidying in the kitchen and the simple tune he was humming. He envied that. He hadn’t been able to relax since he’d woken up. He’d texted Frisk— she’d reassured him. He’d texted Papyrus only to receive a verbal hug and a babbling text of “worry nots”. It almost made him feel better but, even so, he wished just for a moment that he was still an eight foot knuckle-walking dragon goat beast. He might have fangs, but otherwise, he was a furball. Maybe he could use that to his advantage, but if push came to shove, he sort of missed the extra size.

“Asriel?” Asgore returned from the kitchen, a sympathetic frown on his brow. “Are you almost ready?”

“Yeah,” he said quietly.

“Don’t be scared,” he said. “I’m sure the humans will be more than reasonable.”

“Right.” He pouted and checked his phone. “It’s almost noon. Shouldn’t she be here soon? They can’t just draw this out all day.”

“Don’t worry.” The big monster gently patted him between the horns. “I’m sure this won’t be nearly so bad as we’re all building it up to be.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t trust them,” he grumbled.

“My boy,” Asgore said gently, squatting down and holding his shoulders, “you’ve known more humans than most. If I recall, they weren’t so bad, were they?”

“It’s not that. I just…” He bit back what he was really thinking. It was angrier than he wanted out there. “I’m kinda scared.”

“Oh.” His father scooped him up off his seat and hugged him warmly. “Don’t be scared. I’m sure that—”

The computer near the fireplace let out a loud, digital jingling sound. Asgore hopped up in a hurry, but Asriel couldn’t help but feel overwhelmingly relieved. Had to be the human. Time to get started.

“Asriel,” Asgore said quickly, “I’m sorry, I need to get—”

“Yeah, get it, hurry,” he said, eyes wide.

Asgore plunked down in his seat and turned on the monitor and Asriel snuck in close to watch with intensely scrutinizing eyes. The screen filled with the face of the Ambassador, smiling and yet a little out of breath. She was slightly flushed and the sun was beaming down overhead.

“Hello, your Highness!” she said. “Sorry I didn’t get in contact sooner, I was on my way and the service just wouldn’t connect to you.”

“That’s fine,” he assured her. “Did the lifts work alright? Are you on the plateau?”

“Yes! It was fine. Um. We’re at the one with the “_Howdy_” sign,” she said. “Is this the right place?”

“It sure is!” he said. He paused and his brows raised when he saw a little movement behind her. “Is there something there with you?”

“Hm? Oh.” She looked nervous all of a sudden. “It’s just… I’m sorry. My agency insisted on an escort.”

She moved her camera to show that there was a human man standing with her. Pale skin, no hair, eyes hidden behind black sunglasses and a hardened face with an expression of pointed neutrality. He wore an outfit of black, thick material on his chest and green camouflage print elsewhere. Asriel felt himself bristle instantly, but his father smiled and raised a paw.

“Howdy, friend! Luckily, your job will be very easy today,” he said.

“I hope so, sir,” the man replied; the woman nudged him with her foot. “Your Majesty.”

Asriel frowned. He tugged on his father’s sleeve. 

“Ah! Just one moment, my son needs me, I’ll be with you again in just a minute,” he said. He muted the call and pushed his chair back. “What is it, my boy?”

“Hang on. It was supposed to be just one human,” he said.

“Yes, I suppose so, but you can hardly blame them for wanting to keep their Ambassador safe,” Asgore said with an apologetic tilt in his brow.

“Mom will kill you,” Asriel said worriedly.

“Ah… Well…” He rubbed his beard. “I’ll think of something. But I’m sure he’d be no harm.” 

“Hang on,” Asriel said. 

The kid took out his phone and filmed a quick clip of the man as he prowled in the background. He sent it to Frisk and dialled her number and waited for the click. “Frisk?”

“Hey, hi!” she said.

“Sent you a video,” he said. “Did you get it?”

“Um, let me… Oh. Yeah,” she said.

“Watch it.”

“Kay.” She went quiet for a little while. Longer than the clip. 

Asriel could imagine the look on her face. She let out a small, shaky breath. He grimaced. 

“Is it him?” he asked.

“I… I’m n-not sure, it was b-blurry, but…” There was a warble in her voice.

“It looks like ‘im?” he said.

“Yeah. Yeah. Maybe, um… D-Don’t…?”

“Gotcha,” he said. “Hey. I got you. Okay?”

“Okay. O-Okay.” She took a deep breath. “Love you, bro.”

“Love you, too,” he said. 

He hung and looked up at Asgore with raised brows. “Dad, we’re not letting that guy into the mountain. Not past this house.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure I understand,” he said, eyes wide.

Asriel sighed. “Frisk had a dream. Human that looked like that one, panicked in Snowdin for some reason; took some monsters out. She could undo it, but, um, some of them might remember it.”

“Oh, little one, that sounds awful, but it’s just a dream,” he said gently, holding the boy’s shoulder.

Asriel frowned. “No. Dad. It’s not like that. Frisk’s got time powers. It’s not just a dream. You have to take this seriously. If she says this might be who she saw, he has to stay out.”

“Asriel…” Agore stared at him, taken aback.

The kid winced. He’d dropped the act. He bit his lip and his ears drooped slightly, but the determination never left his eyes. “Trust me. Please?”

Asgore paused in a heavy silence for a long few seconds. He wilted and hugged Asriel tightly and kissed him on his brow. “Okay. I’ll keep him here.”

“Thank you,” he said.

Asgore puffed himself up and returned to the call. “Howdy again! Sorry about that! I’ll come get you. And we’ll discuss what’s going on. And, Ambassador, you can meet our little human.”

“Excellent. Thank you, your Highness,” she said.

Asgore donned his royal purple cloak and put his crown on his head. Asriel stuck close by his father as they traveled through the tunnel out of the house and towards the garden. The sun was shining bright on the outside when they emerged, and the humans were right there. Though the man stayed somewhat stiff, the woman bowed quickly and straightened up with a smile. There was an awed glimmer in her eye as she looked up at the King, but when she noticed Asriel, her jaw dropped and she couldn’t help but beam. Hurriedly, she gathered herself, straightened her jacket, and extended her hand to Asgore. He smiled warmly and her hand was fully engulfed in his when he shook it.

“It’s good to finally meet you in person,” she said.

“The same to you,” he said. “June, right? And your friend is…?” He tilted his head.

“He’s, um, more of a bodyguard,” she admitted. “This is Boyd. I have our papers, um…” She was carrying a bag over her shoulder, and she pulled open the cover and produced two small stacks of paper, clipped together with laminated ID cards at the top.

Asgore took them with a puzzled smile on his face and held them close. “Well! Okay. Thank you.”

“And who is this?” June squatted down and smiled at Asriel. “Hey there. It’s good to meet you. The Prince, I presume?”

“Yeah. I’m Asriel,” he said. 

“You know, I’ve never met a Prince,” she said. 

Asriel saw her eyes darting over his fur and he sighed, cracked a smile, and tilted his head. “You wanna touch my ears?”

“Wh… Uh…?” She looked confused, but also hopeful. “C-Could I?”

“Knew it.” He pointed to his head. “Go ahead.”

The woman grinned and gently cupped his head and squished his floppy ears. “Aren’t you just the cutest little…”

Asgore chuckled quietly. “Would you like to come in?” He gestured for them to head into the cave, past the welcome sign.

The Ambassador perked up, cheeks flushing slightly, and hurried into the dark, while her escort followed close behind. Asgore smiled and followed along, but Asriel hesitated outside. He watched those humans with a frown on his face. He trailed along behind them, bristling. 

The woman had to pause in the garden. With Asgore’s eager go-ahead, she whirled around the room, taking photos and inspecting the flowers, the walls, and the throne. Asgore was happy to show her around and answer all her questions. The kid, still, stood back. So, too, did the human man. Asriel could see he was a little tense. So, if this really was the guy, what had set him off? He didn’t want to have to find out.

“Don’t like humans, huh?” Boyd asked. His voice was rough and his tone was cynical.

Asriel cut his eyes at him. A few feet apart, their mutual trepidation gave the air around them a heavy awkwardness. The man cleared his throat.

“Never seen one, I guess.”

“My sister’s a human,” Asriel said cooly. “So.”

He noticed the man raise his brows, though he tried not to look too surprised. “Your sister.”

“Yeah. That human you guys are here to, uh, talk to? That’s my sister. So.” His ears pinned back. 

“Not your real sister,” he said gruffly.

“Gee, mister, don’t you know it’s rude to just come out and tell a kid their sister’s adopted?”  He cut his eyes at him. “That’s funny that you try to sound like you know what you’re talking about. You humans never cared about her until she lived with us, and now you guys were almost willing to risk an international incident over her. That’s really weird to me.” He smirked slightly. “But. I mean. You’re just a hired gun, right? That’s not really your fault. Not really any of your business, either.”

He scampered over to his father, leaving the man puzzled behind him. He reached up and tugged on Asgore’s sleeve, and then nodded towards the door. “Dad, c’mon, there’s so much stuff for her to see out there, too, right?”

“Oh! Yes! Sorry,” Asgore said with a laugh. “We shouldn’t keep everybody waiting, now, should we?” He beckoned to the humans and smiled. “Come, now, my home is just up ahead.”

June followed eagerly, but Boyd hesitated before taking long strides to keep up with them. Asriel narrowed his eyes. What was up with this guy?

Inside, Asgore invited both of them to sit at the dinner table.Asriel hung back slightly and texted Undyne. As the King settled in and put aside their pile of credentials, he smiled at the humans and folded his hands on the table. 

“Well!” he said. “Is there anything you’d like before you get started? Tea?”

“Actually, your Highness, if it’s alright, I’d like to talk a bit about the human that lives here,” she said. “Before I meet her.”

“Oh! Well. Absolutely. My son can definitely speak to that,” he said. “They’re very close.”

“Yup.” Asriel jerked away from his phone and hopped up onto a chair. He tried to keep his expression light. “She’s my sister! What do you want to know?”

“Your sister?” June repeated. “So, is she…? Is she here?”

“No, she lives at the other house,” Asriel said. “She comes here sometimes, though! Most of the time we’re with our mom and my step-dad.” He caught Asgore put a paw to his snout, trying not to laugh out loud, and he smiled. “We all get along really well, it’s super nice.”

“And your mother is Lady Toriel, right?” the Ambassador asked. “And your… step-dad?”

“He’s a scientist! He’s super cool and nice,” Asriel said. “His name is Gaster, he’s a skeleton.”

There was a little trepidation on the woman’s face now. She shifted slightly in her seat. “I guess she’s been here a while, then?”

“Oh, yes, several years,” Asgore said, nodding quickly.

“She looked very young when I saw her the first time, how old is she?”

“Oh! Um, she’s… Goodness, how old is she now?” Asgore said. He looked at Asriel uncertainly, his brow raised. “Six? Seven?”

Asriel kept his expression steady. “Seven, but her birthday’s really soon.”

“Is it?!” Asgore sounded completely genuine. He put a hand to his brow. “My goodness, how times flies. Speaking of! The afternoon is gaining on us, isn’t it?”

June and Boyd shared a silent look. The woman smiled slightly.

“I guess there’s nothing more until we meet her in person,” she said. She got up and dipped in a polite bow. “Thank you, your Highness. We’ll be on our way, if our escort is here?”

Asriel’s senses all hooked on the word, “_we_”. His mind scrambled. His eyes went wide and he tugged on his father’s sleeve. “Oh no, dad, what about the gate?”

“The gate?” Asgore looked confused.

“Yeah, you know, the gate.” Asriel raised his brows. 

His father simply stared back at him. Asriel huffed and smacked both paws on the table. He looked up at the human man, his ears pinning back.

“We have this gate. For safety stuff, just a bit out front? We need your hum for it to let you through. But we didn’t know you were coming, so—” He winced as a loud, metallic bang smacked against the front door. “S-So. You… You can go.” He looked and the Ambassador but then shot the man as apologetic a look as he could muster. “But you gotta stay here.”

Boyd frowned slightly. He looked incredulous for a moment and he and the Ambassador shared a concerned look. Asgore put his paws to his snout.

“Oh. Goodness, you’re right,” he said quickly. “I’m terribly sorry.”

“What do you mean it needs his hum?” June asked.

“Ah, you see, our souls all make a sound,” Asgore said. “We’d, um… We would certainly use a human voice as a replacement, but since we were not, um, actually aware you would be here…”

The man stiffened. June put a hand on his arm for just a second. 

“How long would it take to fix?” she asked.

“At least the rest of the day, right, dad?” Asriel said.

“Hm, that sounds about right.” The King nodded. He stood up and he extended a hand to the man, clapping it onto his shoulder— it made the human look very small. “Don’t worry, my friend! I have some tea and books to spend the time. Besides, Ambassador, you said this wouldn’t take very long, right?”

“R-Right,” she agreed.

Asgore smiled. He took her by the shoulder and lead her towards the door, only to look back at Asriel and wink. Asriel tried not to react. He caught the human man shooting him a dark look, but he didn’t care in the least.

Behind the door stood Undyne, decked out in full armour, glaring with light shining from one of the eyeholes in her helmet. June recoiled into the King, who gently guided her forward.

“This is Undyne, my eldest, and our Captain of the Royal Guard,” he said brightly. “She will make sure you get to Snowdin and back safely!”

“R-Right,” she said again. “Um! Hello.”

Undyne dipped her head slightly. June gulped. Asgore leaned around her and smiled reassuringly. 

“Don’t worry! You’re not even our first human guests after our little friend, I’m sure nobody will give you trouble.”

“Right. Yes. Of course. Thank you, your Highness.” With caution in her steps, she followed Undyne out, and then disappeared down the corridor without another word.

As Asgore closed the door and returned to them, he smiled warmly at the human man and invited him into the kitchen for his pick of cookies to pair with the tea. The human seemed reluctant, but he went along with it. In their absence, Asriel hopped up on the table and quickly skimmed the man’s papers. He was a little confused. He was listed as a protective escort, sure, but he’d assumed the guy was human military, or their government, or something. He wasn’t. He was a security guard, from the harbour city that was relatively close to their borders. He wasn’t sure how all of this worked, but that seemed unusual. 

Looking at the Ambassador’s records didn’t really answer any of that. She was with the human government of the closest country, clearly. She was picked because of some of her historical research into monsters at a university far to the east, and her social work, whatever that meant. She came highly recommended. The humans wanted this to work, apparently.

Asriel quickly withdrew to the bedroom and dialled for Frisk. She picked up right away.

“Hey, so, the lady just left with Undyne,” Asriel said before she could say a word. “Maybe dumb it down just a litttttleee?”

“How much is a little?” Frisk asked.

“She treated me like I was pretty young and I think dad panicked when she mentioned how small you looked and we told her you were seven, so… I dunno, like, a bit, I guess?”

“Okay. Okay, I think I can do that,” she said.

“Hey,” he said, “it’s gonna be fine.”

“I know. I know! For sure,” she said. “Sans was totally right. You’re right. It’s fine.”

“Yeah. And I stopped the guy, by the way.”

“I know.” She laughed. “Of course you did. Thank you.”

“No worries. Soooo… call me?” he said.

“Mhm. Yeah. I will,” she said. “Thanks, bro, love you.”

“You’re gonna be fine!” he insisted. “Love you, too. Good luck.”

He hung up and clenched the phone tight in his paws. She’d be fine, he told himself. Still, something about this wasn’t right. There was something under this that he couldn’t quite grasp. He’d put on a smile and keep an eye on everything. 

\- - -

Papyrus was a hurricane of feather dusters and blue magic, cleaning up the whole house around his siblings and father. Frisk was just trying to keep out of the way. Her nerves were stinging, but it wasn’t so much about the lady coming to talk with her. That man that had come with her was what bothered her. Plus, when Toriel found out they’d sent two people instead of her sternly expressed one, she didn’t envy the chewing out she expected the humans to endure. Asgore either, come to think of it.

“SANS.” Papyrus dragged the shorter skeleton up off the couch by the soul. “SANS, PLEASE. I need to straighten!! They’re going to be here any minute!!”

“Huh. Good sprinters,” he asked groggily. 

“I mean not literally. I mean. Nyeh!!” He gently tossed him onto the floor and levelled a finger at the door. “Go. Go on. Go get some, I don’t know, milkshakes or something. Just get out of the waaaaay, please.”

“Alright, alright,” Sans said with a laugh. “I’m goin’. Kiddo?”

“Noooo, she must stay here!” Papyrus said, grabbing her shoulder. “What if that human shows up and she’s not here and they think that we did something or hid her or already went on the run or—?!”

“Paps, relax, everything’s going to be okay,” Gaster assured him gently.

“Nyeh!!! They why does it feel so…?” Papyrus crossed his arms tightly. He shook his head and frowned. “Ugh!! I just…! I need to clean.”

He brushed his father off and went back to tidying up the room, and Sans shrugged and vanished. Frisk sighed. She edged over to Papyrus and plunked herself in his path, forcing him to stop. Before he could protest, she hugged him tight. He wilted and reciprocated. 

“We’ll get outta your way,” she said.

“Thank you,” he said.

She headed up to the bedroom and, cautiously, Gaster followed. 

“Is there really nothing we can do to help?” he asked.

“Not really, Paps gets really, um, single-minded when he’s worried like this,” Frisk said, sitting on the bed. “He’ll be okay. Once this is done. Ugh, what a dumb thing, right?”

“I’m sorry you have to go through this,” he said, placing himself at her side and resting his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. “We will protect you,”

“Thanks.” She laughed. “I… It’s not that, it’s just… Confusing. I dunno. I wonder if Undyne…” She pulled out her phone and swiped through the screens. “Oh… Wait, she’s probably in her armour.”

“Is that bad?” he asked.

“No, it’s just, the fingers on her gloves are thick and pointy and she can’t really text well in them.” She sighed. “Guess we’ll just have to wait.”

Gaster stared at her silently for a few seconds. He flinched and then stood up and headed for the bookshelf. He ran his pointy fingertips quickly along the spines of many novels.

“You lookin’ for something?” Frisk asked.

“Ah! Not, um… Not really. I just thought maybe we could read to pass the time,” he said.

“I’ll probably just fall asleep, then,” she said with a laugh.

“Ah. Alright. Maybe not the best plan.” He returned to her side and back on the mattress. “Is there anything I can do to help? To make you more comfortable?”

“Naw, it’s okay, just gotta get through it,” she said.

“You’re not nervous?” he asked.

“Sure I am, but I just gotta kinda play up that I’m a little kid and the lady should go home.” She shrugged. “And Az stopped the other guy from coming here, so if he really was the one I dreamt about, the stuff I saw can’t happen.”

“You’ve been thinking a lot about this, haven’t you?” he said.

She shrugged and nodded. Gaster smiled with a hint of pride. His soul made a distorted, warbling sound just a little too loudly. He hurried pulled out one of the small opera cakes and chucked it into his mouth. He sighed.

“Is it feeling any better today?” Frisk asked.

“I-It is, actually,” he said. “The rest was very beneficial.”

“I bet!” She grinned. “So let me know if anything else weird happens, okay?”

“Kiddo, you don’t have to worry so much about me,” he said bashfully. “Come on, now. Isn’t there anything I can do to help you?”

“Just go along with whatever dumb stuff I say.” She winked. “And I’m seven, according to Asgore.”

“Oh.” He chuckled. “And you are… comfortable with this? With…”

“Lying? Yeah.” She folded her arms. “I know it’s not a good thing to do, but—”

“Don’t,” he said quickly, raising his hands. “Far be it from me to… You do what keeps you safe.”

He looked troubled. He knitted his fingers and his brow furrowed with concern. 

“Hey, dad?” Frisk asked. 

“Hm? Oh! Oh, you’re…” His cheekbones flushed. “You’re still calling me _dad_.”

“Yeeeeah?” Frisk smiled sideways. “Why? Do you want me to not do that?”

“It’s not that at all! Call me whatever you like, it’s just I… Never mind.” He shook his head, but he glowed nonetheless. “What do you need?”

“Well, it’s just, I’ve been thinking about stuff a lot since yesterday,” she said. “Like… about you, and Sans and Paps, and where I fit, I guess. It’s been nice. But confusing. And I guess I was just wondering if I could ask about some stuff? Kinda about our family, or about you?”

“Oh! Of course,” he assured her. “Anything at all.”

Frisk’s face lit right up. “Thanks! Um. Sans had in his head that you guys were the last skeletons. Is it true?”

“Unfortunately,” he said. “We lost the rest in the war.”

“Sorry,” she said quietly.

He shook his head. “You know, for a long time, it was rather sobering to realize that I was the last, and there was nothing to be done about it. Then, years and years later, sheerly by accident, I made Sans.” A smile crept over him and a faint glow of magic shimmered in his eyes. “And suddenly I wasn’t alone anymore. Maybe we were only two, but it was absolutely amazing. Then, when I made Papyrus… I can’t describe to you how elated I was. Though it may be true that Sans can never have children, and it might be that Papyrus won’t either, as long as we’re here, there will always be three skeletons.”

She nodded. He smiled and winked.

“Well, maybe three and a half, right?” he said.

Frisk smiled bashfully. “It’s okay, I know, I’m not a monster, but—”

“That doesn’t matter,” he said.

Frisk’s heart swelled. She coughed to clear her throat quickly before her eyes started to water. “Um. Also. Can I ask? Why’s your magic two different colours like that? I’ve never seen it before.”

“Ah. That is an interesting question,” he said. “It comes, mostly, from my mother. Her whole line had what we call a magic split. It allowed our family to be born able to use more than one kind of magic at a time.”

“So that’s kinda unique?” she asked.

“I am the last one to have it,” he said. “It was a special boss monster trait.”

“Boss monster? Are you a boss monster?” she asked with surprise.

“Oh! You don’t know… You aren’t aware of much monster history, are you?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“Would you be interested in some context, then?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said.

“Well, to answer your question, I am a boss monster, in fact,” he said. “I wasn’t born one, but very close. My mother was the last in the line of skeleton boss monsters. My father was, apparently, quite normal, though I never knew him.”

“So you…? You can become a boss monster?” she asked. “How?”

“My circumstances were unfortunate,” he admitted. “I… Hmm… How to say this…?”

“It was in the war, right?” Frisk asked hesitantly.

Gaster froze. He ran a hand over his skull. “I… Hah. Frisky. You are very much like Sans, have I told you that?” He smiled ruefully. “That’s right. I _ascended_ during the war, if you can even call it that.”

“So you fought in it, then,” she said worriedly.

“I did,” Gaster said, a sense of melancholy settling about him. “The damage it did to my soul was tremendous, though. I could hardly muster a healing spell for decades. Even now— before the CORE, I mean, it was…”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say more. I understand,” she said. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he said. “You know. For the longest time, I wondered, would it be better if I hadn’t…? So many monsters didn’t make it. I sometimes sunk into a hole, wondering why I survived and so many others didn’t. Did I have a right to live, having done something so horrible, when those who hadn’t had turned to dust? But after I made Sans and I couldn’t bear to regret it any longer.”

“Wow,” Frisk said. “That’s really interesting. And sad. And nice, too.”

Gaster chuckled. “Sorry, that was a tangent.”

“That’s okay,” Frisk assured him. “I like hearing about past stuff. And about Sans. I didn’t know there were more boss monsters other than mom and Asgore, though.”

“Oh! There used to be many,” he said. “There used to be several lines of… Well, at the time, they were called monster lords, rather than bosses. Asgore made the change. He never liked being called a “lord”. Thought it was too domineering. Anyway. There were several family lines of monster lords per type of monster. For example, there were fish monster lords, elemental lords; my mother was the last of the skeleton lords. Toriel was the last of her line, as far as I know, and Asgore was the son of the strongest of all of the monster lords. Their kind had always been the most powerful, naturally, of all the monsters. Which is why he was absolutely uncontested as King, aside from the fact that he was always so good at taking care of others.”

“Ooh. Okay. But, what happened to the monster lords?” she asked, frowning worriedly. “Humans got them, huh?”

“By the time we were at the edge of war, humans had killed all but Asgore, Toriel, and a dragon called Yrra. She didn’t survive,” he said, grimacing. “Humans used to send out what they’d call raid parties to confront the strongest of monsters. And we… didn’t last.”

Frisk gulped. She could imagine the halls of a castle, once lively, dimmed and silent, and filled with dust. “Crap,” she muttered, her voice cracking. “Your mom, too?”

“…Yes,” he said. “Humans and monsters have always had such a horrible, mutually parasitic relationship with one another. When one kills the other, the power to be gained is substantial; enough to be addicting. Our people did not take that route intentionally. Most humans didn’t, either, but the ones that did grew strong enough to rule their people. And so…” He shrugged slightly, his expression taut and sad.

“Jeez, that’s terrible,” Frisk grumbled. “And doesn’t it totally mess your soul up, too? That happened to you, right?”

“It does. The change is permanent. Though some damage can heal,” he said. “Most humans didn’t feel the adverse effects, though. Or, didn’t see those as enough of a reason to stop.”

“Did you hate them?” she asked.

“For a while,” he said. “I was young and I’d seen… more than I’d ever wish on anyone. But, eventually, I met some humans that were different than the raiders or the lords or knights. I came to understand things are more shades of grey. Everything that happened was such a shame. Your grandmother would’ve loved to have met you. She was an adamant believer in peace between humans and skeletons.”

“Grandmother…” Frisk folded her arms and looked up at him with wide eyes. “What was her name?”

“Avenir,” he said.

Frisk repeated the name in her head. Filling out a strange family tree she hadn’t even been aware of. A grandmother. Avenir.

“What was she like?” she asked.

“Wonderful. Very caring. And a terrible cook.” He laughed. “She was always writing something. She got me interested in books. And trying to figure out how things in our world worked. She was very tall, it seemed, at the time. I always found she looked very… queenly. Softer in skull structure than I am. And lyre horns, of course.”

“Did a lot of skeletons have horns?” Frisk asked.

“Some of us,” he said. “She did. A small number of us had tails, too. I believe it may have been a regional thing.”

“And Avenir had the magic split thing, too?” 

“She did. Blue and red, in fact.” Gaster smiled fondly. “Her red was almost exactly the same as yours is now.”

“Wow, okay. Did… Did we have a big family?” she asked.

“Quite small, actually,” he said. “I had no siblings, nor aunts, or uncles. I didn’t know my father, unfortunately. And my mother was taken from me when I was very young.”

Frisk looked troubled. She hugged her knees. “Was that in the war?”

“Earlier,” he said. His expression glazed for a moment. He shook his head. “It was a long, long time ago. And I was far from the only orphan left around at the time.”

“So what did you do?” Frisk squeaked, eyes wide.

“I ran. I met Asgore.” He smiled slightly. “We were all but inseparable after that.”

Frisk tilted her head. “So I guess it must’ve been cool to see Asriel again, huh?”

“Oh. God. Absolutely,” he said.

“You knew him pretty well, I bet,” she said.

“I did! Since he was born, in fact,” Gaster said with a nod.

“So you must’ve known Chara,” she said, raising her brows.

“I did,” he said. “Poor girl. You know the story? About how she got sick and…”

“Uh…” Frisk looked puzzled. “Sick? Um. Dad. What d’you mean? She—”

“That’s how she passed away,”he said. “We didn’t have the knowledge to heal her, it was—”

“No. No no, dad, I mean, she didn’t… She didn’t catch a bug.She didn’t get sick,” Frisk said. “She poisoned herself. She did it on purpose.”

“…Wh-What? Frisky, what are you saying?” he asked.

The look of genuine shock on his face gave her pause. “Oh. Jeez, I’m sorry. I guess you missed this part, huh?” Frisk said sheepishly. “Sorry to… Never mind, it’s okay.”

“Please. What were you…?” He looked perturbed. “It was intentional?”

“Um. Yeah. She, um… She died to give her soul to Az,” Frisk said. “She wanted to kill all humans, as revenge for what they did to monsters, but Az changed his mind when they actually got to where they were gonna start and… Well, you know the rest. She turned into a weird ghost after the CORE blew up on you. She’d try to possess the anomalies who came in when everything was going weird. She was actually in the back of my head for a bit.”

“Wait. What? Are you serious?” His eyes went wide. “Little Chara?! How could that be?”

“Oh, wow, you really didn’t know,” Frisk said, unable to hide her surprise. “Did you…? Did Sans tell you what happened to him?”

“He didn’t need to, I’d seen it in dreams,” he admitted. “Why?”

“The, um, anomalies that he fought? Those were Chara. Or, kids Chara’d taken over,” she said. “You didn’t see her?”

Gaster froze with shock. He stared at her blankly— silently— for a while. He put a hand to his mouth.

“Sorry,” Frisk said again.

“Y-You can’t tell Asgore,” he said quickly. “Oh, god, he’d never forgive himself, he’d never—”

“Dad,” Frisk said gently, “Asriel already told him and mom everything. They know.”

“_Nimhneach m’anam…_” He rubbed his brow. “And?”

“It was hard. But they’re doing okay,” she said. “They know it wasn’t their fault. It was just… when she was a ghost, and I think it’s a human thing? But she was basically only bad emotions, and she used that to mess with people. I know she wasn’t evil, when she was alive? But as a ghost she was, um… She wasn’t so good until near the end of my time knowing her.”

He let out a long, deep breath. He frowned at the floor. Frisk tilted her head. It seemed like the implications of what she’d said were running through his mind. She felt bad for that.

“She… She was inside your head?” he asked softly.

“Yeah. She, um. She tried to convince me to hurt people, sometimes,” she admitted. “But by the end, because I was trying to help her brother, she, um… wasn’t so bad to me. Then she left. I, um, never really understood why she didn’t come back at the reset, but once she said she was gone, she just kinda was. I never heard from her again.”

Gaster’s frown deepened. He quickly wrapped her in his arms. “I didn’t know,” he muttered.

“I know! I know, it’s okay,” she said. “I’m sorry, I’m sure the kid you knew was really nice, it’s just… what happened really messed her up. I hope I didn’t… ruin your image of her or anything, sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, sweetheart,” he said quietly. “When it comes to something like this, you are my first priority. Always.”

Frisk’s face flushed, and she clung to him gently. It was kind of nice. She felt very safe there, a lot like she felt with Toriel. “Thanks,” she said.

He was silent for a while, his hard fingertips gently running through her hair. “The world is a strange place,” he said, finally. “Funny. Since I left, things have changed a great deal. But the people are much the same. I’m grateful. And. Frisky?”

“Mhm?” she asked.

“You’re wonderful.” He pulled back and smiled at her. He cupped her cheek with his broken hand. “I’m sorry. So many things have happened to you and I… I just…”

“I’m okay,” she assured him.

“Will you let me know if you need anything? Anything at all?” he said.

“You just got here,” Frisk said with a laugh. “Don’t worry so much about me, okay? I’m fine. You should just relax. I can feel in your soul that you’re still achey all over.”

“Oh.” His cheekbones became tinted with the pale gradient of blue and gold. “I… I suppose I am.” He looked embarrassed for a few seconds, but then his expression lightened. He smiled. “Hey. I have an idea. A little less heavy than all that. How would you like to see your grandmother?”

Frisk was floored. She stared back at him blankly. “See her?”

“Well, see through my memories,” he said. “It’s a very basic power related to determination, an ability to look through memories while being directed. I am able to do it, so it stands to reason that you would be able to do it as well.”

“Wh…? Could I?” She couldn’t help her eyes from going wide. “C-Could I always do that?”

“Of course,” he said. “Would you like to try?”

“Um! Okay! Y-Yeah!” The thought hit her with nerves and excitement. “How do I do it?”

“Use your magic. Look to reverse. And touch here and here.” He put one hand on his temple and the other to where his soul would be glowing. “I will show you where to go, you just have to peek inwards. It’s very simple.”

She nodded and concentrated to bring red to her fingertips. She reached up and put a hand on his head and then on his chest, too. She closed her eyes. 

“O-Okay. Show me?” she asked.

Her mind’s eye guided her through a fog of white over black. It swirled ever so slightly. 

“Force it to let you through,” Gaster said. 

Frisk wasn’t sure how, but she focussed in on what she wanted to see. She silently asked to be let in. Her red stained the centre of the fog and, all of a sudden, the mist painted images, like revealing an old and grainy film. 

She saw a figure from a low angle that started to build up out of shadows. A skeleton woman. Her skull shape was slender and graceful, and her eye sockets were large with white pupils, just like Sans. She had slightly pointed eyeteeth and horns, like Gaster had said. She could only see her torso aside from that as they bounced — took a moment to discern that they were riding on a soft horse the colour of storm clouds with faint white speckles in its fur. The skeleton wore a brown muffler around her neck and shoulders, and a basic plate mail armour, grey in colour and well worn.She was smiling back at her— no, at Gaster, she thought— and her eye flared slightly with blue.

“That’s a good one,” she said fondly. She was speaking a language that Frisk didn’t hear— the memories translated it instantly. She had a pleasant, silvery voice. “I’m glad you wanted to come. The road is a lot nicer with you around.”

“Oh, good!” A young boy’s voice, in that same language. Gaster. “It’s a pretty nice trip. And we’ll really get to meet the King and Queen at the end?”

The woman’s expression went tight, but she forced a smile and turned back to look ahead.

“We will meet the King,” she assured him. 

“I’m excited!” he said.

The memory shifted and the colours around her changed to gold; became warm like fire. Bundled in a blanket, Frisk could see little skeleton hands cling to the plush surface and snuggle in under the arm of the woman. She read aloud, claw-tipped finger tracing under the words on the page of an old, tatty book, the parchment worn on the edges from frequent use. The words were muddled and the text shifted between words she didn’t understand in letters she could read to just the symbols she’d come to recognize as that old skeleton language. 

Frisk blinked her eyes open and she was looking at her father again. She felt a little heavy in her head and almost couldn’t believe it. That had been so easy. Gaster smiled at her fondly.

“It came through, didn’t it?”

“Y-Yeah! Wow. That was her?” She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles. They felt a little fuzzy. “She looked really cool.”

“She was,” he said.

“Sans looks a little like her,” she said.

Gaster chuckled. “He has her eyes. That was a very nice surprise.”

“Where did you live?” she said. “I saw… a room? Sort of?”

“We had a castle,” he said. “A small one. I wonder if any of it is still there…”

“A castle?! And you guys had a horse?” she asked.

“We did,” he said. “Nimbus. She was with me for a long time.”

“Wow.” Frisk smiled. “Thanks for showing me that.”

“You’re very welcome,” he said. 

“Was that really far away? Maybe we could go see where you used to live, out on the surface,” she suggested.

“Well… It is quite far, but I can’t see why not.” There was a warm glow about him as he said this. “It would be long trip, but…” He put a hand to his mouth for a moment. He snickered. Losing his composure, he grabbed the kid and hugged her close, grinning wide. “_A stór, tá tú an-chróga. Tapadh leat_. I would be more than happy to show you some day. We have all the time in the world.”

“Y-Yeah?” she asked.

“Of course!” he assured her. “Ah. I never thought there’d come a time where I could ever take you kids there, but now…” He ruffled her hair. “Thank you.”

“It was a group effort,” she said brightly.

“Hey.” Sans appeared from nowhere and shot them a smile. “Good chat?”

“Hey!!” Frisk hopped up to give him a hug as hello. “Dad told me about the surface, and about boss monsters, and about his mom, and the war, and his horse. He said he’d take us to go see the castle where he used to live sometime.”

“Hey, not a bad idea,” Sans said. “Feelin’ alright?”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she said.

“Good.” He jerked his thumb back over his shoulder. “They’re like four minutes away.”

“Oof!” Frisk laughed and rubbed her head as her stomach did a backflip and a chill ran under her skin. “Okay. That’s fine. I’m fine.”

“What can I do?” Gaster asked, standing up. “Is there anything I can—?” He started coughing and his bones rattled.

“Gonna be sick?” Sans asked.

He froze up. Probably yes. Sans grabbed his arm and nodded towards the door. 

“Okay. Get outta here? Meet us by the inn?”

Gaster nodded. He gently grabbed Frisk and bumped his brow on hers and hurried away, holding himself tightly. The kid looked up at her brother worriedly.

“He’ll be okay,” he said.

“I know, but it still kinda sucks,” she said.

“Yeah. C’mon. Let’s go pretend to be normal, huh?”


	9. IT’S MORE LIKELY THAN YOU THINK

Frisk set herself up on the couch with a book just a hair below her reading level and waited anxiously. Papyrus looked as nervous as she felt. When he couldn’t find another thing he could possibly clean, he edged onto the couch with Frisk and squished her close. He was pouting at much as a skeleton was able to. It struck her rather abruptly that her older brother wasn’t actually that much older than she was, and she’d never seen him look quite so uncertain as he did right this second. She hugged him.

“Of all the things to have happen…” he grumbled.

“I know, it’s the worst,” she said. 

A heavy fist banged on their door. Frisk jumped and Papyrus got up, straightening out his Delta Rune sweater and his scarf. The kid found herself siting beside Sans very abruptly, and he gently took the book away from her and held a page open as if they’d been in the middle of something. Papyrus counted down on his fingers, and then threw the door open. It was Undyne who stood there, in full armour, her yellow eye gleaming intensely through the slit in her helmet. She moved aside before Papyrus could greet her and she firmly guided a woman forward. The Ambassador, in fact. She looked sheepish and a little underdressed for the cold. Papyrus extended a hand to her and beckoned her inside.

“Hello, human! Come inside,” he said.

“Ah. Th-Thank you.” She was shivering. “I’m June Ya—”

“I have orders to protect the kid,” Undyne said cooly, her focus on Papyrus as her words trampled over the Ambassador. 

“Yes! Of course, thank you, Captain,” he said. 

Papyrus beckoned them in, then shut the door tightly and gestured widely to the room. “Welcome to our house! I am the great Papyrus! Naturally. And over there is Sans, and—”

The woman sneezed. She blushed instantly and raised her hands. “Ah! I’m sorry, excuse me,” she said swiftly. 

“Oh! You must be cold!!” Papyrus said. “Let me get you some tea.”

He raced away and Sans finally got up. Frisk slunk down in her seat and tried to stay behind her brother. She waved tepidly to Undyne, who had positioned herself like a sentinel beside the doorway. Sans turned to her and put a hand on her head. 

“Alright, sweetheart, you wanna wait upstairs for a few minutes?” he asked. 

Frisk had to stop herself from laughing out loud. She nodded and he knelt down.

“Keep your phone on,” he whispered.

Hurriedly, the kid ran away and closed herself in the bedroom. The Ambassador watched with interest, and then smiled politely at Sans. He flicked through the phone in his pocket and dialled the kid.

“Hello. Nice to meet you in person, finally,” the woman said. “I’m sorry to burst into your home like this. I’ll be sure to get out of you hair… um… a-as soon as possible.”

Sans shrugged. “Welp. Be good to get this sorted. Kinda freaks the kid out.”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” she said quickly.

“Yeah but, gotta admit, it’s pretty weird,” he said. “Plus, y’know, the kid doesn’t have a lot of experience with humans. We’re kinda the only family she’s known, so…”

The Ambassador tilted her head slightly. “And what is your relation to her?”

“Brother.” He shrugged. “Primary caregiver. Mom’s a teacher, dad’s a scientist; I’m the adult that’s home the most.”

“And you?” she asked Papyrus as he returned with a cup of tea. “Oh, thank you.”

“You’re very welcome,” he said. “I am also her big brother! Though. Sans is older than I am. Even though he is considerably smaller.” He tapped his fingertips together. “You’re… not here to try to take her away, are you?”

“Oh, no no no, nothing like that,” the woman said quickly.

Papyrus deflated instantly with a huge sigh, and then straightened up tall and wiped his brow. “Well THAT’S a relief! Honestly. So, um. What are you here for?”

“Well, I’d like to talk to her, for one,” she said. “Assess the situation.”

Sans folded his arms. “I don’t think you’re gonna find what you’re lookin’ for.”

“Mostly, we’re a little concerned with how this happened at all, to be honest,” she said. “I understand that your King had essentially claimed her as a citizen, which is fine, but I guess what I’d like for you to understand is how concerning it is that a girl that young even arrived here to begin with. There aren’t any towns around here for miles.”

“Yeah, she, uh, apparently didn’t have a great time out there on her own,” Sans said.

“And that’s also a very serious case of neglect,” she said. “So. If she is declared missing from somewhere, but you’re telling me she didn’t have a family before you, we’d be looking into whoever it was who let a little girl just live on the streets like that.”

“Don’t think you’ll find that either,” Sans said; this time his tone was a little apologetic. “But you’re welcome to talk with her.”

“Thank you.” June sounded relieved. She hesitantly sipped the tea and her eyes went wide. “Oh! This is… really good. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome! But just… be nice to her, okay?” Papyrus said. “We were—I mean, she was very nervous about all this.”

“I’m sure I can put her at ease,” the woman said reassuringly. “Would it be alright if I talk to her now? We’ll need some privacy, though, if that’s okay.”

“I have orders to stay with her,” Undyne growled.

Sans put his hand up to stall her and shot her a knowing look. “As long as she can have her phone with her, I got no problem.”

“That’s just fine,” the woman said. She looked between Undyne and Sans cautiously. “Is… that alright with you?”

Undyne didn’t move. Sans nodded. He tilted his head towards the stairs. “Hey, kiddo, you wanna come back down here?” he called.

Frisk opened the door and peeked out shyly. She came down the stairs hesitantly and snuck mostly behind Sans, clinging tight to his hand.

“Hey, so, this human lady’d like to talk to you for a little,” he said gently. “That okay with you, sweetheart?”

Frisk clung a little tighter, concealing the twitch of a smile. She pressed into his side, but she nodded. June smiled sweetly and knelt down to Frisk’s eye level.

“Hi there,” she said, her voice high and pleasant. She offered her hand. “My name’s June, what’s yours?”

Frisk hesitated, quite deliberately, and widened her eyes. She grasped the human’s hand lightly and let her shake it. “I-I’m Frisk,” she said quietly, trying to speak with an even higher tone than usual.

“That’s a nice name,” she said. “How would you like to show me your room, Frisk? I’d love to talk to you for a little. Would that be most comfortable? Or would you like to sit somewhere else?”

“Um…” She squeezed her fingers onto Sans’s sleeve and tried to exude nerves. 

He rubbed her head reassuringly and she looked up at him with big eyes.

“Hey. Don’t worry. We’ll be right out front. And the Cap’s gonna be a second away,” he said with an uncommon gentleness in his voice. “Call us for anything, alright?”

She nodded before slowly releasing him, and then turned her attention on the woman. “Okay. My room is fine,” she said.

Frisk took the human up to the bedroom. Boots clunked up the stairs behind them and stalled just outside the door. Though the Ambassador looked faintly cautious, she took a deep breath and her eyes shot around the room quickly. She seemed satisfied.

“Wow, look at all nice stuff,” June said. “Is this yours or your brother’s?”

“Um, m-mine. Um. Some of it,” Frisk said. “We share, though.”

“Does he share everything?” she asked.

“Not everything. A-All the toys and books and he lets me use his computer, even,” she said. “But he says I can’t wear his boots because I’m too small and I’ll just fall over.”

“Ah.” The woman smiled and gestured to the closest. “Can I take a look?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Frisk said. She wasn’t sure what this woman was looking for. She tried not to look too suspicious of her. 

The Ambassador wandered around, peeking in at little things. Frisk kept an eye on her but didn’t follow. She hopped up on the bed and waited. She thought she heard Undyne’s boots again outside.

“This is a nice room,” the woman said, finally. “Frisk, sweetie, do you know why I’m here?”

“Ummm… Some humans wanted you to come visit?” she asked. “You talk to the King a lot, right? Do you work for a human King?”

“Well, not a King, but close. And I also work for social services,” she said. She smiled gently. “Do you know what that is?”

“Nope. Not really,” she said.

“I help kids who need help,” she said. “Do you need any help?”

Frisk preempted a scowl. Played dumb. “Um, nope! Sometimes I need help with my homework, but my brothers are good at that.”

“That’s good,” she said. “And, how many siblings do you have?”

“Four,” she said.

“And they’re all here, or…?”

“Well, I mean, they all live here except my big sister,” she said.

“And, how old are you, Frisk?” the woman asked.

“Seven,” Frisk said. “I’m the littlest.”

June smiled, but Frisk could see a question in her eyes. She didn’t ask it. She prowled the bedroom and then pointed at the slightly more normal looking bed.

“This is yours?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Frisk said.

“Where are the other bedrooms?” she asked.

Frisk froze for a second. She gulped. “We, um, we sometimes move them around. With magic and stuff. Um. I usually share with my brother, Papyrus, though. B-Because I have, um, panic attacks. So.”

“Oh. Honey. What gives you panic attacks?” June asked, kneeling to take her hands.

“I have a lot of bad dreams,” she said.

“About what?” The woman tilted her head slightly. 

“Um. Well. M-Mostly about being alone, I guess?” she said. “I, um… On the surface I didn’t have any people, so I remember that a lot and it was scary and stuff, and it sometimes still gives me bad dreams.”

“So. Where were you for all that time?” she asked gently. “Were you in a house? A room? Anywhere you could recognize?”

“I was outside,” she said.

“Could you tell me where?” she asked.

Frisk shrugged and shook her head. The woman paused to consider her words. Frisk felt a little bad. It must have been frustrating. She did seem to want to help, even if she wasn’t needed. And, to be fair, Frisk really wasn’t entirely sure where she’d been. A photo of landmarks might do it, but she couldn’t point to exactly where on a map.

“And how is it exactly that you ended up with monsters?” June asked. 

“Well, I kinda got lost on the mountain,” she said. “And I fell in a big hole. When I woke up, my mom found me.”

“And how long ago was that?”

“I dunno, a few years I guess,” Frisk said.

The Ambassador seemed almost disappointed for a moment, but she smiled. “Is it alright if I ask you some more questions?” she said. “I was wondering, that mark on your face… And, I’m sorry, but I saw some on your hands as well. How did you get those?”

Frisk feigned confusion for a moment. She looked at her hands, front and back. “Oh! Um. The forest, probably!”

“The forest?” June repeated gently.

Frisk nodded. “Yeeeeah, me and my brother, Asriel, we sometimes play in the woods, and it’s super easy to scratch yourself on all the trees and stuff.”

“Is it? What kind of games do you play?”

“Um. Tag, sometimes. Magic battle. That’s really fun.” Frisk shrugged. “I dunno, we just make stuff up and run around, I guess.” 

The woman nodded. “Could I ask a little more about your family? And how you like living here.”

Now, Frisk was starting to feel a little anxious. She put on a big grin, though. She knew exactly who to channel for this. “My family? Sure! They’re so great! Oh!! Let me tell you all about them, okay? Like Papyrus! He’s the greatest!”

\- - -

Papyrus was pacing anxiously back and forth. He’d already worn a path in the snow down in front of the house. “Can’t we go back? I want to hear what’s going on.”

The group had bunched up together near the steps where Undyne had chucked her helmet down. Sans had dragged her outside with them, and she had a deep scowl on her face. Gaster rejoined them, looking trepidatious but a lot less sick.

“Yeah, I don’t like this either,” Undyne growled. “I was literally ordered to stay with her, dude.”

“Not much to it.” Sans shrugged. “Human’ll get suspicious if we all crowd in. Might think we’re influencin’ her. Or that the kid is hidin’ somethin’.”

“But she totally is though,” Undyne said.

“I suppose we should just try not to get in the way,” Gaster said reluctantly. 

“But she looked so scared,” Papyrus said quietly, chewing his knuckle. “And she sounded so scared. I’m really worried.”

Sans clunked his back against the wall. “It was an act.”

“What?!” Papyrus yelped.

“Well, I mean, you heard how she was talkin’ real different, right?” 

“Oh.” Papyrus tapped his chin. “I… I guess you’re right, actually, now that I think about. But why would she…?”

“Unassuming little kid. That’ll probably get that human out of her hair faster,” Undyne suggested.

“Do you really think that’ll work?” Gaster asked worriedly.

“Sure.” Sans shrugged. “She’s good at readin’ people; learnin’ what they expect. This lady expects a normal seven-year-old, that’s what she’s gonna get, more or less.”

“And she can pull that off convincingly?” 

“People do always mistake her for younger because she’s so small,” Papyrus said.

“Ugh, this sucks though, I gotta be in there,” Undyne grumbled. “I _want_ to be in there.”

“Me too,” Papyrus said. 

Gaster tapped his chin. He looked between the three other monsters curiously. “Undyne,” he said, “your determination is quite high, isn’t it?”

“Hm? Oh, uh. Yeah, I guess so,” she said.

“Hmm. Then… I wonder…” He started down the road and then waved for them to follow. “Come, you three, I have an idea.”

Undyne shot a confused look at Sans and Papyrus. The former shrugged. The latter perked up and quickly scampered after his father.

They followed him to the shining tear in time near the inn. He looked at it curiously, pulled off a glove in his teeth, and then stuck his hand straight into it. 

“Is that a safe thing?” Papyrus whispered loudly to Sans.

“I think… I think this should work,” Gaster said. He took off his other glove and then beckoned to the others. “Now, if everyone would just hold onto me for a moment.”

“Uh, why?” Undyne asked.

“Well, I can get us back into the house without the whole sneaking around nonsense,” the skeleton said. “As long as we’re quiet, we can probably listen in through the ceiling.”

“What?! How?” Papyrus grabbed his shoulders. “How how how?!”

“Just hold on.” He offered a hand to his son. “I’ll show you.”

“I’ll meet you,” Sans said. He vanished.

Undyne looked skeptical, but she grabbed the skeleton’s shoulder. All of a sudden, the white of the snow was overtaken by oppressive black, only to have them all tumble into a stack of boxes in a dark, enclosed space. They could hear Sans snicker. 

“Nice,” he said at a whisper.

Papyrus groaned and Undyne heaved herself off him and pulled him up, where he clung to her tightly, looking a little sick. She was pretty light headed herself. Gaster got up last, silently choking out a thick, black sludge. He wiped his mouth on his arm and Sans squatted to hold his shoulder. He stole his father’s phone and got him one of the small, medicinal cakes. The tall skeleton nodded appreciatively and ate it in a hurry.

“What the hell was that?!” Undyne hissed.

“Kinda like what I do, but through the time tears,” Sans said. “S’okay.Now…”

They went quiet. They could hear the mumble of voices through the ceiling. Papyrus instantly perked up.

He jumped upright, but Sans held him back with blue magic and held up one finger. He shifted himself across the floor, arriving again in complete silence. He pointed at Undyne. She looked confused. Papyrus frowned slightly, but then quickly perked up again and sat back down with her. 

“He needs a spear,” he said quietly.

“Oh.” She held out her hand and her magic flashed bright until a cyan spear dropped into her palm. She tossed it over to Sans.

He stuck his thumb up and used the blade to gently slice a circle in the floorboards. He caught the leftover plank in his own magic and drew it back up, letting in the light from the bedroom below. The voices suddenly came through a lot more clearly. All the monsters hunkered down, silent, to listen closely.

Having talked the Ambassador’s ear off about Papyrus, Frisk’s mood was genuinely lifted. The woman listened and nodded along, smiling politely. She ducked in when the kid stopped to take a breath.

“You sound like you’re very close to your brother. Do you get along well with the other members of your family?”

“Oh, yeah, for sure!” she said brightly. “Sans is really really nice. He maybe sounds all low and gruff but he tells the best jokes and he reads to me and he’s just great. And he always helps me with school all the time! And me and Az always play together and it’s super nice. And Undyne’s so big and tough and she’s really good at sports and stuff, she’s so cool. And mom and dad are really great, too. They’re all really smart and I wanna be just like them when I grow up.”

“And how do you feel about living here?” the woman asked.

“It’s really nice,” she said.“There’s all kinds of fun places. And so many monsters, they’re all so different and nice.”

“Do you ever feel like maybe a monster treats you differently because you’re a human?” she asked.

“Oh. Well. Not really, not anymore,” she said. “I think everyone here was probably pretty scared of humans a while ago, but when they learned I was actually a human, they got a lot less scared.”

June chuckled. She nodded. “I see. I bet it was a big surprise to see a human for them, right?”

“I guess so, but a lot of them didn’t know,” she said. “They mostly thought I was a dog.”

“A dog? Really?” June asked. “Why would they think you were a dog?”

“I dunno, but once the dogs decide you’re a dog, everyone pretty much just thinks you are one,” Frisk said with a smile and a shrug.

June gestured to the bed as if asking to sit. Frisk scooted over. The woman placed her bag to the side and reached in. She pulled out a little rectangular device, white and blue with a plastic cover over top, with a hole in the front. 

“There’s a small test I’d like to do, if that’s okay,” she said. “All you have to do is put your finger in this hole.”

“Okay.” Frisk couldn’t keep the suspicion from her tone. 

The woman smiled. “It’ll just see if there’s anyone out there looking for you.”

Frisk chewed her cheek. “I don’t think there is.” She extended a finger anyway. “Does it hurt?”

“Just like a tiny pinch,” she said.

Frisk nodded. The woman held the device closer to her. The kid put her finger into the hole and, after a second, felt the smallest of stinging sensations. It wasn’t even enough to make her jump. The Ambassador smiled and then took the thing back and flipped up the cover. There was a screen in there. Frisk leaned around to look.

“It’ll just take a couple minutes,” June said. “If there is someone—”

“Tell them to go away and that they stink,” Frisk said certainly. “I don’t even really want to know, can you just tell my mom or dad or someone instead of me if you find something?”

The woman was taken aback. She tilted her head and smiled sympathetically. “That bad, huh?” she said gently.

“Really bad!” Frisk said shrilly.

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” June said. “Don’t worry. We’re… I mean, I’m not here to try make you meet them or anything like that. Your mother was very clear about that.”

“Good,” Frisk said.

“But you may change your mind as you get older.”

“Nope,” Frisk said, pouting.

The woman chuckled. “It seems like you have a family that cares about you a lot.”

“Yeah, they’re the best,” she said, instantly perking up. 

The device in the woman’s hand let out a quiet _ding_. She looked surprised and she took a look at the screen. Her mouth tightened for just a moment, but when she looked back at Frisk, she couldn’t seem to help a smile.

“Well. That was fast… Good news, if you can call it that,” she said. “No results. See?” She held the screen out and raised her brows.

Frisk leaned over and took a look. The screen assured her that there were no matches to her blood, however that worked. It wasn’t a surprise, but she felt lighter anyway — they must be almost done. She smiled and clapped her hands. 

“Knew it,” she said.

There was a little confusion on the woman’s face. Couldn’t seem to comprehend why Frisk wouldn’t be interested in some mysterious human relatives. After yesterday, though, the kid was mostly just sorry this lady was wasting her time. Leaning back towards her bag, June pulled out a cellphone. It looked pretty similar to the monster ones in some ways, but it was a lot more screen and much flatter— less colourful on the casing. She pressed on the screen and moved some images around, and then held it out to Frisk.

“Maybe you can help me,” she said. “Do you think you could look at some pictures for me?”

“Um. Sure?” the kid said.

Frisk took the phone in both hands and was surprised to see the photo of a child. Young— maybe younger than her— with pale skin, freckles, and curly red hair, and a big grin missing a tooth in the front. Frisk’s brow furrowed and she looked at the Ambassador with confusion.

“What is this?” she asked.

“If you wouldn’t mind, would you look through these pictures for me, sweetie?” she said. “These are other kids that got lost. Maybe you could tell me if you’ve seen any of them?”

Frisk suddenly understood why this lady had come all the way here. A pang of guilt knotted her stomach. There was no good answer going to come from this. She nodded and slowly began to swipe through pictures of missing children. A little blonde girl, a fluffy-haired teenage boy; an infant in a grainy picture. No, of course, she didn’t recognize any of these. 

June watched her intently. She kept going. Then, there was a photo that hit her with a chill down to her bones. A teenaged girl with dark eyes and dark hair, long and in a braid over her shoulder. Barely smiling. She knew that one. Hadn’t seen her herself, but knew many who had. She gulped and kept looking, and, once she reached the end, returned to the photo that had instantly set her heart beating.

“Does that one look familiar? Have you seen her?!” June asked shrilly. “She came here? She’d be an adult by now, but—”

“No. No, she just… reminded me of a girl they told me about,” she said quietly. “I… never saw her for real.”

“What happened?” she asked.

“She hurt a lot of monsters” Frisk said. 

“Wh… What?” June looked thoroughly taken aback. “Pardon?”

“The girl hurt a lot of monsters,” Frisk said. “More than ten. Maybe twenty? The girl who’s the Guard Captain now? My big sister. Both her parents.”

“Oh…” The woman cupped her chin and she frowned to herself. “No wonder she was so hostile…”

Frisk pretended like she didn’t understand the word. She stared at June blankly for a while. “You could ask the King,” she said. “I’m sure he’d help you.”

“Well, the King is very kind, but—”

“I know, right? He’s super nice! And really fluffy and stuff,” she said. “He’s great. He’ll help you for sure.”

June smiled gently. She nodded, and then reached into her bag again. She pulled out a photo on a faintly wrinkled sheet, protected inside a plastic case. “What about this girl?”

When Frisk took it, the sight confused her. It was a picture of a young girl playing on a swing. Her dark hair was cut in the same style as Frisk’s, and her features were faintly similar, though her skin tone was lighter and her eyes looked blue. Frisk frowned slightly and looked up at the woman.

“No, sorry. Why?” she said.

“Ah… We just thought, maybe, since you made it here, other kids who nobody can find might have, too,” June said. 

“Oh. No. No other humans, not for a long time,” Frisk said. “Sorry. It’s just me.”

“I understand,” she said. “Frisk. Thank you so much.” She smiled and held the kid’s hand. “I know this must’ve been a little scary for you, huh? But I think you’re just great for giving me this time to talk to you. You were very brave.”

“Um! Thank you!” she said. 

“I guess I should talk to your parents for a minute before I go, um… Oh! Your mom and dad, do you know where they are?” 

“Dad should be around. He was on his way home from work.” Frisk paused and held in a laugh as she heard what could only be bones on wood just above them somewhere— June didn’t seem to notice. “Mom’s at a teacher’s conference.”

Frisk followed the woman out of the room, only to be met by Gaster thumping in through the front door in a tizzy, his warm clothes for enduring the constant chills replaced by a black turtleneck under a lab coat. She had no idea how he’d changed so quickly. 

“Frisk, sweetie, there you are,” he said quickly. “Alright?”

“Mhm! Hi, dad!” she said brightly.

Gaster instantly froze up, colours tinting his cheekbones. The kid had to resist laughing and rolling her eyes. He gathered himself up in a hurry and strode to meet the woman at the bottom of the stairs. 

“I hope you weren’t too hard on her,” he said. “She’s a good kid. She’s not in any trouble, is she?”

“Trouble? Oh, no no, sir, absolutely not,” the woman said quickly. “It’s not about that at all. I can explain it all to you if you like.”

“That, uh… That would be good.” He nodded and then gently patted Frisk on her head as she snuck around from behind June. “Honey, why don’t you go outside and play with your brothers, okay?”

“Okay!” She hugged him around the legs and then rushed for the door.

“And don’t forget to dress warmly,” he said.

“Okay!”

Frisk deflated with exhaustion the second the door clunked closed behind her. She laughed and rubbed her fingers through her hair, and then immediately booked it towards the inn. She caught Papyrus’s eye before she’d even passed the celebration tree. He sprinted for her and bent to hug her tight, and she relaxed in his arms and clung to his shoulders.

“You did SO well!!” he exclaimed.

“Thanks. Oh man. I was so tired of talking like that,” she said. “Ugghh, done!! Done. Super done.”

“You weren’t too scared, were you?” he asked.

“No. I’m okay,” she assured him.

“What a relief!” he said. He bumped his brow against hers. “Nyeh, what a strange day.”

“So, that wasn’t so bad, huh?” Sans turned up out of nowhere and patted Frisk on the shoulder. “Hey, uh, good job, sweetheart.”

She laughed and hugged him. “Oh my god, you’re such a goof.”

He snickered and squished her. “Did good, sweet pea. Sweetheart. Sweetie pie.”

Frisk giggled and beamed. “You sound like an old timey gangster movie guy when you say that.”

That cracked him up, and he ruffled her hair affectionately. He tilted his head towards Grillby’s. “C’mon, Cap’s holdin’ our seats.”

“And yet we have milkshakes at hooooome,” Papyrus scolded lightly.

“And there’s still a weird human in our house,” Sans said. “Who wants to wait?”

Inside Grillby’s, Frisk was greeted instantly with a bone crushing hug against a heavy metal breastplate. “Hi Undyne,” she choked.

“Ah, squirt, you’re real good, y’know?” she said. She plopped her down in a booth that was already filled with food, and shoved a burger into the kid’s hands. “Oof. Think Gaster’s done yet? I didn’t want to go without seein’ you, though.”

“Thank you,” she said.

The big monster clunked herself onto the bench and wolfed down a half-burg, and then chugged a stein of some mysterious, amber liquid. She scooted over to make room for Papyrus as the skeletons joined them. The kid flopped up against Sans, drained, and was more than happy when he put his arm around her and slumped quite lazily himself.

“You guys were upstairs, right?” Frisk said quietly. “You heard all the stuff?”

“Sure did,” Undyne said. “Had to stick around, y’know?”

“Phew!” She stretched her back and grabbed her phone. She texted Asriel and Toriel that it was done. “Gotta admit, though, Undyne, I kinda like calling you my big sister.”

“HAH! Well. Maybe I kinda like hearin’ it.” She stuck her tongue out.

The kid lit right up. Papyrus cackled and nudged Undyne gently in the ribs.

“So do we, honestly!” he said brightly.

“Countin’ on a little nepotism, bro?” Sans joked.

“Pfffft, no, as if I’d need that!!” he said brightly. “But. I mean. If it would heeellppp…?”

“I dunno, Paps, if you’re like my new little brother, I kinda wanna keep you even further from fightin’ anybody,” Undyne said.

“Aw.” Papyrus pouted.

“But, I mean… That medic division is still not totally outta the question,” she said with a shrug. “Maybe we can do something more official this time around, who knows?”

“Trade the Royal Guard for the Royal Guard Medic Division and a new sister… Hmmm… Well, that does sound pretty promising,” he admitted. “Oooh, will there be cool uniforms?!”

Undyne barked out a laugh and thumped him heavily on the back.

“Hey. So.” The big monster turned her attention back on Frisk. “Weird that that lady was just lookin’ for missing kids, though, right?”

“You’d think they could maybe do that without scaring the heck out of a not-missing kid,” Papyrus grumbled. “But why would they think there would be even more humans down here?”

“Yeah, s’not really a coincidence that there was usually, like, a decade or more between humans showing up here when the barrier was up,” she said. “It’s just really out of the way. Heck, Frisk, I think you’re probably the only person who ended up here on purpose.”

“I guess maybe some of them were gone a long time. They must be desperate,” Frisk said quietly. “One was, um… number six. If you heard that.”

“Mhm.” Sans squeezed her, just a little. “You did good.”

“Thanks,” she said. “I—” Her phone buzzed. She checked it— Gaster, though it was gibberish. “Uh… I think they’re done already.”

“Okay! Gotta go!” Undyne leapt over Papyrus and shoved her helmet on. She stuck her thumb up. “I’ll be back tonight. Chill out for the rest of the day, okay?”

“We will do our best,” Papyrus said.

Almost as soon as Undyne stomped out, Gaster slumped back in. He slipped into the booth and flopped against the backrest. 

“That was strangely exhausting,” he said. “Everyone alright?”

“Very relieved,” Papyrus said.

Gaster reached across the table and held out his hands for Frisk. She grabbed him and he smiled brightly at her.

“I am so proud of you,” he said.

“Did you run to Alphys’s super fast?” she asked.

“That’d be me,” Sans said. He winked. “Always wondered why we had so many lab coats that didn’t fit us.”

\- - -

Asgore was a tremendous host: making pots of tea, serving plates of cookies, letting music play, and answering any question the human man left in his house had. Even so, that man was still agitated. Paced when he thought no one was watching. Asriel was always watching, though. 

When a heavy knock on the door announced Undyne’s return with the Ambassador, Asriel was more than relieved. The woman looked less shellshocked than last time. He watched with feigned shyness as Asgore welcomed her back into the house and invited her to sit down for tea. The man, Boyd, looked pleased to see her. 

When the time came for them to leave, it was quite a bit of effort for Asriel to conceal how excited he was to see the tail end of them. However, the way out of the mountain was uncommonly dark for this time of day. Asriel squinted ahead suspiciously. His father hadn’t noticed. He seemed to be having a good time chatting it up with the Ambassador. Asriel, however, felt cold water on his paws. He looked down and saw it was running down the stone from up the path.

Asriel dashed ahead and realized very quickly that rainclouds were smothering the sky just beyond the cavern. His heart sunk, but his ears lifted to the distant rumble of thunder. Cursing inside his head, the drone of heavy rain hit him. He didn’t dare poke his head out, but he could see the crisp arcs of light slicing the clouds in the distance. 

“Shit,” he said at a whisper. He whipped around and looked at the others. He bit his lip— there was no way the humans could make it down the mountain in a storm like this. He gulped. “Um! It’s raining really hard over here!”

The humans shared a worried look. Asgore put a hand on June’s shoulder, and then pulled ahead to join Asriel. He peeked his head out and was immediately drenched. He spluttered and laughed, and then brushed back his shiny gold mane from his eyes.

“Wow, that sure is a storm, huh?” he said. He looked back at the humans and smiled apologetically. “It looks like we might be spending a little more time together.”

June picked up the pace and snuck in close to him to peek out as well. “Oh. Wow. Y-Yeah. I think you’re right. Is that okay?”

“Of course it is, Ambassador!” Asgore assured her quickly. “It’s getting late. You and your friend can stay with me.”

Despite the circumstances, the woman looked a little bit excited by the prospect. “Are you sure?”

“Yes! Don’t you worry at all,” Asgore put a hand on her back and walked with her towards the house again. “Come on, all of you! Let me show you around the city to pass the time. I can assure you, you won’t be disappointed.”

“I’ll speed up the first gate, then,” Asriel said.

“Hm?! Oh! Yes. Of course. The gate,” his father said. “Go on ahead, son.”

Asriel raised a paw in a wave and he booked it. He ran back up through the house and out onto the grey roads. He stopped quickly to phone Frisk. He half-expected her not to answer— napping, maybe— so he was overwhelmingly relieved when he heard her end of the line buzz to life.

“Az! Oh my god, what a weird day,” she said. 

He laughed. “Doin’ okay, then?” 

“Mhm! Oh man. And you wouldn’t believe these guys. They’ve been kinda spoiling me.” She snickered. “And jeez, dad is really cool. And… And it’s so nice, I don’t have to pretend to not be a weirdo around him because he knows everything already. It’s… It’s good.”

Asriel couldn’t help a fond smile. “That’s great. I’m happy. I have, uh… not great news, though? Sorry.”

“No, no, that’s okay,” she said quickly.

“The humans are staying for another day. The weather’s crap. Can’t get down the mountain,” he said. “But I’ll stop the guy from going to Snowdin. Don’t worry.”

“Thanks so much,” she said. “That’s fine. Everything bad I saw in the dream happened in Snowdin, so as long as he stays away, that should be fine.”

“Yeah, but mom’s still gonna be pissed, though.” He leaned up on the wall. “There’s something weird about all this. But I can’t figure it out.”

“Well, thanks for looking out for me,” she said bashfully.

“Hey. Always.” His ears perked slightly to the sound of footsteps slapping down the distant path behind him— far too light to be Asgore. “Think I gotta go, but maybe I can pop in later if Sans doesn’t pass out.”

“Thank you!!” she said brightly.

He hung up and turned slightly. He could already see the human Ambassador jogging to catch up with him.

“Prince!” She raised her hand. “Hi!”

“Um. Howdy,” he said. “What’s up?”

“Your dad said we’d be heading out soon, so I thought I’d see if you can use a hand.” She smiled brightly. “Is there anything I can do with this gate?”

“Oh. Um. Not really. But… I think it should be almost fine now,” he said quickly. “Let me, uhh… Hang on one second.” He fumbled with his phone and quickly phoned Alphys and waited a painful few seconds to see if she’d answer.

“Hey, Asriel,” the lizard said as soon as she picked up. “H-How are things g-going?”

“Hey, Doctor Alphys,” he said. “How’s it going with the gate?”

“G-Gate? What gate? Oh no, did I miss a text?!” 

“Yeah, the security gate? Retuning it for the new human and everything?” he said.

“Wh…? Oh. OH! I get it. Am I, um, on s-speakerphone?”

“Nope!” 

“Okay, so w-we were pretending. That’s fine. D-Don’t worry. Do you want m-me to come up there and pretend to do a science th-thing?”

“That’d be so great!! Thank you, Doctor Alphys!” he said brightly.

He clutched his phone close and stood in an awkward silence with the Ambassador for a few moments. He edged down the road and waved for her to follow. 

“Is it very far?” she asked curiously.

“Nnnoo, not really, we just gotta wait for the Royal Scientist,” he said. 

The woman nodded. Her eyes drifted off to the side and she sighed and folded her arms. She smiled. “I never imagined this place would look like this.”

Asriel watched her for a moment before continuing on. She hurried to keep up.

“Monsters are fascinating,” she said. “Oh! Sorry. I mean, everything’s just so different here.”

“Yeah, guess it would be,” Asriel said with a nod.

“I’m excited to learn more about all of this,” she said. “Your father’s been telling me the progress on the outside is going well. I’m looking forward to joining you. He said something about making a spot near the city centre.” She smiled. “I’m excited to help, where I can. It’s going to be a big change. For your people and for ours, too.”

“…So you’re sticking around? For a long time?” he asked. 

“That’s the plan,” she said. “After Starhome is a bit more finished, anyway.”

Well, not the worst thing in the world, Asriel thought. At least she seemed enthusiastic. “Uh! I’m sure you’ll like it. Just, um… Once you start eating monster food for a while, don’t switch back.”

“Oh really? Why?” she asked.

“Trust me, your butt will thank me,” he said.

It didn’t take long for the elevator at the end of the path to make indications that it was occupied. When Alphys came out, she was wearing a lab coat with seemingly as little stains as she could find, clutching a medical bag and a tuning fork tightly. She adjusted her glasses quickly and, though her expression was taut with nerves, she smiled slightly and bowed to Asriel.

“Your H-Highness,” she said. 

He held in a laugh. “Doctor Alphys! So. Um. This is the human Ambassador.” He gestured to the woman. “Um. So…?”

“Oh! Right! Um.” Alphys straightened up and pulled out some seemingly random objects and her phone from the bag and fumbled with them for a second. “It’s, um!! A-Almost done! But I can s-speed it along for you, Prince.”

“Thanks,” he said. 

The little lizard’s face got all sweaty under the gaze of the curious human who hung back a little behind Asriel. She fiddled with her objects and typed things into her phone, holding it up as if trying to get a signal from somewhere. June watched her curiously, her eyes lighting up.

“Um, excuse me? I don’t mean to interrupt,” she said, “but are you a scientist?”

“Uhhh… Y-Yes?” Alphys said.

“Do you work with Doctor Gaster?” she said. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

“Mmno. J-Just, um, this,” Alphys said.

“So where is this gate, exactly?” 

“Hm? G-Gate? Oh, it’s uhh… It’s everywhere!” Alphys said. “It’s, um… i-invisible. In this, um… area. Ummm… Sort of like a f-force field? We just, um, call it a gate.” She tapped her tuning fork against the wall and listened to it. After a second, she nodded as if she had gleaned some secret information from it. She shot Asriel a questioning look.

“It worked, right?” he asked.

“Ah! Y-Yes! Yes. It should be fine now! Um…” She backed up a couple steps and awkwardly raised a hand. “B-Bye!!” She ran away quickly, back into the elevator, and shot away downwards as quick as she could.

Asriel took June back home and gave his father the go ahead and, enthusiastically, Asgore herded the humans out of the house. The kid hung back, however. He would much rather be back home. He texted Sans where he was and, before he even laid eyes on the skeleton, Asriel was whisked away back to the house in Snowdin. 

Sans patted him on the head before flopping back into the corner of the couch with Papyrus and Frisk, the latter of which was wrapped in a blanket, half-asleep on her brother’s chest as he, too, lay back drowsily.

“Hello, Asriel, welcome back!” Papyrus said.

“Hey.” He squished in snugly with Sans and rubbed his face. “Oh man, what a weird day.”

Groggily, Frisk slipped off Papyrus and he moved his legs to give her more room as she went to give the boy a hug. He hadn’t realized how anxious he’d been until he caved and clutched her close, burying his snout against the crook of her neck. He was so tired.

“Glad you’re here,” she said.

“Thanks. Think I got an hour or two.”

Sans patted his head and the kid smiled bashfully. 

“You’re doin’ real good,” he said.

“Thanks.” Asriel let Frisk go and yawned into his paws. “Jeez. Did I mention how much I hate pretending I’m like a child stereotype?” 

“I know, it’s exhausting, right?” She laughed.

Papyrus smiled groggily. “Oh, Frisk, you’re going to be fine. And mom will be home soon and everything will be even better. I’m excited to see what happens, I bet she’s going to be happy. And, also—!”

He lost his train of thought when the front door burst open loudly and Undyne heaved herself and a backpack into the house.

“HEY, PUNKS,” she said loudly. She flopped down onto the floor and let out an exhausted sigh. “Shit, what a day.”

“They’re still here,” Asriel said.

Undyne groaned and put her arm over her eye. Frisk slipped down to sit with her and plopped onto her back, too.

“When are they leaving?” Undyne asked.

“When the weather isn’t crap,” Asriel said.

“I hate that,” she said. “Okay. Uh. I brought some vidya and anime, anyone want?”

“Heck yeah I want.” Frisk sat up and rubbed the back of her head. “Anything’s better than just lying around worrying, right?”

“That’s the spirit.” Undyne stuck her thumb up. “Just… gimme me a minute to lie here and worry.”

\- - -

There was a box filled to the top with clothes sitting on the bed. It felt so strangely normal for Gaster to pull through them— these old shirts and such that had been his a long time ago. Papyrus had dragged them all from the closet for him. The young skeleton had always wondered where all these clothes had come from, since most of them were a bit too monochrome or dark for his tastes, and were clearly too large for Sans. Gaster liked the plain, mostly black and grey outfits, though. It meant he didn’t have to think about what he was wearing at all.

He could hear the voices of everyone downstairs lifting a little. He felt his fingers quiver and he took a deep breath and held his hands against his chest. His soul still sounded like a discordant mess. That was okay, though. 

He changed into the coziest sweater he had— one that had been knitted by Toriel, in fact, eons ago. Grey with white geometric patterns and stars on it, and a high collar to keep his boney neck warm. 

He snuck down the stairs and watched for a while as everyone gathered around the TV. They were playing some sort of game pretty enthusiastically. Frisk was cozied in the lap of that big, blue fish monster as she seemed to focus pretty hard on whatever they were playing. He almost choked when he saw Asriel was there as well, lazing on the couch in between Sans and Papyrus. The kid noticed him, too, and turned and waved with a big grin. 

“Ah! There you are!” Papyrus hopped from his seat and grabbed Gaster by the shoulders, whisking him over to the couch. “Take my spot! Go on.”

The skeleton didn’t have time to protest, especially as his son gave him a hug, then leapt away to settle in comfortably beside Undyne and Frisk. He felt almost faint from the warmth. Asriel scooted up beside him and smiled brightly. 

“You still have that, huh?” He pointed at the sweater. “That’s kinda amazing. Feeling okay?”

“Not bad,” Gaster said quietly. “Can I, uh…? Sorry.” He turned in his seat and cupped the boy’s face. “Hm… These stripes…”

“Got a few more on my back and stuff. And the horns, too, huh?” He smiled sideways and held Gaster’s hands. “It’s because I’m always fused with a little of Frisk’s soul, now.”

“Is that how that worked?” he asked with surprise. 

“Yup! I mean. It’s funny because… Her soul is normal now. Well. Normalish,” he said. 

“You can still see the white points sometimes,” Frisk said— her eyes didn’t leave the screen as she concentrated intently on the breakneck platformer she was fighting through.

“We’re still figurin’ it out ourselves,” Sans said when Gaster’s brow furrowed with confusion. “Seems like her infinity determination number didn’t change. And it’s not like she has monster magic now. But we’ve found strangers are able to heal her better than before, at least.”

“Hm…” Gaster held in his desire to run some tests as soon as possible. “Interesting.”

“It did some crazy stuff for a bit, though.” Asriel grinned slyly. “Frisk was basically a blue goat for a while.”

“True,” she said. “Not so fuzzy though!”

“I thought it was pretty cool,” Undyne laughed.

“And I was huge for a few weeks,” he said. “But. I also kinda looked like a weird giant beast with gorilla arms, so I’m pretty happy where I am now.”

“I’m very glad,” Gaster said. 

To be honest, though, the skeleton was having trouble not just hugging everyone here. It was seriously exacerbated when the kid kicked back and leaned against him. He wanted to say something but couldn’t think of it. There was too much. He froze. Asriel tilted his head back and grinned at him.

“It’s still so weird seeing you again,” he said. “But I bet it’s even weirder for you, right? I’m glad you’re back, though.”

That was enough for him. He hugged the kid again and squished him quite tight. Asriel snickered. 

“This is going to be really nice when everything gets settled,” Papyrus said brightly. “Ooh, I can’t wait until mom gets home and your little vacation is over, Asriel!”

“Yeah. Probably gonna take another one, though. Next weekend, maybe.” He pouted. “These freakin’ humans are stealing all my dad-time. HEY. Fishface.”

“Sup, scrublord?” Undyne said.

“Come over for dinner more, dad loves that shit,” he said, leaning over the edge of the couch.

“Hah. Yeah. I should,” she said.

“Someone else take this, I can’t beat these freakin’ jumping cat things,” Frisk said, sticking the controller in the air.

“Gimme that, I got super reflexes,” Asriel joked, rolling onto the floor. 

He switched places with Frisk, and the kid plopped onto her back on the floor for a few seconds before heaving herself up and stretching her arms high above her head until her back cracked.

“…What is this super reflexes?” Gaster asked, puzzled.

“That soul fuse thing again,” Asriel said.

“Oh.” He stared blankly, but didn’t ask more despite the curiosity perked in his eyes. He cautiously extended a hand to Frisk. “Um. Frisky? May I…?”

“Hm? Oh!” She plopped down beside him and put a hand over her soul spot. “Yeah, of course.”

The red lit beneath her fingers and the shape of a heart glowed forth. She frowned, focussing hard, and her irises shifted red as the white constellation points in her soul shone through.

“Ah, there we go!” she said. “They don’t always show.”

“…And your eyes have gone red,” Gaster said softly.

“Oh yeah? Weird!”

“What, again?!” Undyne turned to look. “Did we figure that out yet?”

“Not really,” Frisk said. 

“Maybe she’s flaring up like skeletons do,” Papyrus suggested. “Only. She has human eyes. So it’s odd and isn’t as bright or anything.”

Gaster carefully rested his fingertips against her soul’s light, a shimmer of red glowing within the gap in his hand. “I… I don’t feel them.”

“My theory’s she doesn’t actually need ‘em at all and just keeps ‘em for sentimental value,” Sans joked, shooting her a grin.

“That’s silly though!” Frisk leaned back into Sans’s shoulder and tilted her head to look up at him.She let the glow die and the red in her eyes began to fade, too. “I bet they’re important.”

“Honest answer is, we have no clue,” Sans said.

Gaster tilted his head. The short skeleton and the kid both shrugged. He smiled fondly and patted Frisk’s head. 

\- - -

Far too soon for anyone’s taste, Asriel got a message from his father that they were almost home, and so Sans dropped the kid back off in his bedroom at the other house. He pretended like he’d been taking a nap, yawning and stretching as he left a little while after hearing the others come back in and giant paws heading for the door. His father greeted him with a big smile and a take-out bag.

“We got some dinner,” he said. “Sorry you didn’t come with us! We had some nice conversations.”

“Sure. Um. Thanks, dad,” he said.

The big monster knelt down to get to his son’s level and smiled slightly, tilting his head. “How were the others?”

“Tired. But okay,” he said.

“Frisk wasn’t too frightened, was she?” he asked gently. 

Asriel shook his head. His father smiled and gently patted his shoulder.

“What do you think, join us for some after-dinner tea? Or. During-dinner tea, in your case?” 

Asriel held in a sigh. He nodded. The way his father’s face lit up like the sun silenced most of his annoyance.

The humans were waiting in the living room, which seemed oddly surreal to Asriel. They were accompanied by a few shopping bags, piled up near the armchair and the computer desk. The man was at the table, looking a little less grim than before. Tired, though. He’d finally taken off his sunglasses. The Ambassador was squatting down, looking through Asgore’s bookshelf curiously. She stood up and bowed the moment she noticed him approaching the table. He smiled sideways.

“You don’t gotta bow every single time you see me,” he said.

“Oh! Thank you.” She bowed again and then hurriedly straightened up. “Did you have a good night so far, Prince?”

“S’okay,” he said. “My sister told me you were pretty nice to her. Thanks. She was scared.”

“Scared? What for?” June asked shrilly.

“Well, I mean,” Asriel said as he clambered up into a seat and pulled out his food: macaroni and cheese, and some hushpuppies, “she was always scared of humans. Nobody took care of her on the surface. Only we did down here. She was really scared you might try to make her go with you.”

“Oh, no no, we couldn’t… We wouldn’t do that, ” June said quickly.

“Good!” he said brightly. 

June carefully grabbed a book off the shelf and sat beside him at the table as Asgore walked by and put his big paw on Boyd’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry so much, my friend, I’m sure you will be on your way soon,” he said.

“Something wrong?” Asriel asked.

“Ah. Yes. Their phones don’t work from here, I’m afraid,” Asgore said, his brow tilted apologetically. 

“We were supposed to report back in,” June explained. “I’m sure it’ll be okay. It’s just because of the storm, I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“Oh.” Asriel patted down his pockets and then slid his phone across the table to her. “Use mine. It might work a little better.”

“Can I? Thank you!” she said brightly.

“Ah, yes, his is a lot newer than mine,” Asgore said with a smile. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

June curled up with the phone, her eyes skimming it with interest. Asriel scooted closer and peered over as her fingers traced the screen. His father gently nudged the man and held out a paw, gesturing to the kitchen.

“Would you mind helping me prepare the tea?” he asked.

Boyd shook his head and joined him, leaving June fawning over the monster-tech phone.

“It’s a bit different than ours,” she said quietly. “But not too different! I guess these are apps, too?”

“Yup.” Asriel pointed out the little smooth icons on the screen. “There’s a camera, the radio, the phone, some games, the item box—”

“Item box?” she repeated.

“Oh! You guys don’t have those?” He grinned. “Oh man. They’re useful. Watch this.” He tapped the app and ran hit finger along a basic list of some stuff that he had in there. With one tap on the name, a book he’d been reading materialized on the table. 

June stared at the book blankly for a few seconds. She extended a cautious finger and touched the cover, only to recoil as if she expected it to be hot. She scrambled to pick the thing up and flipped through it, eyes skimming the pages. “Oh my god. Oh. My. God.”

“You guys really don’t have that yet, huh?” he said.

“H-How much does this hold?!” she demanded shrilly, picking up the phone and moving it up and down as if to check if the weight had changed. “How on earth did…?! To compress matter like that—”

“Not matter. It’s magic,” he said. “It’s a monster book, it’s made of magic.”

The woman put a hand to her mouth. Her eyes glimmered. “That’s funny, that’s one of the most amazing things I’ve seen here.”

Asriel snickered. “Flashy stuff doesn’t do it for you, huh?”

The Ambassador looked at him with a glazed expression. He smiled sideways.

“Oh, you haven’t actually seen anything flashy, huh?” He turned his hand palm-up on the table and effortlessly conjured a red flame, flickering harmlessly in his fur. 

June’s eyes became orb-like and glossy. She leaned in over the fire, gawking. Asriel laughed.

“Guess not.” He let it sputter out in a display of sparks and grinned at the human. “You know, I could set the whole room on fire and not burn a single thing. Neat, huh?”

“That’s amazing,” she said, her voice hoarse. “Wow. Um. C-Can, um…? Can all monsters do that?”

“No. All monsters use magic, though. Not everyone uses fire magic,” he said.

“Ah! Were you showing our guest your magic?” Asgore walked back in with a smile on his face. He knelt near the fireplace and gently blew into it, setting it ablaze with a warm, crackling magic flame, with little embers that carried an undertone of gentle green. “Ambassador, you should come study in the Archives or in the lab once you’re all settled in! I’m sure there’s much more to see if you’re interested in magic.”

“Thanks, your Highness.” She stood up and pointed at the phone. “Is it okay if I—?”

Asriel nodded and pointed out of the room and back down the hallway. She excused herself swiftly and hurried away with Asriel’s phone in hand.

\- - -

It felt like it took forever for the adults to decide to go to bed. Asriel put up with a few more rounds of questioning beforehand, and then gladly surrendered his room for them to use to sleep. They had refused taking two rooms, though, so Asgore dragged out an old mattress and quilts, and then let the humans get comfortable inside. He left them with a warning, though, to not eat any human food they might have brought with them, since the lack of bathrooms in the kingdom could turn out to be rather problematic. 

Though his dad had offered him a spot on his massive bed, Asriel had declined for the time being. He spent some time reading through the humans’ papers again, searching out anything suspect that he had missed. It didn’t really seem like it, but he still didn’t trust the man.

After Asgore turned in and the boy huddled up in the living room chair, he heard slightly raised voices from the bedroom the humans were staying in. Flinching, he slipped over to the door on soft paws and raised his ears. 

The Ambassador was talking. “Listen. There… I mean, there was a little resemblance, but—”

“So was it her or not?” he insisted.

“I don’t think so, Boyd. I really don’t,” she said. “She said she was seven. And her skin wasn’t the same colour. Most of all, the DNA profile didn’t match. Not to anyone. I’m sorry.”

“But what…? What if…? I dunno, what if the magic here changed her somehow,” he pushed. “Please, June, I gotta… I gotta see her myself. I need to know.”

“You’ll have to ask the King,” June said with a sigh. “Lady Toriel won’t be happy.”

“If it was her kid—”

“That is her kid,” she said.

The man went quiet. The air was tense and silent for a while. June sighed.

“I’ll do what I can,” she said. “But I can’t guarantee…”

“That’s all I’m askin’,” the man said. “I don’t want to leave without… Thank you.”

Asriel had to quell a groan of annoyance. He stayed still where he was for a while, but the humans didn’t say much after that. They might have gone to sleep. He sure hoped so, anyway, he was getting tired of playing the spy. 

He retreated to his chair and texted Frisk, though he hoped she wouldn’t get it yet. Hoped she was asleep. After half an hour of nothing from anybody, Asriel slipped away to his father’s room. He collapsed on the foot of the giant bed and put his arm over his eyes. Worry sped his soul, but exhaustion weighed his eyelids. He rolled over and stashed his phone half under his arm and went to the alarm clock. There was a motion sensor option for whatever reason, but he activated it on a five minute timer and then chucked his phone across the room like a low-flung discus. It slid under the door and he heard it clunk against the wall. Perfect.

“Asriel…?” Asgore’s voice was sluggish and craggy.

“Hey, dad, sorry, I wake you up?” he asked.

“Mmno, no…”

Asriel could feel his father shift and he was lazily scooped up into a warm, sleepy hug. The kid sighed and allowed himself to be held and rocked gently. There was a familiarity about this that was comforting, in a way. Maybe he could actually get a little sleep like this.


	10. BIRDS ARE SINGING

The quietest creaking of door hinges in the wee hours of the morning was enough to shock Gaster’s mind straight awake. He saw a lot of green in the low light, heard soft footsteps, and felt a chill of cold air across the top of his head. A female voice yawned. Undyne up for breakfast, maybe? When he felt a giant, soft paw on his shoulder, however, he realized how wrong he was.

“Papyrus, honey, what are you doing sleeping down here?” Toriel asked somewhat rhetorically. 

He could have been sick with nerves. She pulled away and he heard her yawn again and the sound of paws on the kitchen tiles.

Cautiously, he sat up and, seeing no one, he bolted for the stairs. He had no idea what to do or what to say, but before he could even attempt to regroup somewhere quiet and alone, Papyrus burst from the bedroom with a grin on his face. He gave his frozen father a hug and then bounced down the stairs. 

“Mom! Is that you? It is, right?” he said brightly.

“Good morning,” Toriel said with a laugh. “I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

“Well, of course, I’d notice right away as soon as you came in. Naturally,” he said proudly. “You’re home early! We missed you. Did you have a good time?”

“As much as I could,” she said. “Did the kids steal your bed again, hun?”

“What? No. Why?” he asked.

“Well, it’s just usually it’s Sans, if anyone, on the couch, is all,” she said.

Gaster quaked. Especially when Papyrus let out a loud exclamation of understanding. 

“Wait right here,” he said. “Promise you won’t peek?”

“Um, alright, honey, whatever you want,” she said with a tired chuckle.

Before he knew it, Papyrus was in his face, smiling wide and grasping his shoulders. Gaster shook his head. Papyrus’s brow furrowed and he cocked his head to the side. 

“Come on,” he insisted.

“But I—”

“Dad. Honestly. You really have to get over this hangup,” Papyrus scolded gently. “She’ll be glad to see you.”

“I’m… not so sure,” he said quietly.

Papyrus put his hands on his hips and frowned. Gaster chuckled. He was still so bad at saying _no_ to this kid. He patted him on the shoulder and tilted his head towards the stairs. Papyrus’s face instantly lit up and he raced back down towards the kitchen.

“Okay, so, please don’t panic,” Papyrus said quickly, “but we have a new and old someone here who really needs to see you.”

“Okay, hun.” Toriel didn’t look entirely awake, but she nodded. “It’s not that dog, is it?”

“Nnnno, no, better than that annoying dog,” Papyrus said. He stepped back a little and seized onto Gaster before he could change his mind, and then pulled him forward. “It’s. Our. Dad!”

Gaster froze. Toriel woke up instantly. Her eyes grew huge and round. The skeleton awkwardly raised his hand. The woman let out a choking sound and then crushed him against her chest. He grunted and wilted, clinging to her gently. Papyrus grinned and backed off, shooting finger-guns at his father.

“I will leave you two alone to catch up, then!” he said. 

“Papyrus, w-wait…!” Toriel stopped herself— he was already gone. She grasped Gaster by the shoulders and stared him down with shock on her face. “What. The. Hell. Gaster?!”

“I know. I’m so sorry,” he said.

“Don’t you dare…! Don’t. You’ve seen Asgore?”

He nodded. “And Asriel.”

“Oh my god.” She cupped his face. Her eyes scanned the cracks in his skull. She seized his hand and clutched it close, a worried look on her face at the realization that his palms, too, appeared badly damaged. “What happened?”

“An accident or two.” He shrugged sheepishly and smiled. “It’s so good to see you, Tori. I… When I heard you were with them, I…” He wiped his eye sockets quickly as he felt them bubbling up. “I’m so happy you made it through.”

Toriel stared at him blankly for a few long, silent seconds. “…What have you done to yourself?”

“I’m not sure what you—?”

“The holes. They’re not natural. What on earth…?” Her eyes went wide. “Oh. My god. Don’t tell me. Sans and Papyrus?!”

He nodded. She put a hand to her brow. Her eyes welled up.

“Of course…” She croaked out a laugh and grinned at him. “Sorry. I’ve stolen them. Do you mind if we share?”

“Please. They love you so much.” Gaster smiled. “Come on, now, Tori.”

Toriel snickered. “We have quite a strange, wonderful family, now. But, Gaster. What’s happening? In my memories?”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I… I was erased from time. I’ll explain everything.”

“You must.” She laughed and put her paw gently against his face. “It’s… It’s funny. Now that I can see… They’re very much like you. Aren’t they?”

“Better,” he said with a laugh. “And. Um. There’s one more thing.”

“What is it?” she said.

“Maybe over coffee?” he suggested. “It’s… big. It’s about Frisk.”

“Wh…?! Oh! Right. That must’ve been a shock for you, to find a human here with your boys, hm?”

“Oh, not at all,” he said quickly. “Frisk and I have… a history. It’s a little complicated. I’ll explain everything, though.”

\- - -

Throat tight, Frisk awoke in a cold sweat. Eyes wide, shivering deep into her bones, she cast around in the dark, looking for a faint blue shimmer. It wasn’t too far, below on the floor, but her whole body felt stiff and achey. She weakly stumbled out of bed, dragging her blanket with her, and found her brother in his spot amongst a pile of pillows. 

She flopped down and gripped him tightly, squeezing her eyes shut and focusing hard on his soul. The pit was deep but to reach up out of it wasn’t so bad anymore. His soul clung to hers and he let out a relieved sigh. 

“Thanks.” His voice was a gravelly whisper. “Oof.” He chuckled dryly. “My bad.”

“Nooo, no, no,” she said quietly. “S’okay. Um. I… didn’t remember that one. Did you?”

“No,” he said.

“Is that seven or eight now?” she asked.

“Seven.”

Frisk sighed. She slumped against his side and rubbed her eyes with her palms. “Why’s it doing this?”

“Who knows why it does anything?” Sans sighed. He shifted up to rest his back against the mound of pillows and then pulled Frisk over into his lap and hugged her close. “…Sorry, kid.”

“Nah,” she said. 

He huffed out a rough laugh. Frisk snuggled right in and tried to rest. He wasn’t rattling, but she could feel the tremor in him. She was similar, so she certainly didn’t want to let him go anytime soon. Their souls shifted to purple effortlessly and it felt substantially better.

“Funny,” he said. “Bet Paps wasn’t gone for more than five minutes.”

“Then we gotta stick together,” she said.

He made a soft noise of affirmation and rested his chin on her head. “Try to get some rest.”

Despite her nerves, Frisk had almost dozed off again after just a short time, but was roused from her drowsy stupor by a female voice thumping under the floor boards. An exclamation and some laughter. She thought maybe she was dreaming for a second, but then she heard it again when she was sure her eyes were open. Her stomach dropped, but she couldn’t help a grin. She gently grabbed her brother’s shoulder as she scooted away from him.

“Sans,” she said at a whisper. “Mom’s back.”

“Hm?”

“I’m gonna go see her, okay?”

“Mmmhm.” He patted her head lazily.

Frisk slipped out of the room on soft feet, doing her best to be quiet for Undyne as well, who was clocked out on Papyrus’s bed. She snuck down the stairs, only to see that someone had pulled their side table into the living room proper, and that Toriel, Gaster, and Papyrus were sitting around it, drinking coffee. There were some papers laid across the thing as well, and she could see that there was what appeared to be a timeline drawn on one that was almost falling off. 

Papyrus noticed her first and perked up and grinned immediately. Toriel whipped around and, as soon as their eyes met, she left her seat in a flurry and trapped the kid in a hug. Frisk froze up for a second. She didn’t know why, but she almost cried. She clung to her mother and hid her face on her shoulder.

“Glad you’re home,” she said quietly.

“Me too,” Toriel said. 

“How long you been back?”

“Oh. An hour or two, I… I’ve certainly lost track of time. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind.” She drew back and cupped Frisk’s face gently, smiling, her violet eyes warm and bright. “What a surprise, hm?”

“Well, part of it,” she said with a laugh. “I… I always hoped he’d come back.”

Toriel chuckled. She pulled her in and gently kissed her forehead. “An enigma as always, my child. I’m just so glad everything went well. In all regards. Have you done another of your saves, yet?”

Frisk shook her head. “They’re not out of the mountain.”

Toriel’s fur bristled. “Of course that couldn’t have just gone smoothly, could it?”

“Well, to be fair,” Papyrus said, tapping his fingertips together, “Asriel said the storm was really bad. It is, isn’t it?”

Toriel’s mouth went thin and her brows furrowed slightly. “I suppose, if it was a pain for me to get up, then…” She sighed and got to her feet, looking back at the skeletons worriedly. “They have not tried to return here, have they?”

Papyrus shook his head quickly. “Nope! Asriel’s been keeping an eye on them all day.”

“I still can’t believe they’d send two,” she growled. “Did they at least have some goal other than terrorizing a little girl?”

“I wouldn’t say I was terrorized,” Frisk said bashfully.

“They seemed to be looking for more missing children,” Gaster said. “And Asriel… Oh! Frisk, I’m sorry, I saw a text pop up on your phone and—”

“S’okay, I don’t care,” Frisk said, clambering up on Papyrus’s legs to see over the table. “What’d it say?”

“It seems like that man that was there with the Ambassador, he was looking for someone that looked a little like you.”

Frisk frowned and tilted her head slightly. She wondered, then, if that photo the woman had shown her from her bag had been his. Gaster leaned towards her.

“That doesn’t worry you, does it?” he asked.

“No, no, it’s not that,” Frisk said. “…Ah. Crap. He’s not gonna leave, is he?”

“I will make him leave,” Toriel stated bluntly, taking her seat and flipping her ears. “Both of them. They will not have a choice.”

“I’m sure if we ask nicely, they’ll go home,” Papyrus said. “The lady who came wasn’t so bad.”

Gaster looked uncomfortable. He took Frisk’s phone and slid it along the table to her. She checked Asriel’s text herself and her heart sunk.

“Oh. He… wants to see me?” she said.

“Absolutely not,” Toriel said. “It was bad enough for one human to come here and interrogate you. For one who wasn’t even invited…!”

“I dunno, mom,” Frisk said quietly. “As long as it’s not here, I… I guess I wouldn’t super mind talking to him, if it gets them outta here faster and without making trouble.”

“What?!” Toriel couldn’t conceal her incredulity. “We should not reward them for flagrantly disregarding the rules we set.”

“It’s not about that,” the kid said.

“We do kind of want them to go, don’t we?” Papyrus said. “But, Frisk, don’t put yourself in danger. You’re not allowed, okay? No danger.”

“It’s unacceptable that some stranger can just waltz in here and try to dictate…” Toriel shook her head. “And Asgore will permit it, of course. That old fool.” She cut her eyes at Gaster. “And don’t you take his side, you know I’m right.”

Gaster raised his hands slightly. “I agree with you. To a point. But in some situations, maybe—”

“No maybes. I will not let them bother our daughter any more with this nonsense,” she growled.

“I’m glad you guys can argue like old friends,” Frisk joked, resting her cheek on her fist.

The adults froze. Gaster’s bones flushed and Toriel’s raised hackles flattened.

“Ah… Frisk. Honey. I’m sorry, it’s just…” Toriel sighed. “So much has happened to you. I just thought, the last thing you need is more of… this.”

Frisk bit her lip. She drummed her fingers on the table. Papyrus hugged her gently, and she felt a little reassured in that. 

“You know something more, don’t you?” Gaster said with a tired smile, and he turned to meet Toriel’s eyes. “I think maybe that look means she’ll do what she wants, regardless.”

“But what is it that you want to do, Frisk?” Toriel asked worriedly. “You can’t put yourself in danger for this.”

“I’m not worried about danger for me,” Frisk said. “It’s… I mean. If all this means what I think it does, the guy who came with the Ambassador lady, he’s missing his kid. He thinks I might be her. If he sees me, I know he’ll realize I’m not.”

“What makes you think that?” Papyrus asked worriedly. “You can’t be his kid, you’re our kid. How can you confuse kids like that?”

“The lady showed me a picture,” Frisk said. “A missing kid. She looked a lot like me in some ways. I think maybe the guy just wants to know for sure, after coming all the way here. But… we can’t do it in Snowdin.”

“Agreed. It’s too far into the mountain,” Toriel said. “If something goes wrong, too many of our people can be exposed to danger.”

“And… your dream, right?” Papyrus asked his sister gently.

She nodded. “Can’t happen if he never comes to Snowdin.”

“So, you’re saying to see the human where you can control it, rather than him sneaking here and fulfilling what you saw.” Gaster turned to Toriel. “Sounds reasonable. And we can very easily protect her that way. And don’t take Asgore lightly, he cares about Frisk very much. He will be there. I think that would be enough. What do you think?”

Toriel folded her arms tight and grimaced. She didn’t look pleased at all. Her ears pinned back. “Did you talk to Sans about it?”.

“No, I just kinda thought it up now,” she said bashfully.

Toriel smiled slightly. “Well. Talk to him. He’s the one who will have to get you in and out quickly, should something go wrong. If he can do that, I won’t say another word about it. Otherwise, I’m sorry, sweetie, but I will not let you be alone with some strange human again, especially considering your dreams have you worried about _him_ specifically.”

Frisk smiled sideways and slumped onto her fist. She felt a little bad. There wasn’t a thing Toriel could do to stop her, really. If this was the only way to make the man leave without coming to town… But, she was getting ahead of herself. She nodded and her mother blew out a relieved sigh and patted her head affectionately. 

“Thank you. Now. Back to something more pleasant.” She smiled at Gaster. “Where were we? Just about at Sans, right?”

“Ooh! Oh. This is a good story,” Papyrus said, squishing the kid and leaning forward eagerly. “You’ll all like this one, I’m sure. And then you can hear the one about me!”

Despite the tired heaviness in her mind, Frisk enjoyed listening to Gaster’s stories. She was mostly paying attention to Toriel, however. It must’ve been so strange for her, to have known this skeleton for however long, and then have lost contact for possibly even longer. To come back and have had unknowingly adopted all his kids— for that to be possibly the skeleton’s best-case scenario. Things around here never seemed to want to be simple, but for a story so baffling and twisted as her father’s, Frisk was happy it turned out the way it had.

She already knew Sans’s story, and sort of knew Papyrus’s. The tender development of a floating, warm soul in a capsule of liquid magic— watching it grow through months until the hatch was released and the little baby skeleton formed right in Sans’s arms. Though, the version she recalled had a distinct lack of adult involvement, other than a vague _someone_. Weird how she’d never really questioned it. Her own inception, though, that was new.

Gaster had known he was going to what he could only call his death— without context— for quite a long time ahead of the date. However, he’d only seen Frisk in his premonitions for the first time a day and a half prior. He hadn’t had the time to prepare anything but a letter but, nonetheless, a vision of her and Sans meeting outside the stone door to the Ruins had given him more hope for what was to come than he’d had in a long time. He was vague on his actual death, though. He did say that he had to stop Sans from saving him but, other than that, he wouldn’t describe more except to say that he’d seen Frisk’s soul start to form, pulled straight out of his own. He hadn’t known the human he’d seen was to be made of his soul until that last instant. He seemed rather fond of that memory, despite everything.

The kid didn’t realize how early in the morning it had gotten until Undyne, scruffy-haired and yawning, thumped down the stairs to get some coffee. Papyrus was especially excited to see her, and gleefully bounced off to the kitchen to help her out the with a “special Papyrus blend”, which wasn’t all that different from the normal coffee except he added some spices, one of which may have been oregano. 

Frisk slipped back upstairs to check on Sans. He’d migrated to a bed at some point, but was still on top of the blankets and was facedown in an unceremonious heap. She snuck up to him and rested her hand on his shoulder and listened to his soul. It sounded, much to her relief, very low and normal. 

She was about to turn away when her soul was seized with blue magic and she found herself hefted into the air. Rather quickly, she was plopped down onto her brother’s chest, knocking the wind out of him as she grunted with surprise.

“Aah, why did I do that?” he grumbled, holding back a laugh.

“I have no idea.” She took the opportunity to slump and hug onto him. “Ugh, it’s soooo early.”

“Why you up, then?” he said.

“Mom met dad. Dad told stories. It was good,” she said. “But now it’s like six in the morning and I don’t wanna be up. Oh. Also. News? I, um, might wanna meet with that other human.”

“Hm? Why?” he said.

“Got a text from Az. Guy might be missing a kid,” she said. “Thinks it might be me, so…”

“Ah. Let him move on. From the mountain, at least, right? Gotcha,” he said. “Good idea.”

“Yeah?” She grinned. “I thought so, but the other grown-ups were all worried and stuff.”

“Welp. Can’t blame ‘em, really,” he said. “Got your back, though.”

“You’re the best,” she said brightly. She yawned and snuggled up. “Ugh. Deal with it later.”

Sans held her against him and sighed. His voice was a bit rough again. There was a subtle melancholy about him. “Hey, uh… Kiddo?” he said quietly.

“Mmmmhm?” she said groggily. 

“I’m, uh… Sorry. About before,” he said.

“Huh?” She opened one eye and looked confused. “What for?”

“…You had no business bein’ where it put you.”

“Oh! Hey, no, don’t worry about it,” she said quickly.

“Sometimes… I dunno. Stay too close, it gets worse; get away, still gets worse.” He sighed. He sat up, a little tint of distressed blue flickering in his eye. “Just seems like it’s not fair. Not like it ever is. But you don’t deserve it. Especially at a time like this. And I guess sometimes I just kinda feel like I really screwed up, and there’s… no way I can make it better for you, no matter what I—”

Frisk stuck her fist into his eye socket. He went quiet for a few, heavy seconds, frozen mid-gesture. His smile twisted upwards just a little.

“Uhh… You… don’t care, huh?” he said.

The kid reached up and held both sides of his head. “I love you, bro.”

“Thanks, kid, but that’s not really—”

“No. I mean. Listen. You’re right. I don’t care.” She tilted her head and smiled. “I like that we’re the same. And whatever weird thing it picks, doesn’t make it your fault any more than it’s mine, right?”

The blue dimmed and Frisk couldn’t see anything anymore. Her brother snorted. He hugged her and bumped his head on hers.

“…Sorry I keep fallin’ back.”

“S’okay, everyone has bad nights. And… Well, I mean, maybe we got more than most, but that’s okay! I’d rather be like this if you’re like this. I’ll say it a million times, if it helps! I like that you’re not alone. It’s real important to me.”

“Oof, kid, you’re breakin’ my heart,” he said with an exhausted laugh. “I want better for you, y’know.”

“Listen, we’re either broken together or fixed together,” she said certainly. “And I don’t think that second one’s super likely, and I’m perfectly comfortable with that.”

“You… Hah. What the hell am I gonna do with you?”

“I dunno. Sorry for stickin’ my hand in your eye, though.”

“S’okay, I needed it.” He laughed. The magic in his hands tingled, cool and affectionate. “Am I too old to be whinin’ like this? Probably, huh?”

“Oh stop. You can whine as much as you want, I don’t mind!” Frisk snickered as his eye lit blue again. She looked up at him and tilted her head. “Wanna go get breakfast with me?”

“Hope nobody’s on the couch.”

Frisk winced in the light of the living room as they seamlessly appeared on the couch beside Undyne, who almost choked on her cinnamon bunny as she jolted with surprise.

“Good morning,” she said shrilly. “Jeez.”

“Hiiii.” Frisk flopped off Sans’s lap and landed on the floor. She heaved herself up and headed for the kitchen. “Foooood.”

“I’m comin’,” Sans said tiredly.

“No, you stay. I got this,” she said. “Undyne, make sure he stays, okay? He had a really bad night.”

“Oh yeah? Huh. Sorry,” Undyne said, looking at the grey-eyed skeleton. “Hard to tell.”

“S’cause it’s my default state,” he joked. He put a hand to his brow and huffed out a laugh. “Why the hell am I like this?”

“I dunno,” she said.

“Where’d everyone go, anyway?” Frisk called.

“For a walk, I guess,” she said. “So, how you holdin’ up? They mentioned your weird plan. So I’ll stick around a bit longer.”

“Thanks!” Frisk said. “I’m okay. I feel better.”

“I mean,” Undyne said, “it’s not like we have to worry a ton, anyway. Someone comes at you, I guess you could just freeze ‘em for a sec, right?”

“Guess so.” The kid came back with two cinnamon bunnies, one iced with red. She handed that one to her brother. “Oh! By the way. Dad showed me a new weird power thing.”

Undyne blinked back at her. “What? Really? Just outta nowhere?”

“He said I could always do it.” She shrugged. “I can watch a memory from someone if I try, apparently. They have to wanna show it to me, though.” She took a big bite of her pastry. “Maybe I can send ‘em, too? I dunno.”

“Huh. That’s weird,” Undyne said. “So, like, you’re a mind-reader, now?”

“I don’t think so? I mean. It sorta reminds me of a thing I could do anyway, with, like, super hugs? Sometimes I could kinda feel how someone else is feeling. I think that’s pretty normal, right?” she said as she sat down between the monsters.

“Yeah, for someone you’re close to, sure.” Undyne nodded. “Okay. C’mere. Do it to me.”

“What? Really?” Frisk asked.

“Sure, let’s see how this works.”

Eyes brightening, Frisk clambered onto Undyne’s lap. She quickly wiped her hands on her slacks and the reached out to touch a hand to her friend’s soul and temple. With a little focus, Frisk sunk into what looked like a hovering, all-encompassing stream of pitch black water. The colours shifted to blue and white, running downwards, and the spray of cold mist. Undyne stuck her hand into a waterfall and then looked up at a sky that was mostly shrouded by clouds, though some blue did peek out. A few large birds in a V-shape flapped by above, making a loud honking noise that Undyne found very funny. She heard Alphys’s voice giggle, and the vision faded.

Frisk blinked and looked up at Undyne. The monster was staring back at her expectantly.

“So did you see it?” she asked.

“The waterfall?” Frisk asked.

“Yeah!! And those hilarious birds!” Undyne grinned. “What a bunch of weird crap, huh? I don’t remember seeing those honkers before.”

“I think I saw them before! They’re called, um… gooses?” Frisk said. “That’s really cool.”

“Geese,” Sans said groggily.

“Geese?” Frisk repeated.

“One of those is a goose, more are geese, I dunno why,” he said.

“Hey, Sans? Can you do that, too?” Frisk asked. “I mean. You’re stronger than him, right?”

“Hu-what?” He stared at her blankly.

“I mean, your determination. It’s higher. Right?” she said.

“Oh. I get it. Nah. I mean. Yeah, but it’s not really like that,” he said. “S’why I can teleport and you can’t, y’know?”

“Oooh, okay,” she said.

Sans looked at her thoughtfully. He tilted his head slightly. “Actually… Y’know. Wanna come with me?” He offered his hand and then looked at Undyne. “Be back in a minute.”

When Frisk grabbed her brother, they were standing in the attic beside the starlight. He levelled his finger at it. 

“Do me a favour,” he said. “Touch that but don’t save.”

“Um. Okay.” Frisk reached into the light and then looked back at him with confusion. “Why?”

“S’just a power dad has,” he said. “Figure you probably picked it up.”

“Huh?” The kid stared back at him blankly. 

“Let’s pick somewhere okay with bare feet. Ruins, maybe,” he said. “Picture a star there, alright?”

“What?” she said.

“Just give it a shot. Close your eyes and focus real hard. Maybe, uh, the one between the stairs.”

Frisk wasn’t sure what he meant, but she shut her eyes and did as he asked. Saw that glowing star and the red leaves around it in her mind’s eye. She felt a sort of steadying presence, a little like what she’d normally call a save. Her stomach tumbled. The entire cadence around her shifted and she toppled onto the ground without realizing she’d fallen. Leaves crinkled below her body. Her eyes went wide. She was right where she’d pictured.

She began to let out a high, alarmed whine until Sans pulled her to her feet, grinning.

“Knew it,” he said.

“AaaaaaAAAAH THAT’S SO WEIRD!!!!” she yelled.

He laughed loudly and ruffled her hair. She pulled away and spun around, looking at the place, and she put her hands to her head.

“Could I always do that?!” she yelped.

“No clue,” he said. “Pretty neat, though.”

“Oh. My. GOD. Oh… OH!” Frisk’s face lit right up and she grabbed his hand. “Wait. Wait wait. Come with me.”

She touched the light again and closed her eyes. She remembered something, from a while ago. A fleeting image of a forest. Like a faded old photograph through an amber lens. 

Wind brushed the side of her head, the feeling cool grass between her toes, and the sounds of birds chirping made her eyes shoot open instantly to be greeted by bright, fresh greens. They were at the edge of a sunny glade, surrounded by forest. The sky beamed down vibrant, cloudless blue. Frisk spun— fell over into the grass and stared up, gawking.

“Oh man, no way,” she breathed.

“Whew.” Sans looked up into the sky, shielding his eyes. He plopped down beside her. “Now that was somethin’, kiddo. How’d you find this?”

“I… I’m not sure, I saw it in there, I think,” she said. “Oh… Oh!! Wait a sec.” She jumped to her feet. “I…! I should go tell Undyne.”

“Bring her back here,” he said.

“Wh…?! Can I…? Um!! Okay, I’ll try!!”

Within seconds of touching the starlight again, Frisk clunked down onto the floorboards in the attic. She scrabbled to get to her feet and raced to the living room. Undyne was still just as she’d been left, and was caught with her tongue out as she licked the frosting from the cinnamon bunny off her plate.

Frisk grabbed her phone, grabbed the monster, and dragged her up to the attic, and before they knew it, they were sprawled in the grass out under that blue sky, 

“Holy shit,” Undyne said, blinking upwards. “…Could you always do that?”

“I have no clue.” Frisk rolled to sit up and waved at Sans, who hadn’t budged. She blinked and he was gone.

“Pretty nice out here,” he said from her other side.

“Where are we?” Undyne asked.

“No clue.” He flopped back into the grass and stretched his arms out. “We gotta bring Paps here.”

Undyne sat up and rubbed her claws through her hair, wincing and making a quiet growling sound. She cast about and then stood, looking into the distance. “Seriously, dudes, what the hell?” She stood on her toes, wobbled for a moment before regaining herself, and then sprinted for a tree. 

In a quick, powerful leap, she was up in its branches. She scaled it to the top and peeked out into the distance. She swung around the tip of the tree to look the other way, her red hair streaking behind her in the wind. “Uhh… Hey guys?!”

“Yeah?” Frisk called.

“I, uh, kinda don’t see a mountain at all.”

“What, really?” Frisk ran over to her and reached her arm up.

Undyne swung down and whisked the kid up with her, letting her clamber up onto her shoulders as she scrabbled to the top of the tree again. Frisk’s jaw dropped. The view was an unending ocean of leaves spread out under the bright blue sky. White cottonpuff clouds only dotted the farthest distances from them. Shielding her eyes from the bright sun, the wind blowing around her ears, Frisk looked around them, squinting at the horizon. The only gap in in the foliage seemed to be some sort of vague, stone something, probably kilometres away.

“Wow. Yeah. We must be super super far from home, then,” she said. 

Undyne let her down into her arms, and then Frisk twisted to look at her brother. 

“Hey Sans!! There’s no mountain anywhere!”

He stuck his thumb up— if he hadn’t, she would have been sure he was asleep. Undyne grinned. She settled somewhat comfortably, ears perking.

“Hey. You know… This is pretty awesome,” she said. “No monster’s been this far away from the mountain for like a thousand years or something crazy, huh?” She looked down at the kid with a fond smile. “Thanks for draggin’ me out here.”

“Yeah, super didn’t expect this,” Frisk said.

The cool wind picked up and Frisk pushed her hair back behind her ears. Undyne began to somewhat resemble a shaggy fish-mastiff. She laughed and ran her hand over her head to sweep her mane of hair out of her face. 

“This is real nice,” she said. “But, uh… Kinda doubt our phones work this far out, huh? Think we should head back?”

“Ah. Yeah. Guess so,” Frisk said. She turned back for Sans again, but couldn’t see him. “Sans?”

Undyne followed her gaze and her brows lifted. “Uh… He didn’t just go, did he?”

The monster hopped down from the treetop and let Frisk onto the ground. The kid scampered back over to where she’d seen her brother last, but there wasn’t much sign of him save for a bit of bent grass.

“Sans?” She felt a bit of cold worry kick her in the guts. “S-Sans?!”

“Whoa, relax.” 

She spun at the touch of his hand to her shoulder and she grabbed him tight. He laughed and patted her head sympathetically. 

“Jeez, kiddo, I was just gone a second,” he said. “Hey. C’mere, lemme show you somethin’.”

He headed for a small gap between bushes and beckoned for her to follow. She blushed fiercely and took a deep breath. He didn’t bring her far, just to a little extra splash of colour in the green. She noticed a sweet scent here, where the wind wasn’t blowing between all the leaves.

There were a few flowers, blue and white, star-shaped, sprouting steadfast in small patches. Frisk looked at her brother, brows raised.

“Flowers?” she said.

“Those are pretty nice, bud,” he said, “but look.” He carefully stepped over the plants and lifted her up in blue magic. “Heh. Gimme just a sec. It’s a little prickly.” He brought her over just beyond one more bush. “I was kinda checkin’ it out when I noticed this. Thought it was kinda _gneiss_.”

In another small gap in the trees sat a tall, stone totem— it reached half the height of the surrounding trees. Faintly egg-shaped in the curve at the top, and reclaimed by moss and vines, it might have been hard to say this was anything more than a big rock if the aged, worn shape of a snout and some fangs weren’t poking out between patches of green. Frisk squinted up at the thing and gestured upwards. Sans floated her higher. 

“Oh wow, weird,” she said. “Hey, is this, like, a statue or am I losing my _marbles_?”

Sans snickered. “_Tuff_ call, kiddo. ”

“Hey.” Undyne had followed them in and stood behind them. She plucked Frisk out of the air and held her up in one arm as she put a hand to her hip. “Hm. Kinda looks like a goat.”

“A goat?” Frisk squinted again. “Where you seeing a goat?”

“Well, look.” She pointed. Her fingers traced between some old, weathered lines around where the snout was. “See, there’s the beard? And the eyes? Or one, anyway. And up there, see how it twists back?”

“Huh. Guess you weren’t _kid_din’, Cap,” Sans said.

“Oh wow, do you think it’s supposed to be Asgore?” Frisk asked, wide-eyed.

“Could be. Or maybe an even older King than him.” Sans jerked his thumb back towards the clearing. “I mean, we know who made the tears now, huh? Maybe he did it for a reason. Y’know, somewhere in that confused head of his.”

A cool breeze brushed the leaves around them, and a buzzing cheep lightly disturbed the air. A bird, lightly grey and orange with a little tuft poking back from its head and a black bandit’s mask pattern around its eyes alit on the side of the stone. A second joined, ruffling dark wings marked with red and yellow, and the two of them ducked under some of the leaves and seemed to disappear into the rock. Frisk leaned around to look, but couldn’t see them anymore.

“Maybe he knew this place,” she suggested. “But it is pretty far from the mountain…”

“Monsters came from all over before getting stuck in there,” Undyne said. “Maybe he lived around here. Maybe a bunch of monsters did, if they even built this.”

“Hm. Could be hundreds of years old.” Sans laid his hand against the stone and was quiet for a few seconds. “Ah. Even older than that. It’s faint. But. Yeah. Magic touched this a long time ago.”

“So, like… How old are these old frickin’ monsters, exactly?” Frisk asked.

“Older than rocks.” Sans shot her a wink. “Who knows, really?”

“Yeah, I think you probably stop countin’ birthdays at some point.” Undyne folded her arms and smiled sideways. “Ever think what it’ll be like that long from now? We’ll probably see some crazy junk.”

“Might go to space,” Sans said.

“Um. Will I make it that long?” Frisk asked quietly.

Undyne froze up, her cheeks flushing dark, but Sans laughed.

“Seriously?” Sans said. He jerked his thumb at her, grinning knowingly at Undyne. “Time god’s askin’ how long she’s gonna be around.”

“Oh. R-Right.” Frisk smiled a little. “Oh, hey! So! If I’m… I mean. I have a lot of time, right?”

“Literally all of it,” Sans said.

“So at some point I should get over all this panic stuff, then! I mean, I have all the time in the world. Right?” She looked hopeful. 

Sans laughed. “Yeah. I’m sure you’re gonna be just fine. Hey, who knows, few more trips like this might even do ya good.”

Frisk paused to think about it. She put a hand over her soul spot and felt strangely secure. It was the first time she’d been to the surface since the barrier went down and she didn’t feel the sharp, breathtaking sting of anxiety. She smiled.

“We should come back! All of us,” she said. “And we’ll look around and…! And maybe we’ll find more cool old stuff like this!”

Sans grinned at her. “So. Maybe outside’s not so bad, huh?”

“As long as we’re all together,” she said sheepishly. “And, hey. If it turns out we do have to go on the run, this isn’t so bad a place. And I don’t even know where it is.”

“Why would you have to go on the run?” Undyne said, holding back a laugh.

“Long story,” Sans said. “C’mon. We should get back before they notice we’re gone, hm?”

It was just a touch of the bright starlight before all three of them clunked back into the attic in Snowdin. Before they could right themselves, Papyrus stomped up to meet them with a scowl on his face.

“Were you hiding from me?!” he demanded.

“Nope,” Sans said.

“Didn’t you hear me calling?!” 

“Not exactly,” Undyne said, nursing the back of her head.

“Oh.” All the frustration faded from the skeleton’s face and his brows raised. “Well. Okay. But, Asriel called. He said he couldn’t reach you, Frisk. Did you turn your phone off?”

Frisk sat up and rubbed her head bashfully. “Well, um…”

“Well, never mind, but apparently the humans are getting a little antsy,” he said.

“Oh great,” Frisk said. 

“They want to meet you and the King doesn’t know what to say,” he said.

The kid sighed. “I’ll call them.”

“Oh good! Excellent! By the way.” Papyrus raised his brows. “What is that smell? Sans, did you actually get your clothes washed without me nagging you and nagging you and then doing it myself?”

“Not quite.” He winked. “Alright, should we go deal with this garbage?”

“Yeeeeah,” Frisk said reluctantly.

Frisk went on ahead, only to be followed soon afterwards by Papyrus’s shrill voice shrieking something like, “She did WHAT?!” from up in the attic. She was a little relieved that she wouldn’t have to explain it herself.

She found Gaster waiting near the bottom of the stairs. He perked up upon seeing her, his hands quivering. He quickly folded his arms to his chest, but he smiled brightly.

“Hello, Frisk! Did you get any more rest?” he asked.

“Not much, but that’s okay,” she said. “So. Seeing mom went okay, right? I’m glad you did it.”

“As am I,” he said. “I just…” His voice seized up. He looked uncomfortable for a second but he smiled and shrugged. He knelt down and gave her a gentle hug before he sat down on the stairs and got his curative cakes out of his phone.

She plopped down beside him. “Is it feeling any better?” she asked as he tossed one in his mouth.

“Actually, it is, despite my appearance,” he said, his voice croaking. “It’s a lot less frequent. What is that smell?”

“Which one? Oh no, do I stink?” She pulled up a bit of her shirt around her collar to sniff herself.

“It’s… Floral.” His brow furrowed and he leaned a little closer. “Is that…?Beltaine?”

“Um. What?” Frisk asked.

“A blue flower? With five petals?” He saw the recognition in her eyes and swooped her up on his knees, a little glimmer of magic in his sockets. “Where did you go?”

“Um! I’m not sure, really. A forest,” she said. She grinned bashfully. “I saw it in one of the saves and I, um… can kinda go through them?”

She was surprised when Gaster laughed and smiled at her fondly.

“Well, of course you can,” he said.

She stared back at him blankly.

“Oh! You didn’t know? You must not have,” he said. “That’s funny I could’ve sworn I… It must’ve been from within that bubble, no wonder.”

“What?” she asked.

“Never mind, it’s of no consequence.” He shook his head. “Kiddo, I’m so happy it worked.”

“…Did you help me get that power, too?” she asked.

“Well. Technically. But it belonged to you anyway. I just sped up its arrival.” He hugged her gently. “I’m so glad. Your soul’s adapted so well.”

“To what?” she asked.

“Magic, of course.” He bumped his brow on hers. “Frisky, I’m so proud of you.”

“O-Oh! Thank you!” she said shrilly. “Um. What’d I do?”

He simply snickered and cuddled her gently. Frisk hugged onto him. He was strangely cozy despite the chill that still emanated from him. 

At the sound of footsteps, he put her down, though he was absolutely beaming. Frisk hardly had time to ask him what had made him so happy when Papyrus barrelled down and gave her a hug.

“They told me everything, you need to show me that place sometime, okay?!” he said.

“Yeah, of course,” she assured him.

“Good! What a strange bunch of stuff, though, honestly,” he said.

“What is?” Toriel called from the kitchen.

“Frisk can teleport, it’s all very odd. But good. But odd,” Papyrus said.

Toriel popped out of the kitchen smelling faintly of dish soap, bubbles trailing behind her. “What’s that? Did you say she can teleport?”

“Between rips in time,” Gaster explained. “It’s a very basic power: a slight elaboration on her ability to “_save_” the timeline. Traversing the void between the rips is very simple for a time anomaly like Frisky, so—”

“Alright, forget that, is it dangerous?” Toriel said quickly.

“Not for her,” he said. 

The woman raised her brows and looked at Frisk. The kid shrugged. Toriel laughed tiredly and rubbed her brow. 

“Okay. Alright. Just… Honey. You know what I’m going to say.”

Frisk stuck her thumbs up. Toriel smiled fondly. She put her hands on her hips and looked up at the ceiling. 

“So, I was thinking,” she said, “this place, it stands to get rather crowded now, doesn’t it? And, Gaster, you cannot just stay on the couch forever.”

“I don’t mind,” he assured her.

“But since you’re here, and we’re still down here for another few months, what do you think about clearing the attic? Turning that into a room for you? And I suppose we could even divide it in half and I could give Sans his space back.”

“Ooh! And I could finally dust all up there, and we clean out all that old junk!” Papyrus grinned. “I like that idea! Can I help?”

“Ah, I could sort through all my old books…” Gaster nodded. “That’s a great plan, Tori.”

“Hey, uh, so cleanin’ is a real riot and all…” Sans had appeared, leaning up against the table casually, arms folded. “But let’s say we take out the trash first, before we get too ahead of ourselves.”

“What trash? Sans, you didn’t make a mess up there, did you?!” Papyrus said.

“No, he means… Right, I gotta call Az,” Frisk said. “Um. Guess we’ll do that stuff first.”

“Don’t go without me,” Undyne called from upstairs. “Kid, let’s go together, okay? I wanna be there.”

“Ooh, should we go Frisk’s new special way?” Papyrus asked excitedly.

“Nah, I’m gonna walk,” Undyne said. “Kinda makes my head spin, and I think I had enough of it for today.”

“Oh, jeez, I’m sorry,” Frisk said quickly.

“No, no, don’t be,” Undyne said with a laugh. “That you could bring me along at all was super cool. I’ll just probably need breaks in between.”

“Oh, okay, phew,” she said. She looked around the room at the mostly concerned monster faces and smiled bashfully. “We’re gonna be fine.”

“Yes! Of course! That’s the spirit!” Papyrus said brightly. “Ooh! Let me go prepare!! Hang on just a miiiiinute!!”

Papyrus raced up the stairs and away. Frisk bit her lip and looked at Undyne. She hesitated, then folded her arms tightly.

“What’s wrong, hun?” Toriel asked.

“He’ll probably take a long time to pick an outfit…” she mumbled.

“Hm? Want me to rush ‘im?” Undyne said.

“No, um…” She bit her lip. “Can we…? I mean. Can you come without your armour?”

“Uh. I guess? Why?” she asked.

Frisk flinched. She bit her lip, and then looked up at her parents with big eyes. “Can you do something for me?”

“What is it?” Gaster asked worriedly.

“Can you… slow him down?” she asked. “I… I don’t want him there. I don’t want him to go near that human. You too, mom.”

Gaster stared at her, brows raised. Toriel looked concerned and knelt down to her level. 

“Is this about your dream?” she asked.

Frisk nodded. Toriel frowned. She looked back at Gaster and, though she opened her mouth, her words lagged uncertainly.

“Please,” Frisk said. “It’s… It’s really important.”

“Are you sure?” he asked,

“But then we could not go with you…” Toriel said.

“You can. Just… after,” she said. “Just… I dunno. I don’t wanna risk it.”

Toriel looked at Sans quickly, wide-eyed. His arms were folded as he kicked back against the wall.

“Agreed,” he said. “We’ll go now.”

“What?! Sans, really?” Toriel said shrilly.

“Yup.”

The woman looked between the skeletons with wide eyes. She grimaced and then stood, tall, towering. “But I am your mother, Frisk. I should be the one to protect you.”

“You are. By not coming right now, you super are. I promise,” Frisk insisted. “Please.”

“I’d just trust her on this one,” Sans said.

Toriel sighed. “I… I know. I understand. But… Papyrus, he’s going to want to race right after you.”

“I… I think I know what to do,” Gaster said quietly. “…Don’t worry. I will keep him safe.”

\- - -

Frisk was quiet, chilled by guilt, on their way to Asgore’s. However, every time she looked at her brother, he had a strange expression on his face. What was it, pride? 

Asriel met them outside Asgore’s home, and grabbed Frisk into a tight hug as soon as he could. She slumped on him— hadn’t realized she’d missed him so much.

“They’ve been being pretty quiet,” he said. “But they seemed really relieved when you said you’d meet them. Dad’s has them at the garden right now. Save, okay?”

“Will do,” she said. “Thanks for everything.”

“Mhm.” He looked up bashfully at Sans and Undyne. “H-Hi, guys. Um… Where’s everyone else?”

“Papyrus’s grounded for an hour,” Sans said. “He just doesn’t know.”

“Oh? Oh. Well. It’s for his own good,” he said.

“So, like, all of you are that worried about it?” Undyne said.

“Not worth the risk,” Sans said. He grinned and ruffled Frisk’s hair. “Kiddo acted real quick.”

“I’m just glad dad was on board,” she said. 

She backtracked to the bright golden tear in time and eyed it with a little trepidation. This was the right thing to do, wasn’t it? The nerves were coming back full force. She took a deep breath and let time stick right where it was.

“You’re doin’ good.” Sans put his hand on her shoulder. His grip was strong; reassuring. 

“Hope so,” she said.

“Hey, you’re doing way more than anyone could ask you to,” Asriel said. “If it were me, I probably woulda told ‘em to get outta my damn house.”

“Pfft, I wouldda picked ‘em up and chucked ‘em outta my damn house,” Undyne said.

Frisk snickered. “This is less trouble,” she said. “And if I’m right, well… I dunno. At least that guy won’t be looking in the wrong spot.”

“Must be desperate, though. To come lookin’ here,” Sans said. “How old you say the kid looked?”

“I dunno, honestly,” she said. “Like… Younger than me.”

“So an infant, then?” Asriel joked.

“Stoooop.” She couldn’t help a laugh. “I dunno. Like, little. But not a baby.” She locked her fingers together and stretched her arms forward to crack her knuckles. “Okay. Let’s go.”

They took over the dining table quickly. Frisk moved more flowers away behind a jar of spoons in the kitchen, Undyne stole a brush, sat the kid on her lap, and ran it through her hair a couple times. Sans flopped out across the table, and Asriel finished setting up his phone to covertly record in his bedroom, convinced that the humans would want to speak to Frisk alone. She thought he was being a little paranoid but, honestly, she appreciated it. 

The Ambassador returned to the house first. She was holding a couple flowers when she entered, but she froze with shock when she came into the room. “Oh! I… Hello!”

“Hi again,” Frisk said. 

Sans lazily raised a hand to wave and Undyne straightened up a bit, tightening her hold on Frisk with one arm and draping the other over the back of the chair. She nodded curtly. 

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” June said with a bashful quiver in her voice.

“Nah, we met,” Undyne said. “Just was wearin’ different clothes.”

“Wh…? Oh! God. Are you…? You’re the Guard Captain?” the woman asked. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

Undyne waved a hand dismissively. “Drop it, will ya?”

June gulped and nodded, and then cautiously edged in towards the table. She placed the flowers into a small glass vase in its centre. “I’m… I’m sorry to cause you all any trouble.”

“Well, kinda late for that,” Sans joked, floating the flowers farther down the table and away from Asriel. “Kid said yes to bein’ troubled, though.”

“Uh-huh!” Frisk said.

“It shouldn’t take long,” she said. “My associate just would like to confirm something.”

“Associate?” Frisk tilted her head.

“The guy she works with,” Sans said.

“Oh! Right, okay.” The kid tapped her fingertips together. “He’s not scary though, right?”

“No, no, he can sound a little gruff, but he’s a nice man,” June assured her.

Frisk wondered how nice the man she’d seen lose it could really be. She didn’t know how to rationalize the two concepts in her mind. Asriel reached out and held her hand. She blushed— she must’ve looked nervous. She nodded. Undyne’s earfins perked and she tilted her head towards the stairs. 

“Sounds like they’re on their way up,” she said. “We’ll be right here, okay, kid?”

“Yeah,” Frisk said.

“Um. It might be better to do this with a little privacy,” June said quietly. 

Just like Asriel had thought. Sans shrugged. He looked at Frisk.

“Okay with you, sweetheart?”

“Well… Ummm…” Frisk pretended to look even more nervous. She pouted. “Okay.”

“If you want, use my room,” Asriel said. 

Frisk slipped off Undyne’s legs and hesitantly made her way to the first room down the other hallway. She sat on the greyish bed in the greyish room, wondering what to expect. She closed her eyes and did her best to listen through the walls. The images that filled her head weren’t good ones. She hoped Papyrus would forgive her for leaving him behind. 

She heard male voices, unintelligible. One clearly Asgore, but the other… Almost done, she told herself. And she’d just saved. She took a deep breath and settled on the mattress, realizing rather abruptly how cramped her shoulders and legs felt as she let them relax. Nothing to worry about. 

A knock on the door made her jump.

“Frisk, my child, the human would like to talk to you now, okay?” Asgore called.

“Y-Yeah,” she answered. Why was her heart beating so hard?

The door creaked open and, even though she’d dreamt the human, she half-expected to see someone ghoulish before her. But, he was normal. Average. A human man with no hair and stubble on an unshaven face. He had broad shoulders but he wasn’t particularly tall or imposing. Asgore’d taken them clothes shopping, because he wasn’t in that pseudo-military outfit she’d pictured. He looked grey, and tired, and pale.

The second his eyes locked on Frisk’s, he had to have known. The line of his mouth went thin. His eyes seemed to glaze. The kid pushed forward on the bed slightly and stood up. He put a hand to his mouth. Frisk tilted her head; was about to apologize, but the man wobbled and dropped to his knees. She squeaked and recoiled, but couldn’t keep herself back as she heard the man let out a choked, rough sob.

“O-Oh no. Um. Are you okay?” she asked quickly.

“Idiot… Idiot.” He kneaded his fingers into his eye sockets. “Selfish bloody idiot.”

“Hey…! Hey.” Frisk darted over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “C’mon. Wh-What happened?”

Frisk was taken aback when the man grabbed her into a tight hug. She froze up utterly.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he muttered.

“Wh… What?” she asked.

“I’m such a selfish pr… Oh my god. I… I thought… But of course you’re not…” He coughed to try to clear his throat. “I’m sorry, kid. I… I didn’t even think… I shouldn’t have put you through this or…” He hurriedly drew back, wiping his face quickly. “Sorry. God. I’m… sorry.”

Frisk stared back at him, wide-eyed. Again, reconciling what she saw in her dream with what was right before her eyes made her mind spin. She gulped. “You were looking for someone. Right?”

“This never should have happened,” he said quickly. “I didn’t even stop to consider that… I could have disrupted your whole life with this, I…”

“Yeah, it was pretty stressful,” she said. “But, dude, there’s obviously something more than that going on.”

He shook his head and mumbled something into his fist. 

Frisk sighed and she sat down with him. “Tell me about it.”

“Wh… What?” he said.

“Tell me who you’re looking for. What’s going on?” she said. “Maybe I can help.”

“Not sure that would—”

“Try me.” Frisk raised her eyebrows.

He looked at her with a probing expression. He sighed quietly, his voice still craggy. “I was trying to find my daughter.”

Frisk wasn’t surprised at all. She nodded.

“I-It’s been two years. She… ran away. A little after her mother died, right after the funeral,” he said, voice taut. “I’ve been looking, but… nothing. I was desperate. Al… Uh. The Ambassador, she’s an old friend of mine. She told me there was a human here that looked a bit like my little girl, but…”

“Oh. That was me, huh?” she said quietly. “Sorry.”

“No, no, don’t…” He rubbed his face. “Ugh. I… don’t suppose you’d mind keeping that bit quiet, would you? She’s a good person, but that’s a huge c… uh… She could get in a lot of trouble with her job if they knew that’s why I was picked to…”

“Don’t even worry,” Frisk said. “I understand. I can’t even imagine…” Her hand moved to her soul spot as the dismal feeling that had sunk Sans into a pit when he thought he’d lost her after the reset settled in on her. “I’m, um… I’m really sorry. The last human before me was fifteen years ago. Do you…? Do you think she would have actually tried to get here?”

“She loved the stories of the King under the mountain,” he said quietly. “She would always play pretend on the monster mountain, stuff like that, I… I just don’t know.”

Frisk bit her lip. She folded her arms and tapped her fingers. Her heart broke for this stranger. But, a little kid going missing two years ago— was there anything she could even do about that? The words hung heavy on her tongue but she forced them out anyway. “Are you sure she ran away?”

“What?” The man looked like anything else hadn’t even occurred to him. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean…” Frisk scratched her head. She had an idea. “Hmm… Do you remember the last day you saw her?”

“Yeah, of course,” he said. “Look, kid, I’m sorry, I—”

“Wait a sec, I think I might be able to… well… Maybe give you a different p-perspective?”

Boyd stared at her blankly for a long, silent few seconds. He laughed wryly. “What’s with you kids here?”

“Ah. Um…” Frisk’s face flushed. “Sorry, um… I was kinda… pretending to be a bit more, um… childish? Az was too. We’re, um… We’ve seen a lot more bad stuff than a lot of the grownups in our lives really understand, if that makes sense.”

“So I guess we both kinda have a secret, huh?” he said quietly.

“I kinda got another one.” She held out her hand and let the red magic crackle across her fingertips. 

The man recoiled, his eyes fixing on the kid’s fingers. “That’s not possible.”

“It’s kinda new,” she said. “But, um, I have magic? And it has a lot to do with memories and stuff. So. I was thinking, maybe… you could show me that day?”

He eyed her up and down suspiciously. But, he edged closer. There was a hint of hope glimmering in his eye. “How?” he said.

“Basically, I just gotta touch you and you just think of what you want me to see, and I can see it.”

“I’ve replayed that day over and over,” he muttered. “But… A set of fresh eyes… I mean. If it wasn’t obvious. I’m pretty desperate.”

“Okay.” Frisk held out her hand. “Let’s try.”

A tremor in his fingers, Boyd rested his big, battered hand on hers. She set her other hand alight, too, and touched two fingers to his temple. His memories whisked her away instantly. Through fog, she could see a dour room, with people dressed in black. He supported the wall, heavyhearted. This wasn’t unexpected, but it was harder than he’d though. And his daughter— she could see her, tiny, well groomed, and in a black gown, being fawned over by people the man carried some ire for.

“Who are these people?” she asked.

“Wh… What are you seeing?” he replied.

“Your brain says it’s a… funeral? After the funeral,” she said.

“…God. Okay. Uh. Which people?” 

“The ones you don’t like,” Frisk said.

“Oh, them, they’re… My wife’s family. They were estranged. Um. She didn’t talk to them,” he said. “They didn’t help at all when she was sick, but boy did they like to talk about how much they… I’m sorry. I… tried to let it go.”

“It’s okay,” Frisk said. 

She watched through the lens of Boyd’s eyes. Though he was focused in on his daughter, Frisk could wander, just a little. She could see these people he didn’t like treating the girl rather kindly. She seemed to like the attention, but she kept looking back at her father as if for reassurance. She could also see the Ambassador, helping set up a table far in the back. These two must’ve been old friends.

“How old is she here?” Frisk asked.

“Three,” he said quietly.

The kid noticed two women whispering to each other. Boyd hadn’t heard them— hadn’t been paying attention, so the words weren’t there. Frisk instantly didn’t like them, probably because the man didn’t either. One was an older woman, tall and thin and lithe, with prim silver hair and a face like all she ate was lemons. The younger one bore a resemblance, though she had cool blue eyes and sheer blonde hair framing a long face. 

“These two?” Frisk asked.

“Who?” he said.

“The grumpy old lady and the sad looking one with her,” she said.

“Oh. That’s… My wife’s mother and sister,” he said. His tone was heavy and carried a little venom. 

The memory shifted. The same group were outside an old stone building now. As Boyd’s focus once again was on his little girl, nodding along with something a bearded man in black told him, the others in the group got into cars. Blue and silver, grey with a dent, rose gold with the emblem of a horseshoe on the front, and glossy black marred with mud around the wheels, and— the vision blurred. Maybe it wasn’t important. 

“They didn’t stay,” Boyd grumbled. “Nobody stayed.”

The sludgy mess of colours brightened slightly, repainting a new sky in pink, orange, and dark blue, as a blazing gold sun lethargically settled behind a row of houses. There was grass tickling the man’s feet as he sat off a porch and watched that little girl running amok with a skinny, big-eared calico cat. His head was heavy and his eye sockets felt bruised. The kid ran up and he ruffled her hair affectionately. She asked something about her mother— something that made his heart ache. He told her no and she pouted dramatically. She stomped back into the house. He sighed and sat there for a long time.

“She left that same night,” the man said. “I… I called the police, but, nothing.”

Frisk flinched. The memory started to fade. “Wait. Hold it,” she said quietly. “Run it again.”

“It’s… not easy,” he muttered.

“I know, I know, just… I need to look around,” she said. “Gimme just one more time.” 

To her relief, the swirling colours took her back. She braced herself and forced her eyes to stop following Boyd’s tunnel vision. He was so out of his head; she couldn’t blame him. She looked at the cat, and at the tiny kid. A toddler, really. How far could a toddler really have gotten? Then again, she had gotten pretty far herself, not being much bigger than that.

She squinted through the man’s point of view, looking at the yard— for any dangers he might have missed. There was a picture book beside his hand on his porch. _The King Under the Mountain_— with a picture of a friendly white dragon that vaguely resembled Asgore. Then, a colour struck her. One that had been there but didn’t look out of place. Rose gold. The sun glinted off the emblem on the front, obscuring its shape. But it seemed to be that same car. Parked down the street with another one.

“What colour’s your car?” she asked.

“Black, back then,” he said. “Why?”

Frisk squinted. She tried to focus. There wasn’t much memory there, more of a blur, but she could make out an indistinct person in that car. She bit her lip and kept her eyes focussed as hard as she could on that spot. There might have been a second person. Boyd had long since checked out. 

“Anyone on your street have, like, a small car that’s this kinda weird gold-pink colour?” she asked.

“No,” he said. “Why? What do you see?”

Frisk blinked and pulled back and away from the man. He looked back at her with wide, worried eyes. The expression reminded her a little of Gaster. She rubbed her brow.

“It had, like, a bright emblem thing on the front. You know anyone with a car like that?” she asked.

He scratched his scruffy beard, his brow furrowing. “Well… I think maybe my mother-in-law. But she couldn’t be, she had no idea where we li…” His eyes went wide and round. “She followed us.” Suddenly, it seemed like everything made sense. “Oh my god. I… I gotta go. I gotta—”

“Go,” she said. “Good luck.”

The man scrambled to his feet and rushed out of the door, shouting for June. Frisk pushed back the sudden pressure and dizziness in her head. She held to the wall as she wandered out of the room. She was in a bit of a daze. She watched the humans quickly excuse themselves from Asgore, gather their bags, and then rush straight down the stairs in the centre of his house. 

“Goodness, I hope it’s stopped raining, then,” he said quietly. He looked at her with a concerned smile. “Oh, sweetie, you look a bit sick.” He bent and swooped her into his arms, hugging her gently. “I heard what you did for that man. Sorry. Big ears.”

“It’s fine.” She clung to him. “I… I really hope he finds his kid.”

“I think you’ve given him a chance,” he said. “Funny. I had no idea that’s what his true intentions were. Suppose you can’t really judge a book by its cover, hm?”

Frisk shook her head. “N-No. Guess not.”

\- - -

When the rest of Frisk’s family arrived, heralded by Papyrus’s typical kicking-in-of-the-door, the kid and the others were already decompressing in Asgore’s living room floor, huddled up with tea and pillows and blankets in front of a warm and cozy fireplace. Frisk had insisted she was fine, but the fact that she was shaking like a leaf and had a problem keeping her feet under her told a different story.

The skeleton lurched into the room, panting, eyes blazing amber. He dove for his sister, wrapping her in his arms and squishing her. “I’m so sorry we’re late!!”

“Don’t be!” Frisk said.

He breathed a sigh of relief and found a blanket draped over him like a cloak. Undyne patted his head.

“Everything was fine,” she said.

He cracked a smile and Frisk hugged him tight. She felt like the weight of a boulder had been lifted from her back.

“Frisk did an excellent job,” Asgore said proudly. He smiled warmly and waved at Gaster and Toriel as they found their way in. “Everything is okay, don’t you worry at all.”

“I apologize, this was my fault,” Gaster said.

“Pffft, you were sick, it’s not like you could help it!” Papyrus said. 

The man sighed and rubbed his face as he plopped down on the floor with the others. He reached out and took Frisk’s hand. The tremor in his fingers and the look in his eyes told her that whatever he’d thought of to delay Papyrus hadn’t been necessary.

“So. They won’t be back until the city is done. Right?” Toriel asked.

“Well, not on business, no,” Asgore said. “But the Ambassador seemed to really enjoy her time here, though. I think she’ll be a good fit.”

“Asgore.” Toriel frowned.

He grinned sheepishly. “Listen, I signed all the papers, they’re going to leave Frisk alone, and she helped the man get some answers about his daughter. I think it’s all good news!”

“His daughter…?” Toriel’s expression softened. “I see. Well. Hopefully that’s the last of that.”

“Was pretty funny to see that lady, like, freakin’ out a little at every monster she saw, though,” Undyne said casually. “Guess it must be like that for them, huh? Most humans are kinda the same shape, which is super weird. Hey, Frisk, what’d you think when you saw a monster the first time?”

“That I was dreaming. Or dead.” She laughed and looked at her mother with a smile. “But, I mean… It was just mom, so, like… it wasn’t hard to not be weirded out.”

“I was scary, though, right?” she asked with a grin.

Frisk laughed. “Only ‘cause you were so grumpy!”

“Pfffft, okay, fair enough. So who was the scariest, then?”

“Ummm… I dunno,” she said. “Nobody, really. Umm… Maybe Lemons, the first time. They were just, like, super loud with huge teeth, and they were also reeeeeally grumpy then, so maybe them.”

“Doesn’t sound too different from Undyne, though,” Sans said.

She knocked him on the head. He snickered. Asriel peeked just his snout out from under a quilt.

“Not me?” he asked.

“Oh, well, yeah, actually, for sure,” she said with a laugh. “I didn’t know if you counted or not.”

He bared his big fangs in a grin, hunkered down, and then pounced on her, cackling as he was scooped up by Papyrus, too. She squeaked and giggled, and he put his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. Their souls hummed their conjoined tune, contented and warm. 

Their mother watched with a big smile on her face.“Good job, you two,” she said. “I feel much better knowing how you’re watching out for each other.”

“Gotta.” Asriel winked. “Frisk’s self-preservation instinct is, like, nil, so…”

“My monster preservation ones are pretty high, though,” she said.

“Oh no, not you, too,” Gaster said, eyes wide. “Who put that in your head?!”

“Um. Nobody?” she said, puzzled.

He sighed and reached out to her, holding her face gently with shaking hands. “Please be careful.”

“You too,” she said.

“I know, I know. I… may be a bit of a hypocrite in this regard, but…” He caught Sans giving him an amused look. “Okay, I’m a massive hypocrite. But still.” 

Asgore let out a booming laugh and moved over to thump his friend on the shoulder. “Well. If she’s from where you say she is, she most certainly got it from you, my friend.”

His bones flushed and Sans cracked up faintly from wherever under the blanket he’d vanished to. Frisk smiled. There was something very reassuring about all of this.

She heaved herself out of Papyrus’s lap and reached out to grab Gaster’s hands again. She held one of them tight in both of hers, feeling his shivers deep into her own soul. She set her fingers ablaze and smiled at him as the worried expression on his brow relaxed. He almost looked like he might fall asleep right where he sat. She snickered fondly and stood on her toes to hug him around the neck. He froze up for a brief moment, then crumbled and grabbed her tight and blew out a sigh that shook his shoulders. 

Though this obviously didn’t phase anyone else, and Papyrus grabbed onto Gaster to gently to bonk his brow on his affectionately, Asgore went a little stiff. A big, warm smile crept over his face and his eyes glistened.

“I have an idea,” he said. “Let’s take a little break, and then how about we grab Alphys and I treat you all to a meal downtown, hm? I think everyone here has earned a nice, long rest after this.”

As the younger monsters took the aforementioned rest near the fireplace, the elder ones gathered themselves in the kitchen. As usual, Asgore put the kettle on, more so out of habit than anything else. He took off his crown and unhitched his purple cape. He draped it over a chair near the counter, but Toriel _tsked_ at at him and took it to fold it neatly.

“Honestly,” she said in a low voice. She placed the cloth down on the counter and gave him a narrow-eyed look. “Dreemurr. That was risky.”

“I know,” he said. “Trust me, I know.” He rubbed his hand through his golden mane. “If it wasn’t Frisk— if I didn’t know how well she can handle herself— I would never have even considered it. I am very sorry to have put your daughter through something like this. Both of you.”

Toriel’s fur bristled. She looked at Gaster and snorted out a laugh. He rubbed his face and snickered as well.

“Never imaged myself co-parenting with you,” Toriel teased.

“And I will do my best not to be a pain,” Gaster said.

“You will do fine!”Asgore assured him, thumping him warmly on the shoulder. “And, don’t forget! Good old Uncle Asgore is here to lend a hand, wherever you need.” He smiled. “She really did do an excellent job. Of course. She was so brave for agreeing to meet that man.”

“You are amazingly lucky she still likes you, you know,” Toriel told him.

“I know. Absolutely,” he said, nodding swiftly. “After what I did, I… I don’t…”

“Oh stop,” Toriel said, rolling her eyes. “Yes, yes, _you don’t deserve it_, ad nauseam.” She smiled sideways. “The kids feel how they feel. But you had better not inflict your complex on them.”

Asgore cracked a sheepish smile. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am,” she said. She leaned back on the wall and blew out a tired sigh. “I am gone for a day or two and the whole world turns on its head, hm?”

Gaster laughed. “Sorry.”

She shook her head. “Anything else I missed?”

“Oh! Actually!” Asgore brightened and nudged Gaster with his elbow. “Did you show her the book?”

“The…? Oh!” The skeleton pulled out his phone and, after fumbling for a second, summoned the book of Dirges he’d squirrelled away out and into his hand. “A human brought this back to us. Look.” He handed it over to her carefully.

Toriel’s brows raised and she gently flipped open its pages. She froze, eyes wide. “…You’re kidding.”

“Isn’t it something?!” Asgore grinned. “With notes like this and just a bit of work…”

“I thought they were all lost,” she admitted. “Destroyed or… Gone with the monsters that wrote them, but, if we could start teaching this sort of thing…”

“Isn’t it exciting?” Asgore asked.

“You’ll have to walk me through this later,” Toriel told Gaster.

He nodded. “Gladly.”

“Hey, guys, whatcha readin’?” Asriel wandered groggily into the kitchen and headed for the fridge. “We got any razuperi drink? Got a craving.”

“Ah, in the very back, behind the soup,” Asgore said. “Have you heard of Dirges, son?”

Asriel paused. He looked up at the adults with a brow raised. “Those spells from way the heck back? Yeah, sorta, why?”

Toriel showed him the book. His jaw dropped as his eyes skimmed the open page. 

“Wh…?! Oh! Okay! I thought all those and Cadences and Arias and stuff were all mute spells now,” he said. “But you guys found some?! Is it all Dirges?”

“It may not be,” Gaster said. “I will need to translate it.”

“Hey, good news, then, right?” Asriel said brightly, pulling a bottle of red juice from the fridge and bumping the door closed with his hip. “I just remember, we used to have those magic classes, right? But they kinda had to stop because… What was her name? That moose lady?”

“Alcie. Yes, she fell down, the poor thing,” Asgore said.

“She was the last composer we had,” Gaster said.

“Yeah, that sucked,” Asriel said, ears drooping slightly. “This is good, though. I’m glad.” He shot Gaster a smile. “What a time to come back, huh?”

The skeleton nodded. Toriel patted his shoulder and returned the book to his careful hands.

“Keep it safe,” she said.

He nodded and stashed it back inside his phone’s dimension box. He smiled. “It’s odd, but I enjoy that I already have so much to do.”

“Not today, though,” Asgore said.

“Yeah, jeez, take a rest already,” Asriel joked. He headed back for the living room. “We are.”


	11. WHAT A CURSED CHAPTER

Alphys was a welcome addition to the group as they went down into New Home to trawl through cafés and ramen joints in the late afternoon. Frisk was wobbly— seemed, strangely, to be weakening after peering through the human’s memories. Papyrus didn’t mind carrying her, and when she dozed off, the only thing stopping her from faceplanting into a bowl of noodle soup was Sans’s blue grip on her soul.

Back home was finally a bit of quiet. It was only the skeleton siblings, for now. The others lagged back with Asgore for all the human diplomacy updates, plus Asriel wanted to actually have some time with his dad to himself.

For the first time in a long while, Papyrus allowed himself to take a rest. With a cooking show playing in the background, he lay back on the couch, cradling his sleeping sister, his eyes glazing over as old, box-shaped Mettaton stirred cake batter dramatically. In a dazed voice, he repeated Mettaton’s words quietly. He’d heard them a thousand times. “Stir whip stir whip, whip whip stir.”

Sans brought him a cup of tea and carefully edged himself onto the couch around his brother’s feet. He sighed and rested his cheek on his fist. Papyrus leaned his head back and poured the cup in its entirety into his mouth. Sans snickered.

“Tired, huh?” he said.

“No. Yes.” Papyrus sighed. “I’m happy, though.”

Sans smirked. “Figured. Gotta admit, kinda nice to have one thing taken care of.”

“Must be a new feeling for you.” He smiled. “Maybe you could get a similar satisfaction from picking that sock over there up.” He levelled his finger at the sock that lay, limp and pathetic beside the wall beside the TV.

“Hm. Probably.” Sans didn’t move an inch. 

Papyrus scoffed, but couldn’t bring himself to even feign annoyance as he put his arms around his sister and slumped. “…I’m so glad that’s over.”

“Freaked you out, huh?”

“Pfffff, I mean. Of course not. It’s not like humans could come and they could just try to…” He pouted and hid half his face against Frisk gently. “A-Anyway. There’s no way anything bad could have happened. Not with the great Papyrus watching out for her.”

Sans grinned fondly. He put his arms behind his head and shut up, watching as Papyrus slowly drifted off. Took him a minute to force himself up and to his feet. He dragged up a blanket that had stuck behind the couch and tucked them both in under it. His brother started snoring within seconds. That had to be a good sign. 

As Sans sipped his tea and began to doze off himself, he heard a clunk and a groan from upstairs. Then, a sort of rough, coughing, retching sound. He rolled his eyes.

In the attic, he found Gaster on his hands and knees, eyes squeezed shut, breathing deep and rattling. 

“Don’t learn, huh?” Sans knelt and patted him on the back. “Need anything?”

His father shook his head quickly. He quivered as he inhaled and then slowly sat back up and rubbed his hand across his brow. “H-How are the kids?” he croaked.

“Fine,” he said. “How’d it go?”

“I…” He coughed and slowly got to his feet. “I n-never imagined things were this f-far along. Toriel did not seem at all shocked, though, so I suppose this is normal, hm? Aside from that, un—” He put his hand to his mouth as he choked. “Uneventful. Alphys did give me more of those helpful cakes, though.” He held up his phone and then smiled quite brightly. “I still can hardly believe she managed to incorporate dimension box technology into such small personal cellphone devices. It’s amazing.”

“Oh. Yeah. She did a lot,” he said. “You meet Mettaton yet?”

“You mean that robot on the TV?” he said.

“That’s the guy,” he said. “He’s, uh… not quite what he seems. And the tech in that frame is pretty advanced, you should give ‘im a look.”

The loud squeak of a voice jarred the two of them. Conversation forgotten, Gaster went ashen and he stumbled over boxes trying to get to the retractable ladder.

Sans was already there when he reached the ground floor. Papyrus was sitting up with Frisk, his thumbs glowing with amber magic as they rested on her closed eyelids. She was wincing.

“What happened?!” he demanded.

“Oh. Hi dad. Ow.” Frisk’s voice was small, but she smiled slightly. “Um. Whoops.”

“Just relax. Papyrus has you!” Papyrus assured her.

“So why the hell was it doin’ that?” Sans asked.

“I dunno,” Frisk said.

“Doing what?” Gaster insisted.

“Oh, her eyes went red again but the magic sort of started sparking out, it was rather strange,” Papyrus said. “But! Not to worry! I feel it settling down already!”

Gaster looked perturbed. He folded his arms tight and gritted his teeth. Sans slipped in beside the kid and put his fingers to her temple. 

“Oof, it’s spikin’ a little, huh?” he said. 

“Yeah, right outta my eyeballs,” she joked. “Hey, dad? Is that normal for humans with magic?”

“Ah. Um. I’m not sure,” he said quietly. “Let me just… Uh… Hang on a moment.” He bounded away, back up the stairs.

Sans rolled his eyes. “Hopefully he doesn’t do somethin’ stupid.”

“I’m sure he’s just trying to help,” Papyrus said. “Alright. Done.” He lowered his hands and looked at his sister anxiously. “Well?”

Frisk cringed a little and then blinked. Her eyes looked utterly normal. She rubbed them with her knuckles and smiled. “Thanks, bro, that feels a lot better.”

“I knew it!” He grinned proudly. “Well! That was a big scare over nothing, hm?”

“What else is new?” Sans said with a laugh. “Kiddo, get yourself together, alright?”

“I’m trying,” she whined. 

“Sans, be nice, she’s had a very very long weekend,” Papyrus said.

“I am bein’ nice.” He put an arm around the kid. “Guess determination ain’t exactly the measure of how well that power works then, hm?”

“Guess not,” she said, 

“What do you mean?” Papyrus asked. “What power? What did I miss?”

“Memory read,” Sans said. “Like dad does.”

“What?! Oh!! Okay. So. Wait. I’m confused,” he said.

“Worked on dad. Worked on Undyne,” Frisk said. “Worked on the human guy, but then I did… you know. That.”

“Familiarity, then,” Sans said. “Try on Alph, see what happens.”

“She might be too embarrassed,” Frisk said.

“Just tell her it’s for science, she’ll do it.”

The kid snickered. She gave him a hug and then flopped over his legs. He rubbed her back lazily and rested his cheek on his fist. 

“Hey, y’know, now that I think about it…” Sans tapped his chin. “I bet there’s all kinds of weird crap you can do.”

“Wh-What? What d’you mean?” she asked shrilly, flipping over onto her back. “Why, does dad have all kinds of other weird powers like that?!”

“Mmno, but… I mean. We just been kinda takin’ it as it comes, right?” he said. “But… Like. If you could do that almost the whole time…”

“So can she finally do bones, then?!” Papyrus asked excitedly.

“No, no, just…” Sans let out a low, thoughtful sound. “Gotta think about it a bit.”

Frisk’s brow furrowed. She looked at her hands and the little red sparks that crackled from her fingertips. She rubbed them together and then looked up at her brother curiously. “Hey, Sans? Did, um…? Did dad… design me like this?”

“Pfff. No.” He pointed at Papyrus. “Only one of us had anything even close to that level of thought put into ‘em. And even then, we mostly let Paps just kinda develop on his own.”

“But he came out perfect anyway, huh?” She grinned as Papyrus snickered and blushed faintly. “Well. I guess I’m okay with that.”

“Listen, kiddo, you’re way too young to be goin’ through a second identity crisis,” Sans said with a grin. “Unless, uh, you’re actually havin’ an issue, in which case, y’know, let us know.”

“No, no, I’m good,” she said quickly, sitting up. “Fine. Awesome. Cool.”

“Hm. Good.” He offered her his hand. “Could get a little cooler, though. Hey, Paps, meet you at Grillby’s? Think the kid deserves another milkshake.”

“What?! Oh… Pffff, fine,” Papyrus said. “But only because it’s been such a ridiculous day. And Frisk needs it.”

Frisk couldn’t help a grin. She loved Papyrus’s never-ending series of “but-onlys” when it came to Grillby’s. 

\- - -

Alphys was just getting in the door of the lab when an alarm went off. She squeaked and jumped, looking around with wide eyes. Something in the basement? That didn’t make sense, that alarm hadn’t sounded since the amalgamate monsters had moved out. She hurried to her computer and brought up her cameras. It was dark down there, but she could see a concentrated spot of extreme blackness, lighting just occasionally. Two points— highlighting the ridges on a skull.

“Gaster?” she asked quietly. Confusion marred her face. She cleaned her glasses just to make sure.

She hurried downstairs and raced into the room that had previously been full of beds and now only had a small smattering of beds and was littered with boxes in preparation for moving. She turned the light on and heard a sort of gasp, then a laugh. 

“G-Gaster?” she called.

“Sorry, Alphys.” The skeleton, wobbly on his feet, stood up and rubbed his skull. His eyes were blazing. “I keep telling myself I should not actually be travelling this way except in emergencies. And then I keep rationalizing that things are emergencies, so…”

“Why, what happened?” she asked.

“It’s, ah… It’s… Well, Frisk did…” He mimed a sort of explosion from his eye sockets.

“Her eyes b-blew up?!” Alphys yelped.

“Ah!! Not like that, her magic was just… Ah. It’s… It’s okay, Papyrus settled her, it’s just… Do you still happen to have my notes, by the way?”

“Oh! Y-Yeah, of course.” She smiled bashfully. “I… I could never bring myself to toss a single thing. Plus, I, um, kinda th-thought some of them were mine. Weird, right? Come with me.”

She lead him to the hidden door to the north of them and opened up the old room of computers and shelves upon shelves of books and notes. Gaster beamed like a kid in a candy store. 

“Oh, Alphys, look at this…”

“I know, it’s s-so dirty in here, I’m sor—”

“It’s great. It’s perfect,” he said. “Now let me…” He made his way inside and zoomed about between shelves and cabinets, running his fingertips along the spines of books. “Hmm… Now where did I put…?”

“What a-are you looking for, exactly?” she asked.

“Notes on Sans’s development,” he said. “I had… a notebook annnnd… Ah!” He pulled a big, three-ringed binder from its place wedged against the side of the shelf— the dark grey outer cover was warped.

Inside, there was a small, black notebook, alongside some sheets in plastic protectors: little baby skeleton hand and foot prints, measurements of bones, growth rates of both the physical and the magical; records of unique abilities and complications thereof. Alphys snuck over to look.

“Is…? Oh my g-god, are those Sans’s little baby prints?!” She squeed. She held out her hand beside the ink marks. “Aaah, th-that’s so cute! Look how tiny he was!”

“He was.” Gaster couldn’t help a fond smile, but he turned quickly and headed for the chair at a nearby computer desk. He zeroed in on that book and pulled it up, skimming the pages with slow deliberation, determined not to miss a thing. “I may just sit here for a while, if that’s okay with you.”

“Of c-course!” she assured him. “Would you, um, like any t-tea or anything? Soda? Coffee?”

“Oh, Alphys, that’s sweet, but you don’t need to…” He lifted his head and smiled at her fondly. “You’re not my assistant anymore.”

“Yeah, but I’m y-your friend, right?” She patted his shoulders. “I’ll m-make some coffee.”

She left him to get the kettle boiling. In the drawer where she kept a box of homemade tea and some small energy drink cans— some of them crumpled and empty— to pull out a yellow bag of instant coffee from the back. She held it fondly for a second before putting it up on the desk. She had always rationalized it that the monster who’d made this kind of coffee had passed away, so no more was to be had. She’d save it for a special occasion, she’d thought, but then it had simply slipped her mind. 

Her shoulders twitched and she jolted with surprise when she heard the elevator ding.

“Are you sure she would not mind?” That was Toriel’s voice.

“Course not.” Undyne. “I wonder if she’s even…? Hey, Alph?! Are you…? Oh!” She grinned bright and stuck her hand in the air. “Hey, babe, how’s it going?”

“Oh, fine. N-Not bad. Um. Everything okay?” Alphys asked.

“Yes. Finally.” Toriel smiled, though her eyes looked tired. “Sorry to burst in. I’m just on my way home.”

“G-Good. I’m sure they’ll be really glad t-to see you,” Alphys said. She blushed when Undyne wandered over and bent down to smooch her on the head. She bit her lip. “Gaster’s downstairs.”

“Is he? That was quick,” Toriel said. Her brow furrowed. “…Did something happen?”

“I’m n-not, um… Not entirely clear on that,” she said sheepishly. 

“Must’ve. I’ll go check on him.”

Toriel found Gaster with just a cursory look around the lower level. He raised a hand in greetings without looking up from the book he was glued to. She put her paw on his shoulder.

“Have you noticed anything odd about Frisk’s magic recently?” he asked.

“Odd? What isn’t odd about it?” she said in jest. “Frankly, I do worry about her a little when she uses it. Many times after that… healing, I suppose? If it’s not on someone particularly close to her, it drains her. Have you seen that?”

“Hm.” He nodded. “Apparently her eyes flared.”

“Seriously? That doesn’t sound right… Was she okay?”

“She was actually in fairly high spirits when I left, and—” His phone beeped and he froze in place. He lifted it to take a look and his cheekbones flushed instantly. “Oh…”

Toriel plucked the phone from his hand and tilted her head as she read his text. Just from Frisk, asking her dad where he’d gone off to. She smiled fondly at him and passed it back.

“Better answer her,” she said.

He nodded and put his book aside to text her back. Toriel’s smile grew. 

“So she’s already accepted you, hasn’t she?” she said.

“It appears so.” The colour on his bones shifted a shade darker. “I… I didn’t…” He sighed, but he smiled. “I guess you might be the one person who understands.”

“I guess you’re right.” She laughed. “What an odd pair we are, hm?”

“I’d say so. I’m really very glad it was you who… Well. Thank you, Tori.”

She waved a hand at him dismissively, smiling, and patted his back gently. “I feel like I should be thanking you. Anyway.” She pulled up a chair and sat with him, resting her elbow on the desk. “Take your time. I will wait for you.”

\- - -

Gaster didn’t find much answers in his old notes. Though it was true Sans had had some similar issues when he was a child, they had been more intense and more frequent, and seemingly caused by nothing at all. Maybe it wasn’t the same. He’d have to wait and see. He gathered up his notes and some of his other old books, and shared coffee with the other monsters before he and Toriel headed home. 

The house felt so calm and cozy that night. Papyrus was very watchful and caring, making sure everyone was warm enough and had plenty to eat. Gaster tried to get a little work done, pulling down some boxes of books to begin to sort through them, but his son all but forbid him. Tonight, they watched some goofy bad movies and ate chips, and Gaster began reading through the book of Dirges. Sans turned in early, with both Toriel and Gaster falling closely behind him— despite the latter doing his best to stay up and read. Papyrus tucked him in and shut off all the lights.

When Frisk and Papyrus headed to the bedroom to draft some puzzles to pass the time, they found their brother in the blanket mess pile, as usual. Tutting, Papyrus scooped him up and tucked him into the second bed. He turned off the light and then let a half-lit computer screen be all to illuminate the room. He waved Frisk over to the desk and pulled over an extra chair with a book on it for her. He grabbed one of his puzzle books and opened up to a new graph-paper page. 

“I had an idea the other day,” he said, keeping his voice low. “But you still know a little more about this than me! But I was thinking. What about seasonal puzzles?”

“Ooh. So, like, maybe some plant ones in the spring or leaf ones like in the Ruins in the fall?” she asked.

“Yes! Exactly.” Papyrus grinned. “You understand me so well! I had some ideas! How about we…!” He stopped; bristled. Looked back quickly towards Sans.

Frisk didn’t blame him. She felt it, too. They shared a worried look. Papyrus joined Sans and put a hand on his head, the amber glow of his eyes starting to shine brightly. 

“Oh. Oof. Okay.” he said. “This is, uhhh… Nyehh…”

“Bad?” Frisk asked.

“It’s, um… Well…” He sat on the mattress and lifted their brother up in his arms, clutching him close. “His energy’s very, very heavy. I think… I think, yes, that’ll be a stuck one. Not good. Not at all.”

Frisk winced. She nodded. She knew what they had to do.

\- - -

It wasn’t very often that the cold was what woke Sans up. There was a strange tremor in his bones. He opened his eyes and felt foggy. It was dark, but not so much that he couldn’t see anything. The door was open a crack, letting in a stream of cool, white light. There was something strangely heavy about his skull.

“Hm. Okay…” He blinked one eye and then the other; couldn’t see from the right. “Oh great.”

He sat up; tossed some junk at the approximate area of the light switch. It clicked on. His room looked very much the same as he would have expected a month or so ago. Socks on the floor, junk in the corner, though the walls had some chipped sections of paint but there wasn’t a crack in the ceiling. He hadn’t been asleep here, though. No, this wasn’t really his room at all. 

He rubbed his eyes and immediately noticed something else weird. His fingers were longer and tipped with sharp claws. He also seemed to be missing the ring finger on his right hand. He scoffed.

“Okay,” he said. Weird to be in a body that wasn’t quite his, but he’d make do. Partial blindness and missing appendages were absolutely no hinderance to taking a nap.

He kicked back, folding his arms behind his head, and he closed his eyes again. After a little while, he heard a hard rapping on his door. It opened loudly. The lights went on.

“Sans!! Come on, it’s almost time to head out!” Papyrus said.

“Uh-huh,” he said.

“Get up and get your jacket! You didn’t lose it again, did you?” he said. “The Captain said you’re in huge trouble if you head out without it.”

“Oh no,” he said, grinning to himself. 

“Saaaaaans, come on!” Papyrus whined.

Sans opened one eye. Remembered he couldn’t see out of that one and opened the other. Papyrus had his back to him, searching through his dresser. Though he wore a red scarf, as usual, the rest of his outfit was made up of shiny black and red armour that was quite spiky, especially at the shoulders.

“What’s with that get-up?” he asked, slowly getting up and stretching. 

“Hm? Ah! Here we go.” He held up what closely resembled a black aviator jacket with a hood rimmed in white fluff. “No wonder you couldn’t find it in there.”

When Papyrus turned to face him, Sans was startled still for a second. He hardly looked like himself. Though the armour could have been easily excused, it was his face that what especially striking. His dark eye sockets, narrower and more angular than usual, had rings of red around his irises, and all of his teeth were pointy. Some were distinctly fangs. It gave him an almost feline appearance. Sans stared back at him for a few seconds before he burst out laughing.

“What? What’d I do?” Papyrus asked. 

Sans grabbed him by the shoulders and peered at him curiously, unable to keep from grinning. This didn’t suit Papyrus at all. It was kind of hilarious.

“Nothin’. Nothin’.” Sans snickered and shook his head, and then grabbed his spiky, fanged brother into a hug, thumping his back. “Good morning.”

“Um! Good morning to you, too, brother,” he said. “Are you ready to go?”

“Alright,” he said. “Gimme a sec.”

He backed off and shifted himself to the bedroom over. Papyrus’s room was all but identical to normal. He was eager to see what the dream had done to him, if his brother looked like he’d stepped out of a fantasy-horror film. He opened the closet for the mirror on the door, and froze when he saw himself. There was a small fracture in his face across his dark right eye, and the iris of his left one was red, visible despite not glowing in the least. There was a similar, healed crack farther back on his skull, like someone’s claws had cracked through the bone. In fact, a lot of the right side of his body looked worse for wear. His fixed grin was filled with pointed teeth. He couldn’t help it— he began to laugh again. He put a hand to his head and wheezed.

“Brother?! What’s going on in there?” Papyrus opened the door and peeked in, and the worried look on his face made Sans break out into laughter all over again. “What? Is there something on my skull?”

“No. No no.” Sans took a deep breath and held out his hand. For the first time in a while, he was eager to see where this would go. “Out, right? Toss me my thing. Let’s get goin’.”

\- - -

It was encroaching on midnight. The house was dark. Papyrus was cautious on the stairs as he peeked over into the living room where Gaster was still nestled up on the couch, asleep. He tiptoed as quietly as he could and hurried for the kitchen. He didn’t dare turn on the light, but he glowed his eyes just enough to help him see into the cupboards. He needed to get Frisk to sleep. Tea could help, maybe. Something else? He wasn’t sure.

“Paps?” Gaster asked groggily. 

Papyrus spun on his heel to see his father sitting up slightly, blinking at him as if even that much light was too much. “Oh! D-Dad. Sorry to wake you up. Um. I forgot how light a sleeper you were.”

“Don’t worry,” he said, pawing around for his glasses. “Why do you look so nervous?”

“I’m not! Uh! I was just… trying to find something to help with sleeping,” he said.

“Are you having troubles?” he asked.

“Not me, no,” he said. “Um.” He rubbed his arm. Couldn’t keep the worried look off his face. 

Gaster smiled. “You can tell me,” he said.

“Okay, but don’t be worried, we’ve done this before,” he said quickly. “Sans is stuck in a dream. Frisk wants to fall asleep to go help him until he can wake up.”

“Oh?” Gaster looked more alert. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Nnooo, not really, we do this all the time, it works really well,” Papyrus assured him. “She sleeps, the dreams go together, and I wait outside in case something goes really sideways. So. No real need for anything else! I mean, unless you know a something that can help Frisk get to sleep quickly.”

Gaster looked thoughtful. He tapped his chin. “Spiced milk?” he suggested.

“Spiced… milk,” Papyrus repeated.

“Mhm. Let me show you,” he said.

“No, you should go back to bed!” he said shrilly.

Gaster chuckled and shook his head. He stood up, putting his glasses on, and patted the boy on his shoulder as he headed for the kitchen, smiling fondly.

“Let me at least do this,” he said.

He pulled a jug of milk from the fridge as magic hands glowed around the room, grabbing some old spices from the cupboard and a bag of sugar. He took a small pot from under the stove, added the milk, and put it on a burner. Papyrus hovered over his shoulder curiously as he added a few spoons worth of sugar and some spices to the pot as he gently stirred.

“Cinnamon,” Papyrus said, pulling the little packages away from the false hands. “Nut… meg? Card-a-mom. Huh! I didn’t know we had these!”

“You used to love this when you were little,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll remember once the smell gets going. Pity about the ginger.”

“What ginger?” Papyrus asked curiously.

“Exactly,” Gaster said with a laugh.

Soon, the milk was gently bubbling and the scent was warming the whole room. Papyrus did remember. Before it boiled over, Gaster turned off the heat, then poured the milk into two mugs and then handed them both over. Papyrus looked confused and his father gestured to one of the mugs. Cautiously, he tried it. 

“Oh! That is really nice,” he said. “Thank you.”

His father nodded and patted him on the shoulder. “Good luck. Come get me if you need anything.”

In the bedroom, under low light, Papyrus saw Frisk with her back against the headboard, watching over their brother as he dozed lengthwise across the foot of the bed, blue leaking faintly from his eye socket. She shot him a tired smile and held out a mug to her. She took it curiously and peered inside.

“Dad made it,” he said. “He said it would help you sleep.”

“Oh. Nice,” she said. “Thanks, Paps.”

She took a sip. The drink was very warm and relaxing. She nodded. Papyrus smiled and sat with her, scooting up past Sans and curling up with her. He put an arm around her and she snuggled up close.

\- - -

It didn’t take Frisk much longer to close her eyes and open them somewhere strange. It was dark, with a small, vertical sliver of light shining in her face. Cautiously, she touched it and it creaked. She heard padded footsteps and leaned forward just a little. A form in black crossed in front of the light. Frisk tried to get a look better look.

Her foot caught on something and the door gave when she tried to catch herself. She yelped and stumbled forward, toppling onto the floor. She came face to face with a sharp-toothed version of her brother that startled her still, seeming to loom over her with one red eye peering down and his thick black jacket making his shoulders look large and strong.

They stared at each other blankly for a few seconds. He squatted down and offered her his hand; he had long, distinctly clawed fingers. He tilted his head and grinned.

“The heck you doin’ in there, kiddo?” he asked, clearly trying not to laugh.

She knew it was her brother the second he spoke. She relaxed and took his hand, and he helped her upright onto her knees. She grabbed him and hugged him tight. He snickered.

“Jeez, I scare you that bad?” he asked.

“No! No, I was just worried about you. You were locked in,” she said. “I was trying to get in for like an hour.”

“Fair enough,” he said. “Hey, at least you look normal, that’s good.”

“Yeah, what’s up with that?” she asked worriedly. She grabbed his face in her hands. “What happened, is your eye okay?”

“Heh. Yeah, it’s fine,” he said, though his cheekbones flushed faintly red. “It’s, uh… probably been like that for a while.”

“Have you been here long?” she asked.

“Felt like maybe two hours,” he said, shrugging.

“What the heck is going on here?” she asked.

“Not sure, but this place is nuts,” he said. “Looks like someone smacked it with the spooky stick.”

“Oh yeah? Outside too?” she looked around, and though the kitchen looked normal with the exception of the much more normal-sized cupboard under the sink, she’d take his word for it. “Can I see?

“Uh. Better not,” he said with an apologetic smile. “They seem to be more into the whole human huntin’ stuff here than back home ever was.”

Frisk couldn’t keep the puzzlement from her face, but she nodded. He grinned and gently ruffled her hair.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Mhm!” She sat back and awkwardly got her legs under her to stand. “This is super weird. I don’t know how one can happen where you look different like this.”

“Yeah. I’m not real sure either,” he said as he straightened up. “Heh. Edgelord timeline.”

Frisk scoffed and snickered, and her brother grinned. She peeked out into the main room.

“So, where’s Papyrus?” she asked. “Is he here? Is he all, like… pointy, too?”

“Oh yeah, way more than me,” Sans said. “Seems a bit on edge. Heh. Everyone does. It’s kinda strange.”

“Hmm… So. What should we do?” Frisk asked. “Just stay here? Until we wake up?”

“Easier than goin’ somewhere else,” he said.

The living room was much the same, to Frisk’s relief, though the couch did have a patch or two stitched onto the seats and arm. She jumped on it and bounced on the cushions. Sans joined her. He reached into the side of the sofa and patted around. He pulled out a book that proudly bragged on the cover about containing five hundred jokes, but the inside was gibberish. Sans sighed and tossed it.

“Got anything to pass the time?” he asked.

“Noooot really,” she said. “Sucks that we can’t just explore. Or watch TV.”

“Man, I wish,” he said with a laugh. 

“I’ll make some tea or something,” she said. “Sink’s not too high here!”

“Fair point,” he said.

She scampered back to the kitchen. Sans could hear her clunk around, looking through the cupboards.

“Aw! We don’t have any,” she said. “Only coffee! Man, maybe I can…” She wandered back out, staring very intently at her hands as they started to glow faintly red. “Oof, it’s hard here…”

“Don’t bother,” Sans said. 

Frisk shot him a questioning look. He kicked back and put his arms behind his head. Frisk let the glow die and sat back down with him. She yawned. He chuckled. He looked kind of sleepy himself. Those grey shadows under his eye sockets looked dark. She leaned back into him and rubbed her eyes with her knuckles. He took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. It was quite cozy. 

“Thanks,” she said. “It’s warm.”

“I know, right? Kinda dig it,” he said. “Might get one like it for real.”

“Go for it, it’s nice,” she said with a grin.

She felt a lump in there and she reached into the side curiously. There was a hole in the lining, making a pocket. She felt something plastic in there. When she pulled it out, she almost laughed. A bottle of ketchup, a real fancy looking one. She smiled and offered it to her brother.

“Nice. Thanks,” he said with a laugh.

Now that she had his jacket, Frisk noticed Sans’s bare arms. His bones, predominantly on the right side, were covered in nicks and gauges. Even the side of his neck was missing a small chunk. She took his right hand. It was missing his ring finger entirely and some of the knuckles across the top had clearly been crushed. She grimaced and looked at him with wide, questioning eyes. He could do little more than shrug. She held his hand tight, pouting. He snickered.

“What kind of weird, pointy-teeth, bone-stealing timeline is this?” she wondered.

“Good thing I’m not right-handed, huh?” he said with a grin. “

“I hope Az isn’t in here,” she said. “You don’t think he is, do you?”

“No clue,” he said.

“Boo,” she grumbled.

She concentrated hard and tried to feel for him. It was a strain, but she didn’t hear her counterpart at all.

After a minute or so, the front door slammed open, jolting them both out of their half-nap, and another skeleton burst into the house. He started pacing the floor anxiously, seemingly blind to their presence. 

“Hey, Paps,” Sans said.

The skeleton turned sharply to look at them. Frisk would know Papyrus anywhere, even though his face was quite different. She was taken aback, but that startled expression was very much familiar to her.

“Wh-What?!” he stammered loudly— no matter what he looked like, he still sounded exactly like himself. “S-S-Sans, what are you d-doing with that…?! That human?!”

“She was in the cupboard,” he said with a shrug.

“H-Hi, Papyrus,” she said with a shy wave.

His jaw dropped. He put his hands on his head, the metal gauntlets clunking unnervingly off the bone. “Sans. No. No! You can’t. You. Can’t. They’ll take your other eye this time if anyone finds out! They’ll take your arm!”

“This time?” Frisk asked worriedly.

“Oh my god. Oh my god.” Papyrus quickly went back to pacing. “This isn’t real. It’s not happening. I don’t want to…”

“Um. Papyrus,” Frisk said gently. “D’you wanna stop running around? Are you okay? C’mon, dude, you look super tired.”

“Oh no.” He froze and stared at her; put a hand to his mouth. “She’s really sweet.”

“C’mere,” Sans said, beckoning to him. “Why don’t you ditch that get-up, huh? Take a day off?”

“I c-can’t, it’s the law!” he said, eyes wide. “A guard must always be armoured up and ready to go at the drop of a spear! If anyone s-saw me—”

“Jeez, what is up with this place?” Frisk asked worriedly.

“Sounds a bit too serious for me,” Sans said.

Frisk frowned. Papyrus opened his mouth but said nothing, putting a hand against his skull and then shaking his head vehemently.

“Papyrus, c’mere?” Frisk said gently, holding out her hands.

The skeleton froze. He looked at Sans, who stuck his thumb up. Cautiously, he came closer and dipped to one knee. He hesitantly took her hands and she smiled.

“You’ve heard how strong humans are, right?” she said. “You heard we’re really tough and hard to beat?”

“Y… Yes?” he said.

She grinned. “Then I’ll protect you! From anyone! From your boss, even! If you want.”

Papyrus stared at her silently. The red in his eyes glowed faintly and his cheekbones flushed with the same colour. “O-Okay. M-Maybe… Maybe just this one time,” he said, straightening up quickly. “Sans!! You better stay indoors too!!” He stomped quickly up the stairs and disappeared into his bedroom.

Frisk folded her arms, her brow furrowing. “What kind of place is this? He seems so scared.”

“Yeah, can’t say I’m a fan,” Sans agreed.

“Did you hear what he said?” she asked softly. “So… In this place, you helped a human before and someone did all that to you.” She gestured to his arm.

He smiled and shrugged. “I guess it can be a little, uh, disarmin’.”

“Pffft.” Frisk couldn’t help but grab his ruined hand again. “Jeez, dude.”

His grin only widened.

Announced by an awkwardly loud creak, Papyrus snuck out of his bedroom. He was wearing just a cozy red sweater and black sweatpants now, instead of the armour straight from Mordor. He looked almost embarrassed.

“You okay?” Frisk asked.

He nodded quickly, clutching to his own hands tightly.

“Is it okay if we all just hang out here for a little?” she said. “Do you mind?”

“Mhm. Yes. O-Of course it’s fine,” he said, rushing to join them. He stood on his toes, glancing around as if he expected the door to burst inwards at any moment. “…I hope the Guard Captain doesn’t notice I’m not out on patrol.”

“She won’t,” Sans assured him. “And if she does, screw it, I’ll chuck her in the river.”

“Sans, honestly. That’s technically treason, you know,” he said worriedly. “I’m scared one day I’ll come home and you’ll be just a head!”

“Ahead of what?” Sans asked with a grin.

“No no, I mean… BAH! SANS!” Papyrus cawed.

Sans smiled and shrugged. The other skeleton rasped out a tired laugh and rubbed his eye sockets. His shoulders sagged.

“Papyrus?” Frisk said gently. “Hey. You wanna sit down?”

“You do look a bit like you’re gonna fall over,” Sans said.

The tall skeleton looked at them cautiously. He slid over and sat beside Frisk, keeping his legs together and his back rigid. Frisk turned to him and gently grabbed his big, clawed hand. He was shaking.

“What’re you scared of?” she asked, and quickly withdrew. “Oh! Sorry. Not me, I hope? I’m not gonna hurt you.”

“Oh! No, no, it’s just… I know I’m supposed to kill you but that’s just horrible and awful, and…! And I don’t know! I feel like down here, all the monsters are being bad, but I really don’t want to be bad!” he said. “My big brother isn’t bad. And I don’t think I’m bad! But the law says I have to be bad, and I don’t want him to get hurt.”

“Ah. Jeez, kid,” Sans said sympathetically. “You aren’t bad. Couldn’t be bad if you tried.”

“I know! I was trying! And I couldn’t,” he said.

All of a sudden, Frisk stiffened to the twinge of a song prodding her mind. She straightened up, eyes flitting around.

“What?” Papyrus asked.

“I felt it, too,” Sans said.

The kid tried to feel out the energy. There was a weight in her, though. She couldn’t move to him. She grimaced and she hopped to her feet. “He’s not in the house, is he?”

“Doubt it.” Sans raised his brows. “Wuh-oh. Whatcha thinkin’?”

Frisk pulled the coat tight around herself and flipped down the hood. Sans couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Bit big, huh?” he said.

“I gotta go out there, though,” she said. “Aaah, jeez, what…? Ah, dang, it’s gotta be good enough.”

“Aah! W-Wait a second!!” Papyrus squeaked.

It was too late. The kid was already out the door.

Even though the house had looked almost just like home from the inside, the outside was a strange, tar-black, twisted structure shaped like a squat fortress. There were still some string lights near the windows, but they were all red.

Snow was ankle deep, but it was tinted off-white slightly by reflecting back the colour of odd, magical clouds above. They were heavy and sullen, dark grey, flickering with sparks of red. Frisk didn’t know what to make of any of this, but she took a deep breath of the frosty air and felt for Asriel’s energy. Seemed like it was to the west, so that’s where she headed. 

If this was Snowdin, it sure didn’t look like it. There were shiny metal fences that looked like obsidian spears poking out in front of buildings, all of which were remarkably similar to the skeleton house. Many of them were also decorated with string lights. 

Frisk ducked under the hood at the sight of the first monster wandering the streets. It was a rabbit, possibly. Black fur, though, with a long face and spikes on their ears and neck, and bright red eyes. Another monster up ahead, coming out of what might have been a shop, looked like a four-legged dragon stretched out and walking on their fingertips, with teeny, leathery wings with massive claws poking out of the back of a dark robe, and spikes jutting out all over. Other monsters even farther down the street were much the same: black, a little white sometimes, with red eyes and spikes everywhere. It truly was the edgiest timeline.

Frisk didn’t slow at the sound of feet clunking behind her until blue magic seized her soul and she had to stop. She turned to shoot Sans a worried, cautious look. He huffed and leaned forwards to catch his breath.

“Did you actually run?” she joked.

“I’d, uh, call it more of a brisk walk.” He brushed the back of his hand across his forehead as he straightened up. He looked around at the other monsters, brows raised. “Huh.”

“What?” she asked.

“They’re more passive,” he said. He stuck his hand out to wave at the oddly-shaped dragon. “Afternoon.”

“Afternoon,” the dragon growled back, copying his cadence exactly and moving on without so much as a glance at the kid.

“Huh.” Frisk relaxed where she stood. “Okay. Not so dangerous, then!”

“Weird,” Sans said. “Had more personality earlier.”

Frisk shrugged. “I’m not complaining.” She grabbed his hand. “Come on.”

The kid focussed on the music of Asriel’s distant soul. It pulled her down a side street and between mounds of black houses coming out of hills between tall, skinny trees that looked like they’d been burnt to husks. She thought she could hear a voice cursing in the wind. She dropped Sans’s hand and took off at a jog.

The streets were a maze, black and white blurring in the kid’s eyes as she followed the sound. A frosty chill was settling in heavily.

“Az?” she asked. “Az, you here?” 

She came to an abrupt stop when a figure popped out down one of the snowier streets. Wasn’t Asriel, though. Was someone a little taller than Frisk, staring at her from under the hood of a baggy sweatshirt. Eyes blazed red in the shadows. Frisk gulped. She felt sick all of a sudden. The person raised a hand. It looked shockingly human. They pointed down a small, side-street. She nodded despite the hair standing on the back of her neck.

“Th-Thanks,” she said.

Frisk took off as fast as she could. “Az?” she called again. “Can you hear me?”

“Ah, shit, d-don’t look at me,” his voice came from somewhere. 

Frisk ran faster, coming to a dead end against a hill of snow between two of the black houses. There was a twitching, grey-green, viney something there. The kid’s heart thunked to her stomach. She pushed back her hood and knelt down. The plants recoiled and tried to press themselves into a corner.

About the size of a dog, what could loosely be called Asriel’s body was formed from a long, thick stem that made a serpentine spine and tail. He had four limbs, at least, almost the same width as the rest of him, with claws made of thorns at the tips of short, creepy plant fingers. His white face was stretched forward, with pitch black eyes and a mouthful of fangs that looked like needles. He had a tattered mane of pale gold flower petals. They locked eyes and he breathed out a deep, annoyed sigh.

“What a frickin’ mess, right?” he said.

“I’m glad I found you,” she said, offering her arms. “C’mon, it’s too cold here.”

“Mhm.” He moved like a slithering nightmare when he crept over to her. “Uh. Sorry if I stab you.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” she joked.

He couldn’t help a weak snicker as she scooped him up. He curled up as best as he could, heaving out a weak, trembling breath. Wilting, he pressed himself against her, burrowing into her heavy sleeves. She kissed him on the head gently. He tasted like burnt bark and dusty roses.

“Got any idea why I look like way more of a freak than usual?” he asked hoarsely.

“Um. We’re in some edgy spooky timeline or something,” Frisk said apologetically.

“I’ll be haunted by the experience, for sure.” Sans had finally caught up, and he took one look at Asriel and smiled sideways. “Sheesh, kid, what’s wrong with your face?”

“Dunno, how ‘bout yours?” he asked, wide-eyed.

“No idea. Sorry you’re that,” he said.

He drooped and grimaced, his obsidian eyes becoming glossy and wet. “I… I’ll be okay.”

“Jeez, kiddo.” Sans knelt down to look him in the face. “…Do you wanna go?”

“If you’d f-found me first,” he joked weakly, winking.

“Az, it’s okay,” Frisk said gently. “You can.”

He shook his head. “C-Can’t leave both you losers here alone, right?”

“SAAAANS?! Sans!? Are you out here?!” Papyrus called above the frosty silence. “I aaaaam following your fooooootprints, just so you knooooow, but it would be easier for meeeeee if you just said where you aaaaaare!”

The short skeleton straightened up and shoved his hands into his pockets. He shot the kids a questioning look. Frisk shrugged. He sighed.

“Here, Paps,” he said, raising his voice a little.

Heralded by the sound of crunching snow, Papyrus rounded the corner to join them, looking uncharacteristically nervous. His jaw dropped. So did Asriel’s. 

“Who is this?!” he demanded. 

Asriel shrivelled down in Frisk’s grasp but awkwardly raised a limb to wave anyway. “Uh. Hi. I’m, um, with these nerds?”

“Well, obviously! Nyeh!” Papyrus said. He straightened up quickly, alert and wide-eyed. “Wait! Shh. Do you hear that?”

Frisk and Asriel shared a puzzled look. She tried to listen. Snow crunching, maybe? Sans bristled. He pulled Frisk’s hood back up and took a cautious step in front of her. 

“We should go,” he said. He grasped Frisk’s soul.

“Y-Yes! Um! Yes, we should definitely…” Papyrus gulped heavily. He recoiled backwards as dark fingers oozed around the corner of the building.

“Human?” a low voice asked. “Human?”

Another voice joined in and a shadow with eyes seeped onto the ground. “Human?”

Papyrus trembled. Black monsters forming a shadowy mass encroached. His eyes flared red and he backed up, placing himself between the others and the darkness. 

“No no no not again no no no no,” he muttered.

“Paps, chill out,” Sans said.

“No no, they know, they know,” he whimpered. “No no no no no. Big brother, you have to run, y-you can’t—”

Frisk hurriedly joined him and held his hand tightly. “They don’t know,” she whispered.

“They don’t?!” Papyrus looked at her with wide eyes and, as he froze, so too did the approaching dark mass of monsters. 

The kid’s gaze darted back. Sans pointed forward and stuck his thumb up.

“Run,” Asriel hissed.

Frisk pulled the skeleton and ran, pushing through the mass of bodies that parted like smoke. He yelped and, jarred from his stupor, he scooped her up. 

The monsters, acting as one, roared with a dozen voices and barrelled after them, fangs bright and long fingers reaching out from a writhing mass. Papyrus broke into a sprint, breathing hard.

“Huuuumaaaaan,” the monsters groaned. “Traaaaaitttoooorrr.”

Frisk’s heart was thumping. She ventured a look over the skeleton’s shoulder and couldn’t see much beside darkness pricked with red eyes. It seemed to reach so far up into the mountain’s cavern that it fused with the roiling thunderheads above. 

“Can’t you do anything?” Asriel asked shrilly.

It was too late for an answer. True to any nightmare, Papyrus tripped and the three of them tumbled to the frosty ground in a tangle. Frisk coughed out a mouthful of snow and shoved herself upright only to see a roiling thunderhead of creatures. Papyrus was stunned still, horrified, hands clasped together.

Frisk took a deep breath, positioning herself between the darkness and the others. She rolled up her sleeves, focussed her magic, and held out her hands. “Come on, come on, stop,” she muttered. “Stop stop stop.” Red flickered from her fingertips and she felt like she was pushing on a wall. 

The mass of darkness slowed, sparks of her magic dancing through them.

“It’s just a dream,” she whispered. “Just a dream. Knock it off.” Sweat beaded at her forehead— the pressure was immense. She gritted her teeth and pushed back.

The mass of monsters turned sluggish and though they strained, they couldn’t pass the farthest point they’d reached, giving the kids only a few metres of breathing room. An uncomfortable stalemate. 

Papyrus whimpered and scuttled backwards. Asriel growled and leapt up to him, staring into his face.

“Are you real? You’re not ours, are you?! No. No, you’d be…” He grabbed the skeleton’s shoulders. “Why’d they only appear when you showed up, huh?!”

“I… I d-don’t…” His teeth chattered. 

“Frisk!” Asriel said. “Think this guy’s broken, you’re on your own.”

“But… she’s… sh-she’s…” Papyrus gulped. “It’s a nightmare.”

“Sure is!” Frisk said. She took a deep breath. The dream was starting to feel like a fog creeping into her eyes. Her vision was fluctuating between what she could see and what she’d already seen.

The kid’s magic burst red around her small form. The pressure started to fade and and her magic gently wound the cloud of monsters backwards, forcing their roiling retreat. Then, almost as quickly as they’d formed, the clouds dispersed and all that was left was some relatively normal monsters, wandering about and back to their business. The kid blinked; hoped her eyes weren’t fooling her. She took a deep breath and slumped in place, rubbing her head. She shot Papyrus a reassuring smile. 

“Told you I’d protect you, right?” she said.

Papyrus’s jaw dropped. He grabbed Frisk’s soul and she squeaked as he pulled her over to him and held her shoulders.

“You…! You! Nyoooo, I can’t believe it! I f-froze up, I’m sorry! I…” He shivered. “I’m so confused. This doesn’t seem right. A-And my big brother…? Oh… I’m worried but I’m happy?!”

“You’re okay,” she said gently. “Don’t worry so much, alright? You’re safe.”

“Where’s my big brother?” he asked, wide-eyed, peering around her worriedly.

“He’ll catch up,” Asriel said. 

“Nyooo… Not again, not again.” The skeleton held his head and started to breathe a little too fast. 

Frisk hurriedly cupped his face and drew his eyes up to meet hers. “Hey. Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay! I’ll go back and get him, okay?”

“Frisk, c’mon, he’ll be fine,” Asriel said. “Let’s get somewhere safe before something goes nuts again. It’s not like it’s real but I dunno what those things’ll do to us if we’re locked in.”

“I know, but…” This close, Papyrus looked a little younger than she’d expected, actually. “I can’t leave him like this.”

Asriel huffed. “Well. I mean. I guess if we’re stuck anyway…”

Frisk smiled and backed off, waved, and then bounded away back the way they’d come. She followed her footprints in the snow and bumped right into Sans around the first turn she took. She hugged him tightly and he chuckled.

“Took care of it?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said.

He mussed up her hair. “What a weird frickin’ place.”

“This can’t be real, right?” she asked. “I mean, there’s no way this is ours.”

“Farther,” he agreed as they began to trudge back towards the house. “Real… I mean. The detail’s pretty high. Might be real somewhere else.”

“But those monsters making a cloud thing, that seemed… off,” she said.

Sans merely shrugged in reply.

Papyrus and Asriel were waiting outside the house. The tall skeleton perked up and ran for Sans, scooping him up right off his feet and squishing him tight. 

“Whoa, bro, chill out,” Sans said gently.

“Nyehhhh, I was worried,” he grumbled. “The small human rescued me, did you see?!”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Course. Kiddo’s real good at that,” Sans assured him. “Now, uh, why don’t we head back in and relax a bit. You look like you’re about ready to fall apart.”

“Buhhhh, fine, yes, you’re right,” Papyrus said. He carried Sans over his shoulder and back into the house.

Frisk sighed. She looked around at this dark place and flinched. Asriel tugged on her huge sleeve.

“Hey,” he said. “Something’s weird.”

“Tell me about it,” she muttered.

“No. I mean. I know.” He climbed up her arm and she held him gently. “That Papyrus. I mean. He’s not ours, right? He’s not asleep.”

“No, he’s the dream, I guess,” she said. “He’s having a rough time, though? I mean. He acts pretty real. Maybe because of Sans? I dunno.”

“Yeah. I mean. Maybe?” He frowned. “He said something weird while you guys were gone.”

“Like what?” she asked, reaching for the door.

“He said this all doesn’t seem real,” Asriel said.

“Well, yeah, why would it?” she said, smiling sympathetically as she took them back inside.

“But why would dream guy care if a dream doesn’t seem real?” he pressed.

“I, uh…” Frisk’s heart thunked. “I have no idea.”

Sans was flopped out on the couch as if he’d been tossed there like a sack of potatoes. Papyrus was gone. Frisk snuck over to the short skeleton and nudged his shoulder. He raised a hand lazily. 

“Was that what it was like outside before?” she said. “Sorry for getting us into trouble.”

“Meh.” He sat up and rubbed his face. “No. It was more… normal? That was full on nightmare cloud, don’t see that kinda thing all that often. Were you, uh, real spooked?”

“No, not really,” she admitted. “I guess a little bit? But not until it showed up.”

“Hm. Right, so…” He tapped his pointed teeth. “Az?”

“Don’t look at me, if I have nightmares, they’re not about that,” he said. 

“Same,” Frisk said.

Sans could only shrug.

“B-Board up the door please.” Papyrus peeked out of the kitchen, wide-eyed and rather low to the ground.

“Dude, it’s fine,” Sans said.

“Nyoooo, I’m not happy with this at all,” he said.

“Aw, jeez, Papyrus,” Frisk said quietly. She put Asriel on Sans’s legs and got up to join the cowering skeleton. “Hey. It’s okay! It’s okay.”

He looked nervous. He was hunched over against the wall; seemed like he might want to hide away in one of the cupboards if he could fit. She frowned thoughtfully.

“Can I hug you?” she asked.

“What?” he asked shrilly.

“I’d really like to give you a hug, if that’s okay,” she said.

“I… I’d like that,” he said quietly. “Sk-Skeletons secretly love hugs. We’re not supposed to tell people that, but it’s true.”

“Good!” she said.

She hugged him tight around his neck. He squeaked and his shoulders slumped. He sat on the floor and, cautiously, he put his arms around her, and though she knew it probably was in vain, she let her soul glow warmly for him. She was surprised when she felt something hum back at her. He clung a little tighter. When he looked back at Frisk, it was with wide, surprised eyes.

“Oh!” he said. “I… Wow. Okay.” He raised his hands and looked at them, staring as if it was his first time to see them.

“You okay?” she asked gently.

“Mhm! Very much so!” His expression had completely switched. The melancholy was gone and he had begun to grin. “In fact! This is better than I’ve been in a while. Thank you, little human! What did you say your name was?”

“I’m Frisk,” she said.

“Frisk! Right! Wowie. That’s interesting,” he said. “Oh! So. You are not from here, then, right?”

“Uh. Right,” Asriel said. “We’re just kinda stuck in the dream until we wake up.”

“Right, right,” Papyrus said. He stood up and stretched, wandering back into the living room, and Frisk followed him cautiously. “Well. Thankfully. This is just a dream. Because those monsters before were pretty bad! And this place was thoroughly awful.”

Sans raised his brows. “You just become self-aware or somethin’?”

“Well. Sort of,” he said, rubbing his skull and sitting on the arm of the couch. “My mind was stuck in a weird past time, but now it’s much looser, thankfully! Thank you, little human! Can I hug you again? I’d like to!”

“Yeah, of course!” Frisk assured him.

He cackled, pleased, and scooped her into his arms. She clung to his shoulders and he snuggled her gently. He felt almost as warm as her real Papyrus did.

“So what kind of place is this, anyway?” Asriel asked. “Why does everyone look so weird?”

“We don’t look all that weird, do we?” Papyrus asked.

“Just compared to what we’re used to,” Frisk said. “But you still look like a Papyrus to me!”

“Nyeh heh heh, because I am a Papyrus!” he said. “But, um! Yes! I think the plan of laying low would be a good one because this is not a good time. Especially to be… Well. Especially to be anybody, really, it’s all around unpleasant. Human, that was really brave what you did out there before but I’d be really worried to risk it again, because that was probably quite a close call.”

“Yeah, it seems kind of rough,” Frisk said. “What happened to Sans?”

“Oh! Gosh, it was horrible,” Papyrus said, putting the kid on his knee. “So. When I was just a little Papyrus, I met my first human! I liked her a lot! But then the King found out. He wanted to eat seven human souls, but he had five at the time.”

“Wait, eat?” Asriel asked. “He… Wait. I don’t understand.”

“Oh! Well, you see,” Papyrus said, “the Prince and Princess got killed by humans. And so the King really, really hated humans. He got so mad, and the story went that he was so mad that it cursed all the monsters into looking very dark and pointy, so the Queen told him he was horrible and left him, and he just got madder and madder.”

“Well that’s horrifying,” Asriel said, wide-eyed.

“Yes! It was not good. So, I tried to hide the human. But the King found out and took my human’s soul. Sans pretended he was the one who hid her, so he got punished i-instead of me,” he said. 

“Makes sense,” Sans said with a shrug.

“But that’s awful!” Frisk said shrilly. “He’s all smashed up.”

“Yes, it wasn’t very good,” Papyrus said, looking quite sad. “I would have… I mean. I was was very young. B-But I—”

“Hey. Big brothers watch out for little ones, alright?” Sans said. “I’d always choose that.”

“But this is… Anyway. This is after that. By a lot,” Papyrus said quickly. “This is the day I met my second human. I got to keep this one, though, and I love her very much!”

“Wait, so what happened to the King?” Asriel asked.

“Oh! Well. My human broke the curse on everyone! The King snapped out of being so angry, and he actually became really nice, but he’d done a lot of really bad things,” Papyrus said. “So he exiled himself. I don’t actually know where he is anymore. But that was a few weeks after this day.”

“So… this really is another timeline,” Frisk said quietly. “This doesn’t sound anything like ours.”

“Could ours really have ever gotten like this?” Asriel looked at Sans worriedly. “If the world ended enough times?”

“Can’t really answer that,” he said. “Sorry. I mean, maybe? Who knows?”

“If you don’t, I guess nobody,” Frisk admitted.

Papyrus looked a little confused. “Your… timeline,” he repeated.

“Ah! Sorry, never mind,” Frisk said sheepishly. “I wish we could help with yours, though. Whatever this is.”

“Oh! No no no, don’t you worry,” he assured her. “This isn’t real! It’s okay. I mean, I thought it was for a little bit, but you made me see it was just fake, so please, don’t worry about it at all.”

“You’re not scared of the Guard Captain showing up anymore?” Asriel asked.

“She’s actually the Queen now! And she’s much better now that the curse is gone. Everyone still stayed a little pointy, but not as pointy as this! I even got my proper magic colour back! I mean, red is nice— it’s my sister’s colour— but I like my normal one much better on me,” he said. “Hey! While you’re here! How about I make you three some nice, refreshing spaghetti! I’m quite good at that!”

Frisk had to stop a laugh. Some things never changed. “Can I help?” she asked.

“You want to cook spaghetti with me?!” He absolutely glowed. “Wowie! I’d love that! Thanks so much, Frisk! Let me show you how I do it! I am basically a master chef, you know!”

When Papyrus bounded off into the kitchen, she followed him, and soon the house was filled with the smell of tomato sauce. Sans stayed put, though he kicked his feet up onto the couch and cradled Asriel carefully. It was sort of funny to see that even his toes looked like talons, except for a couple on the right foot that were broken off at the ends.

“You’re a mess,” Asriel commented.

“Sure looks like it,” he said.

“Does it hurt?” he asked.

“Nah,” Sans said, shrugging one shoulder.

“What about your eye?” Asriel pushed. 

“Who needs two, really?” Sans joked. “Just means I can sleep with it open.”

“Shit,” he grumbled, looking up at him worriedly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, of course.” Sans chuckled. “Don’t worry about me. How about you?”

“Honestly? Screw being a plant. Like. Honestly. It’s the worst.”

“I know,” Sans said.

“I’d rather be d… Oh!” Asriel’s warped plant body started to glitter. He let out a relieved sigh. “Finally. Hey. I’ll call.”

“Forget it. Talk in the morning. See you, kid,” he said. 

A loud, alarmed yelp came from the kitchen. Sans got to his feet as Asriel turned to glittering sand and vanished completely from his arm bones. 

Papyrus had recoiled against the counter, and Sans had just enough time to see the red sparkles of his sister drift away.

“Wh-Where’d she go?” he asked.

“Oh. No worries. She just woke up,” Sans said.

“Oh! Wow. Okay. Phew, I was scared for a second,” Papyrus said. “So, that’s what it looks like.”

Sans was taken aback. “What?”

“Waking up,” Papyrus said. “I’ve always wondered. I usually wake up first, so I’ve never really seen it before!”

“…What?” Sans’s eyes went wide. The gears spun in his head and he almost didn’t believe the conclusion he’d come to.

Papyrus sighed; seemed very relaxed. He smiled. His hands and shoulders began to sparkle, like wisps of sand blowing away from him.

“Ah! And there I go, too, I guess. I know this was just a dream, but I really appreciate this,” he said. “It’s been hard to sleep recently and Sans has been staying up to watch over me, and—”

“Wait. Wait wait wait.” Sans grabbed his shoulders. “You’re real?”

“Um! Yes! For sure I am!” he said, eyes wide. “Though I don’t normally look quite as spiky as this! Not anymore, anyway!”

Sans started to laugh. He couldn’t contain it. He put a hand to his head. “Same here.”

“Wait, you’re real, too?!” Papyrus’s jaw dropped. “B-But how?! Wait! Your human must be a time human, too, right?! And she was real, too?!”

Sans nodded. “Sure is. How’d you get here?”

“Well, actually, I’ve been having these strange dreams of things that happened for real for a while now. My brother, too; we call them time dreams. They’re usually very exhausting,” he said. “But I was actually really excited when you started doing things different, and your little human was not the same as the one I know, and is a really nice one! And how she beat my nightmare cloud— I get that sometimes even when it isn’t time dreams. And it was so weird, I thought this was real, but then she hugged me and it snapped me right out of it!”

For once, Sans was at a loss for words. It took him a moment to regain himself. “You have the time dreams, too.”

“Uh, yes, unfortunately, me and Sans— my Sans— have had them for a while,” he said.

“So I guess you figured pretty quick that I wasn’t your Sans,” he said.

“Well, of course,” he said with a smile. “My brother never calls me Paps. He calls me Papy. Not that I mind either way, of course! But you’re a lot like him, actually, so I was glad to see you.” The sparkling in his hands began to speed up and he smiled. He patted Sans affectionately on the shoulders. “Well! Guess I’m going to be awake really soon! Thanks for making it more bearable. And thanks to your cute little human, too! And that weird plant monster!”

“Y-Yeah. Heh. No problem,” Sans said. “Uh. Feel better, huh?”

\- - -

When the front door closed in the middle of the night, the sound was quite distinct. Pair that with a lingering scent of coffee, and the two together were odd enough to jar Gaster out of slumber again. He sat up on the couch and rubbed his eye sockets. The kitchen was dark, but someone had just been there.

Gaster could see the coffee maker set up on the counter beside a bag of sugar and some small cream pods. The carafe was still half-full, and hot. He poured himself a mug and, grabbing his housecoat, bundled up and headed outside.

Tracks in the snow lead around the side of the house, and there was a waft of steam gently flowing around the corner. Cautiously, Gaster peeked around the side of the house. As he expected, Sans was there, looking absolutely dead on his feet. He was clutching a mug, staring absently up into the dark above them.

“You and coffee?” Gaster said as he slid in to stand beside him. “Didn’t think you mixed.”

“Well, uh, that’s what you drink, right? When you don’t wanna sleep?” He sipped from his mug and stared ahead with a blank gaze. “S’not so bad. Just add a ton of sugar to it. I’m sure that’s healthy.”

“Sans…” Gaster’s brow furrowed worriedly. “What happened? Did the kids find you?”

Sans was at a loss for words. He held out a hand like he was trying to beckon some from somewhere. He sighed and shook his head. He took another swig of coffee; continued looking vacantly out into the cavern. Gaster put a hand on his shoulder.

“Let me help you,” he said.

“Don’t think you can,” Sans said, shooting him a sideways smile.

“What happened?” he asked again.

Sans still didn’t say. Gaster sighed.

“Didn’t there used to be a time where you told me everything?” he said.

“I never told you everything,” Sans said with a tired grin.

Gaster laughed. “It was worth a shot,” he said. “Sans, adult or not, you’re still my son, and I hate to see you so out of your head. If I can do anything…”

“Not sure I’d want you to do anything,” he said. “But thanks.”

Gaster nodded. He sipped his coffee. They stood in silence for a while until the steam rising off their mugs started to vanish. Sans sighed; his father instantly perked.

“The dreams are gettin’ worse,” Sans said.

“Oh. Sans, I’m so sorry,” he said quietly. “But not sleeping won’t—”

“It’s not just that,” he said. “Doesn’t help that I’m draggin’ those kids though it all too, but… No. It’s… Heh. I don’t even know.”

“What?” Gaster said gently.

“It was real,” he said, and he raised a hand before Gaster could interject. “Not like before. The Papyrus in there wasn’t just a dream. He was real. From another timeline.”

Gaster stared back at him, frozen. Sans sighed.

“I thought it was just a real weird regular one at first, but then Frisk hugged him. Synched her soul with him. It let him break free of a loop, just like she did,” he said. “He knew things. I saw him wake up.” For the first time in ages, the sturdy little skeleton’s expression fell to genuine uncertainty and fear as he shot his father a cautious look. It faded quickly, though, as he laughed tiredly and rubbed his hand over his eyes. “Shit,” he said quietly.

“Is… Is this the first time?” Gaster asked.

“Can’t say,” Sans said. “I suspected for a while. It started happenin’ more over the last, I dunno. Two months? Seein’ timelines that I knew couldn’t be mine. But this? Nothin’ like this.”

Gaster was at a loss. His shoulders slumped. He didn’t even know what to say. Sans downed the rest of his coffee. He stretched his arms above his head, then patted Gaster on the shoulder as he wandered back towards the house. He heard the door open, then clunk closed. He put a hand to his mouth and winced, his soul starting to ache.

He peeled himself from the wall and went back inside. He walked in on his eldest cradling his youngest on the couch, a faint, purple glow ebbing from their chests. He stopped and stared with surprise. Frisk said something quietly to her brother before shooting Gaster a tired smile.

“Hey, dad, doin’ okay?” she asked.

“Uh. Oh. I’m fine. Thank you, Frisk,” he said. “Did…? Um. Are you alright?”

“Yeah. I’m fine! Thanks for showing Papyrus that drink, it was nice,” she said.

“Oh, that was no trouble,” he said. “Was the dream okay?”

“Weird as heck! But not too bad,” she said. “I mean, none of us got killed or anything. Wish Asriel didn’t get dragged through, though, it always turns him into a flower thing again and he haaaates that.”

“Who wouldn’t?” Sans said. “Anyway. Pretty late, huh? How ‘bout you go, grab Paps and a book or somethin’. I’ll be up in a minute.”

Frisk nodded. “Don’t worry. If that guy was… If you’re right, we’ll figure it out.” She sat up on her knees, kissed his brow, then bounded away. 

Sans stared after her vacantly as she closed the bedroom door upstairs. He sighed. “She’s sweet, huh?” he said quietly. “Hate to put her through this. Hate that I kinda need her afterwards.” He cut his eyes at his father and grinned tiredly. 

Gaster sat on the arm of the couch with a worried crease in his brow. “Sans…”

“Actually, though. Glad I was the prototype,” he said. “It’s better this way.”

“Come on, you weren’t a prototype,” Gaster assured him gently.

“I like that better than byproduct,” he joked.

“Sans,” Gaster chided.

The short skeleton laughed. He rubbed his eye sockets. “More I see, more glad I am that I’m here. Believe it or not, I wouldn’t change this,” he said, and he pointed to his right eye and glowed the left so his white pupil vanished. “In there? Couldn’t even see out of this side. Could be a lot worse. Trust me. I’m okay. Just gonna be real tired for a bit. Heh. What else is new?”

Gaster sighed. He grabbed Sans in his magic and dragged him over to give him a hug. “I never wanted this for you. I want you to feel safe in your own mind,” Gaster said quietly. “If you want, we could… We could modify the old stabilizer, we could—”

“Nah. I’m good,” Sans said.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’ll deal.” He patted his father’s back and got to his feet. “Alright. Welp. Wish me luck.”

“Mm. Good night,” Gaster said gently. 

Sans vanished. Gaster’s knees went weak and he plopped back down onto the couch. He put his face in his hands. His fractured soul pulsed; nauseated him. He’d made a terrible mistake.


	12. SUPER PRINCE

Rough nights lead to lazy, sluggish mornings. Even the drifting of the snow seemed more lethargic than usual. Technically, school was on today. Frisk wasn’t going. Sans probably wasn’t teaching. They moved like snails. 

Papyrus was just as bouncy as usual, if not a little cautious. He stepped outside with Undyne to begin their training routine as Toriel shuffled groggily around the kitchen, making breakfast. Coffee was brewing, bubbling dark and hot, and she laid out mugs with one hand as she gently shook pancakes on the stovetop with the other. Beside her, Gaster squatted in front of the open fridge, yawning and peering through the shelves. 

“Ah… I should go shopping,” he said quietly.

“Is it still quite empty?” she asked.

“Quite full. Of pastries. And ketchup.” He laughed and rubbed the back of his skull. He straightened up and peeked out of the kitchen. “Some ginger soda might be nice…”

Sans and Frisk were on the couch, curled up together under some blankets. They had a book with them, but both of them looked far too tired to even lift it. 

“Hey. You two? Do…? Do you need anything?” he asked gently.

Sans's eyes flitted up. He poked the kid in his arms. She rubbed her eyes with her palm and shook her head. 

“Breakfast is almost ready,” he said.

“Thanks.” Frisk’s voice was sleepy and soft. 

Gaster gnawed his fingertips as he retreated. Toriel passed him a mug of coffee and he held it close and tight.

“I’m worried about them,” she said quietly.

“I am as well.” He drummed his fingertips against the mug. “Have they told you much about their dreams?”

“Yes. It’s… almost unbelievable. But, Asriel has them as well, and even Papyrus gets drawn in, but to a lesser extent, so I’m told.” She sipped from her mug and her brow furrowed. “Is this something you’re familiar with?”

“I am. Maybe a little too familiar,” he said.

“I just don’t understand why these dreams are so… I don’t know.” She shook her head.

“Honestly? Calling them dreams is… Well. It’s a deliberate oversimplification,” Gaster said. “These things have happened. Or, will happen. And they feel very real as they are experienced. Which is why they’re so exhausting.”

“I can’t even imagine,” Toriel said. “So, what exactly are they supposed to do? Not sleep?”

“That would make it worse, in fact,” he said. “It shouldn’t always be like this, though.”

“Seems like it’s been every night for a while,” she said, her fur bristling.

“Almost.” Frisk slipped into the room and she shot them a tired smile. “We’ll, um… We’ll be okay.”

Toriel’s mouth went taut. She placed her coffee aside and bent down to embrace the kid, touching her big, soft snout against her head. “How do we help you?”

“Dunno.” Frisk rubbed her head bashfully when her mother pulled back. “See, um, a stressful thing always makes it worse. And then it might take a day or two after for it to not be like that anymore. But… I mean… I dunno, they have been kinda weirder than usual recently.”

“Sans mentioned,” Gaster said. “You… may be seeing farther. Right?”

“Um. Maybe? I mean… That might make sense.” She shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m okay. I just…” She stole a glance back over her shoulder. She laughed tiredly and then raised her voice as she leaned outta the kitchen. “I’m just a weird time god thingy and I wanna protect my goofy big brother, is all!”

Sans snorted and laughed. Frisk grinned.

“Hey. Lemme make you some coffee you actually like, okay?” she said.

“You can try,” he said.

She dragged a chair in and stood up near the counter, grabbing ahold of the carafe tightly and carefully in her small hands. As she poured some coffee into a mug, Gaster crept in close and peered over her shoulder to watch her. She only filled the mug halfway and then dragged over a container of sugar to pour a bunch in. She stirred, then jumped down from her chair and moved it over to another part of the counter— her father sidestepped to stay out of her way. She fetched the cinnamon, and then the milk and ketchup from the fridge. A chair-move back, and she was stirring all of it together in a mug. Gaster leaned in again as she tried some on the tip of her finger and winced.

“Not good?” he asked.

“It’s perfect,” she said with a laugh.

As she carried it back to Sans, the front door pushed open and a tired-eyed Asriel wandered inside, yawning. 

“Oh hi!” Frisk said.

“Hey, nerds,” he said. “Uncle G. Mom.”

Gaster froze up, but he raised his hand, and Toriel greeted him with a hug and a kiss on the head.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” she said. “I’m glad you’re home. Would you like some breakfast?”

“It’s fine, dad fed me,” he said. He flopped over the couch onto Sans and held onto him tightly. “You’re a goddamn mess.”

“What else is new?” he asked, patting the kid’s head.

Asriel hugged him and settled in. The skeleton raised his brows.

“Shut up, I’ll pay you back when I’m big and furry,” Asriel said.

“Welp. Can’t complain about that,” he said.

The kid sighed. “I guess maybe Frisk’s stuff wore off on me,” he said. “Because, like, I’m really pissed that all this messes you up so bad and I kinda wanna protect your dumb bones, bro.”

“Brotect.” Frisk nodded solemnly.

Sans grinned big, snorted, and cracked right up. He pulled both kids in under his arms and squished them. Frisk giggled. Toriel smiled at them fondly.

“Asriel, what do you think, are you up to getting ready for school this morning?”

“Oh. Ah. Hah… About that.” He sat up and smiled sideways. “I’m, uh. Suspended. So.”

Frisk’s stomach dropped. “Oh no, I forgot about that.”

“Suspended?! Again?!” Toriel barked. “When?! What?! What on earth…?! Asriel!!”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry.” He raised his paws. “In my defence… It was worth it.”

“Oh, for god’s sake. What did he do?” Toriel turned that question on Sans.

Sans merely pointed back at the kid. Frisk quickly stood up, looking apologetic.

“I-It’s all my fault, mom, I’m really sorry,” she said.

“Honey, no offence intended, but I don’t believe that for a second,” Toriel said.

“Okay, look, Frisk got punched in the head by some dork who was trying to punch someone else in the head, so she got sent out for fighting,” Asriel said. “That didn’t seem fair to me. So. I just chucked a guy in the river and melted someone’s hat. That’s it.”

Toriel raised a finger; opened her mouth, scowling and incredulous for an instant. She drooped slightly, sighed, and rubbed her brow. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Please d-don’t be too mad,” Frisk said. “He… I mean. He was trying to help.”

Toriel sighed. “How long?”

“I dunno, probably like… a day? Or two?” Asriel said. “Oh, and Frisk is, too. I mean, not like she goes anyway, but…”

“I am?! Oh… Y-Yeah. I… I got so caught up in everything else and… I’m really sorry, mom,” she said sheepishly.

Toriel’s lip curled but her anger now seemed to be directed at something beyond the front door. “I’m going to have a talk with… Ah…” She sighed and rubbed her head. “You are not in trouble, Frisk. But, Asriel… No video games while you’re out. And you take your lessons with S…? Oh. No, Sans, you’re far too tired for this, I’m sure. Take your lessons with Gaster, okay?”

“Okay.” He threw his hands up and rested them behind his head, grinning. “No problem.”

“Don’t look so smug,” she said, thought she couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Listen. My child, I understand, you meant to help your sister. But please, try not to get into any more fights this season?”

“I’ll try,” he said.

“Asriel.”

“Okay, okay, I promise I won’t,” he said.

“Thank you.” Toriel smiled warmly. She knelt down to the worried kid standing before her and smooched her on the forehead. “Oh, sweetie, relax, you’re not in trouble.”

“O-Okay,” she said. 

Toriel raised up and cast her gaze on Gaster, who was peeking cautiously out of the kitchen. “Is that alright with you, my friend?”

“It is. Uh. Asriel, just… tell me what you need to study and I’ll do my best,” he said.

“Thanks, Uncle G,” he said. “Jeez, Frisk, you gonna cry?”

“N-No!” she squeaked indignantly. She wiped her eyes anyway.

\- - -

Asriel was surprisingly eager to sit with Gaster to go over the school notes his mother had left behind. As they sat at the side table with some books and paper, Frisk flopped beside them, watching them silently, exhausted, her cheek squished against the wood as she zoned out between plates of pancakes.

When Asriel got to work, Gaster rested his hand on her head. 

“_A stór_, you can go back to bed, if you like,” he said gently. “Not… Not that you need my permission, of course.”

She stuck her thumb up. Her father patted her hair absently. She could have gone to sleep right there instead.

When Asriel finished one of his homework sheets and put it aside, she leaned forward and picked it up to give it a read. Some history worksheet. He’d finished it very quickly, with overly long answers. Flexing. A little sassy. She smiled faintly and put it aside.

“Hey, dad? You gonna go with Undyne today?” she asked.

“What for?” he asked.

“Attunement thing,” she said.

“Oh! Oh. I forgot about that. I will, if she has time,” he said.

“Definitely do it,” Asriel said. “It’s funny, she looks like just a big tough dope, but she’s got probably the best soul fix in the underground. It even helped me when I was giant and weird for a while.”

Gaster nodded. Frisk smiled sympathetically.

“Bring Papyrus,” she said. 

He patted her head gently in reply. “I will.”

The kid sat up a bit and stretched her back, and then peeked over at Sans. She sighed and heaved herself out of her chair and wandered over to him, where he was slumped halfway off the couch. She pushed him back up and chucked his blanket over him, lighting the magic in her hand and holding the side of his head gently. 

“Has he been like this all weekend?” Asriel asked.

“Yeah, it’s been… Yeah.”

“Poor guy,” he said.

Sans stuck one hand up slightly. “I’m fine.” His voice was low and soft. He opened one eye slightly and poked Frisk on her forehead. “Quit worryin’ so much.”

“Nope!” She grinned.

He laughed and then drowsily rolled over. 

Frisk returned to the table, laid her head down on her arms, and dozed off. When she came to, her face kind of hurt, and the house was still and greyish save for some rambling dialogue and white light coming from the TV. Blinking groggily, she sat up, a patchwork blanket falling away from her shoulders. She grabbed it and held it close like a cape. It seemed like everyone was gone, except Asriel, who was parked on the couch with a book of sudoku and a stack of old tapes. The Mettaton voice Frisk recognized from the television was the one from _Circuit Super Investigator._

Stiff-legged, Frisk ambled over and flopped heavily beside Asriel. He shot her a sympathetic smile. 

“Feelin’ any better?” he asked.

She shrugged. 

“Undyne dragged the guys to Waterfall,” he said. “Paps even made Sans go. But, who knows, it might be good for him. I told them to let you sleep.”

“…I hope they all feel better,” Frisk said.

“Think it could help you?” he asked.

She shrugged again. He sighed and chucked his book away like a discus, and then grabbed her and held her close. 

“Okay, serious, what the hell do we do you with you guys?” he asked.

“Aren’t you feeling weird?” she asked, puzzled. “It… It does even worse stuff to you.”

“Sure, but it… I dunno. I think… I really think it’s Sans,” he said. “He’s been going through this for how long? I mean. The bad ones. Years, right? And then your energy hangs onto his and won’t let go. The worse he feels, the worse you feel. And me, I dunno, I was across the Kingdom from it. I’m not… I’m not the same as you guys. We’re connected, but I’m not stuck as close to him, if that makes sense.”

“Yeah, I guess,” she said. She gave him a hug and smooched his cheek before letting herself fall back and lie on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Her stomach hurt.

“I, um… I talked a little with him last night after we woke up,” she said. “He kinda thinks that the Papyrus we saw last night might be a real guy. From somewhere else.”

“Is that possible?” Asriel asked.

“I guess?” 

“I guess that would make sense with how he was talking,” he said. “Does that freak you out?”

“Little bit. But he was nice so… It’s not too bad,” she said. “It’s more… I don’t know why time stuff is breaking so hard.”

“Could it be me?” Asriel wondered. “Since like… my soul shouldn’t exist?”

“I don’t know,” Frisk said.

“Or maybe your dad, since he was in the void place so long?” he said.

“I really don’t know.” The kid sighed and rubbed her forehead with the heels of her hands. “Should I be doing something about it?”

“I dunno,” he said. “Sorry.”

She rolled onto the floor and went to the kitchen. There was a bag in there that looked out of place and when she peeked inside, it was her mother’s lunch. She grabbed it.

“Az, mom forgot her lunch,” she said. “I’m gonna bring it to her, okay? Wanna come?”

“Love to. Can’t,” he said. “I’m banished, remember?”

Grabbing her heavy black hoodie, scarf, and some boots, Frisk headed out into town towards the river. The streets were a little busier than average today; more kids about. That didn’t make much sense to her. As she turned towards the river, she was stopped by someone calling her name. She turned, puzzled, to see a rabbit boy coming towards her. She recognized him.

“You’re Frisk, right?” he said. “Hey. Uh. Sorry about punchin’ you right in the face the other day. I didn’t really mean to.”

“Oh. Um. That’s okay,” she said.

“Well, I mean, I saw you weren’t in school, so… I mean, nobody’s in school now, but…” His ears drooped. “I, um… I mean, it’s not really fair that you got in trouble.”

“That’s nice of you, but maybe punch people less,” she joked.

He laughed, but his ears wilted, embarrassed. “Your brother kinda beat me up and I told my dad about what happened and he said I was acting like a jerk. So, um. I guess I probably was acting like a jerk. Sorry, y’know?”

“Oh jeez.” Frisk rubbed her head and laughed. “It’s okay. Um. Why isn’t anybody in school?”

“The principal got really mad at one of the substitutes and lit some of the rooms on fire.” He shrugged. “She sent everyone home.”

Frisk burst out laughing. The rabbit cocked his head. She waved at him dismissively.

“Oh. Man. Sorry. That’s just…” She couldn’t help a grin. “That’s really funny. Thanks.”

He nodded and then looked past her, up towards the river. “You’re not going over there, are you?”

“Yeah, gotta,” she said. “Thanks for the warning, though.”

He stuck his thumbs up and, at the sound of another few young, male voices calling him, he waved and stepped away to join more monsters on main street. 

Frisk kept on ahead, taking the short boat trip down a little cave passage and to the other side of the river. The school was past a few little burbs of houses and through a field dotted with pine trees decorated with sparkling, festive lights. The field was even brighter now because the old-fashioned schoolhouse was indeed on fire. Frisk snorted and shook her head.

She elbowed the door open and the heat was noticeable as sparks danced through the cracks in the stone on the walls. She wandered the halls until she found where the blaze was strongest, through the principal’s office, a dark brown door with a frosted glass window.

Beyond that sat Toriel at her desk, frowning and dour, as she wrote something with intense concentration. She snorted and flame came from her nostrils. 

“Hey, uh, mom?” Frisk said.

Toriel jerked up instantly, eyes wide, and the fire in the walls cooled. “Frisk?! What are you doing here, my child?”

“You, um…” She tried not to laugh. She grinned and lifted up the neatly folded bag. “You forgot your lunch.”

“Oh.” Toriel sighed out the word and put her face in her hands. She laughed roughly. “Thank you.” When she lifted her head, her smile was apologetic. “I just have to do an hour or so more of work and then I will be home, alright?”

“Sure.” She eyed the flames licking the ceiling as she put the bag on her mother’s desk. “So, um…”

“Ah, never mind that,” she said quickly. “I will see you at home. And, um. Tell your brother that he may play some video games, if he wishes.”

Frisk smiled. “Will do.”

On her way home, despite the walk being nothing out of the usual, the half-expected tightness in Frisk’s chest returned. She paused to take a breather near the crossroads between the burbs and main street. She considered calling Papyrus— squeezed her phone in her pocket and did nothing instead. They were doing the attunement now, she thought. She shouldn’t interrupt. It was hard, but she caught her breath and continued on her way.

Before she’d gotten very far, she heard footsteps rushing up behind her and, after a moment a yellow lizard monster in a pink and green poncho dodged in front of her. She was quite a bit taller than her, maybe a teenager, with short little arms and spines running along her head and down her neck. 

“Hey, Frisk,” the monster said brightly. 

“Oh, hi,” she said.

“Glad I caught you,” she said. “You guys moving out soon? For the surface and stuff?”

Puzzled, Frisk nodded. “Um. Next month, I think?”

“Oh, cool, do you know whereabouts?” she asked. “Dad was asking.”

The kid was baffled. She couldn’t say she knew who this monster was or who her dad was, either. “Um. Well,” Frisk said. “There’s like a valley, right? That’s where the main town is. We’re, um…” She tried to mime the dip of the valley with her hands, rising up into the surrounding area. “We’re just kinda south? On the flat bit, still near the mountain. Kinda near where the King is?”

“Oh! Wow, okay, that’s perfect,” the monster said brightly. “Dad’ll be happy. He wanted to set up kinda near you. He thinks that’s the safest, y’know, since you’re a human, you can keep other humans away. Plus, y’know, my brother’ll be really happy.”

“Your brother,” Frisk repeated.

“I’m really glad you two became such good friends. Means I have to worry about him less,” she said with a sideways smile. She turned her head and her brows raised. “Ah! Right on cue.”

Frisk leaned around her to look and saw Kid bounding up to see them with a big grin on his face.

“Yo, Flora,” he said brightly. “Oh! You found her!” 

“Sure did, shortie,” she said with a smile. “Got the answer, too.”

“Aw man, you win,” he said.

“Well, I have longer legs.” She patted his head and then turned to wave at Frisk as she left. “Thanks again, Frisk!”

Frisk waved and smiled, but her mind tripped over itself. Flora. She’d never seen Flora before.

“We were racing,” Kid said. “Kinda silly, I know, but—”

“She’s your big sister,” Frisk said quietly.

“Well. Yeah,” he said brightly. 

“And we’ve… met before,” she said.

Kid raised his brows. “Uh, yeah, of course! She picks me up from your place all the time,” he said. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Um! Y-Yeah, I’m, uh…” Her brow furrowed. “But. Um. The first time we met…?”

“Was at the play. You know. When my whole family showed up after?” he said.

Frisk folded her arms and thought hard about it. She could picture it as if she’d seen it, though it came with a sort of warbling song of energy that made her uncomfortable. Kid looked worried.

“Seriously. Are you okay?” he asked.

“Oh! Yeah,” she said. “I’m fine. Sorry. I just… uh… Sorry, it’s been a weird few days, I guess.”

Kid snickered and smiled fondly. “When isn’t it for you? More time stuff? Did I miss anything?”

“Kinda, but not like that,” Frisk said. “Um. I… I met my dad?”

“Your dad?!” Kid’s eyes went wide. “Dude! You…? Oh. Jeez. You… aren’t going away with him, are you?”

“No, no no, he’s staying with us,” Frisk said. “Even if he was the leaving kind, I’d stay.”

“That’s good,” Kid said. “But that’s so weird, though, how did he find you all the way down here?”

“It’s, um, kinda complicated.” Frisk smiled sheepishly. “Also he’s, um, not a human, by the way.”

“What? Wait, WHAT?!” Kid yelped. “Are you not a human?!”

“I’m a human,” she said. “He, uh… Well, he’s like, a super good monster scientist. And he made me by sorta blowing himself up into time and space.”

“Okaaay,” he said, raising his brows.

“Also he’s a skeleton,” she said.

“A… skeleton?” Kid’s eyes seemed to bug out of his head. “You don’t mean Doctor Gaster, do you?!”

“You know him?” she asked.

“Oh my god.” His jaw dropped. “Yeah, dude, of course! Who doesn’t? He’s advises the King on like, everything ever. He’s, like, such a huge nerd. And everyone knows he built the CORE for us and stuff. He’s kind of a hero. Jeez, if anyone couldn’t make a… a human out of nothing, of course it’d be him! So, wait, did he, like, make you to save us?!”

“Um, I think I was an accident,” she said bashfully.

“Best accident ever!” he said with a grin. “Hey. I’m super happy for you. I bet he was really happy to see you, too.”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah. He was.”

“Were you happy?” he asked.

“Yeah. Really happy,” she said.

Kid beamed. He bounced on his toes. “Jeez, dude. Hey. You busy right now?”

“No,” she said.

“Wanna grab Asriel or, like, any of your brothers, and go check out the Ruins with me?” he asked. “My parents said I could go as long as it was with you guys. Since your mom was from there and everything. And… Y’know, since school is out due to fire. You can tell me all about your dad!”

“Ooh. Okay. That sounds nice,” Frisk said. A good distraction. Finally. “Az is at home.” She waved for him to follow and they continued on down the street.

“I still sometimes super can’t believe that the old Prince is your brother now,” he said, bouncing along beside her. “And, like, that he was that flower, too, and that I’d totally met him earlier. Isn’t that weird? I mean, maybe it’s just weird for me.”

“No, it was weird for everyone.” Frisk laughed. “I think we were all just happy we finally got him his body back.”

“Yeah, I bet,” he said. He grinned and nudged her gently. “I still think it’s, like, super funny that you just ended up knowing all the most important people in the Kingdom because of your weird adventure. Annnnnd that also your secret dad was the dude who made the CORE. Like. Seriously. Hey! Actually. That’s really kinda, what’s the word? Appropriate?”

“Oh yeah? Why?” she asked.

“Well, that means your family totally saved all monsters twice,” he said. “Without the CORE, we’d be screwed. With the barrier, we were screwed. So.” He shot her a big, bright smile. “Good job.”

Frisk laughed. “I had a lot of help.”

“Sure, but…” He shrugged and promptly faceplanted into the snow.

Frisk ducked to help him up, and he just grinned brighter. 

“Race ya,” he said.

She was happy to take him up on the challenge.

\- - -

The rush of luminescent waterfalls easily drowned out everything else. The constant rhythm, despite the volume, was enough to be a narcoleptic. Even if that lukewarm water was constantly pouring into one’s skull.

With heavily lidded eyes, Sans watched the flow of cyan and amber magic glimmering off the moving water and sleek black rocks. Undyne guided the other skeletons through a set of fluid movements, almost too graceful for her usual demeanour. Gaster wasn’t using magic yet. His eyes might have still carried blue and gold, but it seemed like almost anything coming from his fingers was sheer and black.

Alphys observed from the bank, gently kicking her feet in the water, trying to hide that she was blushing stark red behind checking her phone every once in a while. It wasn’t working. 

“H-Hey, um. So. Is it helping yet?” she asked sheepishly.

“I’m feeling very energized!” Papyrus said. He cradled an amber orb in between his hands and then twirled it around his palm, lifting it to spin it on his fingertip. “Nyeh heh! Pretty cool, right?”

“Yeah, Paps, that’s great.” Undyne grinned and let her own magic drift off into sparks. She eyed Gaster up and down. “How you doin’, Doc?”

“I’m… not sure,” he said.

“Okay. Ditch the shirt.” She waved her hand at it. “Let me see it.”

Alphys squeaked and hid behind her hands as Gaster quickly pulled his t-shirt off. The collective wincing of the other monsters made him smile awkwardly and shrug.

“Dad, oh my god!” Papyrus said shrilly.

The skeleton’s soul was all but invisible for a second, before brightening with white as a burr that was barely soul-shaped at all. Blue and gold flickered within, only to be absorbed back into the blackness.

“It’s awful, hm?” he said laughingly. He rubbed his skull. “_Chuaigh cos…”_

“Yes, that’s absolutely for sure the worst soul I’ve ever seen!” Papyrus said shrilly.

“…Aah, g-god, I guess I should have actually looked at it with, um, my eyes before, huh?” Alphys said, leaning forward. “D-Does it hurt?”

“It’s cold,” he said.

She got up and carefully waded through the water to him and stared up at his broken soul. Cautiously, she reached up and laid her hands against his bones, squinting with focus. She sighed softly and rubbed her head spines.

“W-Well. The, um, sound’s pretty bad,” she said. “But it’s n-not quite as bad as yesterday.”

“Still a wee bit of a mess,” he joked as he pulled his shirt back on.

“You can say that again.” Undyne cupped her chin. “Okay. Well. We’ll go a little longer. And then sleep on this. We’ll probably go again another time.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said.

“So, um, what m-magic do you have that’s actually working?” Alphys said.

“Well. Let me think.” His false hands hovered around him, shrugging as he cupped his chin with his real one. “Those. My HAARM-Blocker, in theory. And…” He stuck out his hand hand drew his fingers upwards as they began to glitter.

The bones that rose out of the water were black and twisted, pockmarked with holes and bristling with spikes along the shafts. Papyrus recoiled.

“Ummm. Oh. W-Well. Those are. Um. Not weird or frightening at all. Um! Nyeh heh! I’m glad that works,” he said.

“Don’t worry, Paps, working is an overstatement.” He laughed, punctuated them with a flash of gold and one of blue, and let them collapse into black sparkles that scattered across the surface of the water. “I can’t imagine that healing would be working.”

“That’s okay! I already heal for the whole family!” Papyrus volunteered quickly, grinning. “And Frisk is getting good at it too!”

“And I bet Sans is, as well.” Gaster turned to look at Sans and smiled. “Are you asleep over there?”

Sans raised his hand slightly and then rubbed the back of his skull. Gaster waded over to him and squatted down, holding a hand against the side of his head. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to join us?”

“I’m fine,” Sans said quietly.

“Sans, come on, why don’t you push some magic around with us? It’ll do you good!” Papyrus said.

“Nah,” he said.

“It could be fun?” he suggested, lowering is voice. “Papyrus would love to bounce some magic off you, I’m sure.”

Sans grinned slightly. “S’got you now, doesn’t he?”

Gaster’s eyes went wide.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Alphys said. “I’ll d-do it, too, would that help?”

“You go ahead,” he said. He still hadn’t even opened his eyes.

He definitely dozed off and away from the water, because when roused himself, he saw snow. His cheek was on his fist as he slumped at the sentry station on the border of Snowdin. He sighed. He put his hand over his soul to check for anyone else, and felt something, but not what he’d expected. No Frisk or Asriel. Something else that he couldn’t quite place. The trees around him were obsidian, thorny, and twisted like warped antlers. He held out his right hand; it was missing a finger.

He wasn’t really surprised that it had happened again. So soon, though? It hadn’t even been a full day. He stretched his arms high above his head and popped his neck. Did he have enough energy to seek out any info about this place? See if someone else was in there with him? Did he even really want to know? His skull felt heavy; like something was leaking in. Monsters with proper noses has a word for it. Congested.

His soul drummed uncomfortably. He rested his cheek on his fist and closed his eyes. Maybe when he opened them again, he’d be awake for real. 

He wasn’t. He saw himself working in the lab in a memory he didn’t recall, looking at machines that seemed familiar but he didn’t recognize. Feeling frustrated. Looking at a concentrating, scowling Gaster at another desk with such bitter resentment that he knew it couldn’t have been his own thoughts. Another blink of his eyes and everything was white and chilly.

He was standing down the street towards home, looking at the back of his sister as she stood out in the snow without a coat on. Sans could sense he was away from the other place, and also that that wasn’t really Frisk. It was an uncanny sensation. Always was. Especially with her, though. 

The kid was shaking. Sans frowned sympathetically. He got a little closer and then stepped around her as she slumped forward with her face in her hands. Sans’s first reaction was to reach out to her, but when his hands met her shoulder, she didn’t react in the least.

“Kiddo?” he asked.

Nothing. He looked at his fingers. They were a little blue. That was weird. Maybe he wasn’t here, then?

He didn’t know where this fit. Past? No, not in her memories. She straightened up, blowing out a sigh and running her hands through her hair. She had such dark circles under her eyes, and she looked gaunt and ashy despite her dark skin. She looked like she’d been crying. He could still see the faint scar on her cheek. Future. Good to know. She couldn’t see him for whatever reason.

“Jeez, kiddo,” he said quietly. 

Quickly, she perked up and whipped around as if a sound had caught her attention. He leaned around her and tried to follow her gaze. He saw nothing instead.

“Sans?” she asked. She looked spooked. She sighed and rubbed her head. “Okay. Okay okay. Get it together. Jeez.” She took another deep breath. “Okay, okay, stop crying, stop freaking out. Oh my god.” She wiped her eyes and then sat down heavily on the steps. “He’s fine. He’s gonna be fine. It’s gonna be okay.”

Sans tilted his head. He squatted before her, trying to read the pain on her face. “Who’s hurt, kiddo?” he wondered. Hoped it wasn’t Papyrus. Maybe it was dad. That made the most sense. He reached out for her and gently patted her head.

She wiped her eyes again. She suddenly lifted her head and looked off to the left. He followed her gaze to see Asriel booking it towards them from down the road. He skidded to a halt and sat down beside her, rubbing his hands over his face.

“I missed him, huh?” he said. “Sorry. It takes me a bit to get through one of the rips.”

Weird, Sans thought. Could he do that on his own? That was interesting.

“That’s okay,” she said.

“Did he say anything?” he asked.

The dream faded to fog and smoke and blustering snow. Sans awoke to Papyrus smiling into his face through sparkling, black water. 

“Aaaah, Sans!! That was so cool, did you see that?!” he demanded. 

“Uh. Sorry, bro. Must’ve missed it,” he said.

“Aw. But my special attack!” He threw his arms up in the air. “It came through really well, though!!”

“Did for sure,” Undyne said, grinning and sticking her thumbs up.

Sans smiled. He could see their father— he looked so proud he might cry. He forced himself up and out of the waterfall, stretching it arms and shoulders. “Show me again, sometime, huh?”

“Yes, of course! Nyeh heh heh!! It was very impressive, if I do say so myself. Which I do,” Papyrus said, jabbing his thumb pointedly against his own chest.

They had dry clothes at Undyne’s place, which was probably good because everyone was a soggy mess by the time they dragged themselves out of the water. Gaster clearly felt better, though. His soul was still off key, but it didn’t sound quite as grating on the ears anymore. It was a good first step.

Sans kept an extra eye socket on him, though. He didn’t know who his dream had been about, but the only guy he could really rule out was Asriel. Alphys paid extra attention to him, too, giving him even more of those opera cakes even though she had just done so a little while ago. She was like a watchful mother hen. She had always been like that, though, Sans thought, observing from the piano bench with amusement as she fretted over him. Making sure he ate and drank enough, giving him some of his old gloves she’d fixed up to expose his fingers but also to cover the holes in his palms; slipping some mostly unnecessary healing goo into the cracks in his head. It was just like old times.

Sans let Papyrus carry him home, happy to sleepily listen to him chattering with their father on the way. The kids weren’t there when they got back, though. Instead, there was a note saying they’d gone to the Ruins. Normally, Sans could wait, but today he wasn’t willing.

He poked his head around the Ruins in a few spots and found Frisk sitting with Asriel and Kid, dangling their feet in the water and laughing about something as they munched on some donuts. That sense of normalcy was so nice to see but, for some reason, he was cold. He wanted… He wasn’t sure what he wanted. He was about to leave, but Frisk let out a subtle ping in her energy that felt like his and she whipped around. She grinned big and bright.

The kid stumbled upright and ran to him, greeting him with a hug as she always did. He squished her a little tighter than usual.

“Hey, hi! How was Waterfall?” she asked.

“Wet,” he said.

“Yeah, you’re all chilly!” She patted his face and grinned. “Kid wanted to explore. His parents said not too far this time, but maybe next time we’ll go down into the old city parts. Wanna come?”

Sans tilted his head. “You don’t wanna just spend time with your pals?”

“You’re my pal,” she said, her brow furrowing slightly.

“Yeah, Sans, we’d love for you to come,” Kid said brightly. “Plus, uh, my parents would feel a lot better if we went with a grown-up.”

“Even though I’m the one who knows the way around,” Asriel said teasingly. 

“Well, you know, they’re pretty overprotective,” he said bashfully. “And we’re not like you guys. I mean, Flora’s a good sister and everything but it’s not like we always wanna hang out together.”

“Weird,” Asriel joked. He waved his hand. “Nah. I know. We’re the weird ones. We’re all codependent, we got PTSD and crap. It’s fine.” 

“Peaty…?” Frisk repeated, puzzled.

Sans patted her head in reply and cut his eyes at Asriel. The goat kid grinned and shrugged. 

On their way home, out of the Ruins and through the woods, Sans hung back a little. It seemed like Kid and Asriel were getting along pretty well. The innocent little yellow lizard seemed to get a kick out of how occasionally blunt and vulgar the Prince could be. They seemed to laugh a lot. 

Frisk dropped back to join before he realized, smiling up at him. He raised his brows at her.

“So how’d it go?” she said.

“Dad’s still trash,” he said. “Paps is the opposite.”

“And you?” she said.

“Also trash,” he said.

“Did you do the energy whooshing thing?” she said. 

“Nah. Waterfall stuff,” he said. “I, uh…” He frowned. Overrode his instinct to shut up about it. “Had a weird dream. Future stuff.”

“What?! Really?! Oh wow,” she said. “What did you see?”

“Not sure,” he said. “…Think someone got kinda sick. You looked upset.”

“Me?” Frisk frowned. “So… Anything I should watch out for?”

“Nah. Sorry. Not enough info,” he said. “But, uh… Asriel…”

“What? Did something happen to him?” she asked.

“Star hoppin’.” Sans shrugged. “Like you. Like dad.”

“What?!” She said it so loud that the others in front of them stopped.

“What?” Asriel asked.

She grinned. “Az, we gotta try a cool thing later.”

“Well, okay,” he said, raising his brows.

After they dropped Kid off, Frisk dragged Asriel back towards the inn and the shining starlight that sat outside it. She touched it quickly to lock the timeline.

“Okay, so, like, I can go through them, right? Sans said he had a dream where you could, too, and that makes a ton of sense, actually. So, wanna try?” She grinned brightly.

“What?! Um. Really?” He looked at Sans with wide eyes.

The skeleton replied with a shrug and a nod. Asriel’s ears perked a little.

“Hey. Cool. Useful paradox, then. I dig it.” He stuck his hand into the light and his eyes glazed. “Oh. Hey. Okay. Been meaning to go to the tree, actually. Gimme a minute.” His soul pulsed bright red and then he vanished. 

Frisk yelped, eyes wide, but she quickly grinned and clapped her hands together. “It actually worked!!”

Sans plopped them both into the Ruins, out front of Toriel’s old house. Amongst the purple stone, starlight glittered in a patch of stark, red leaves. No Asriel, though.

“Um, where is he?” Frisk asked.

“Give him a few,” Sans suggested.

The kid nodded. She stretched and wandered down the path a little ways towards the tall, blackened tree surrounded by more of its fallen leaves. Sans sighed tiredly and slumped against the stone wall to their left. When she came back, dry foliage crunching under her sneakers, she slid up beside him and smiled sympathetically.

“You feelin’ a little low, bro?” she asked.

“That’s the nature of bein’ under five foot, kiddo,” he said with a wink. 

She snickered and gave him a hug. “Well. Okay. But, like, let me know if you’re feelin’ weird, okay?”

“Why, I lookin’ weirder than usual?” he asked.

“I dunno, you just feel…” She looked up at him with a puzzled tilt in her brow. “Heavy? Does that… make sense?”

“Eh, s’not so bad, just a few rough nights pilin’ up in here.” He tapped the side of his head. “No big deal.”

“Hmmm…” Frisk looked at him skeptically. She stretched, cracked her knuckles, and then shot him a tired smile. “Well. Okay.” She jerked her thumb at the starlight. “This is super cool. I hope it works. Hey, if it doesn’t, think I can just hop in there and drag him out?”

“Who knows?”

Frisk stared at the light curiously. She leaned back and folded her arms. “Hey Sans? Can I tell you something really really weird?” 

“Mhm.”

“So, um. Uhh…” She rubbed her head. “It’s… Do, um…? Do you think maybe time stuff happened to monsters other than dad? Because, uh, turned out Kid had a sister I’m pretty sure didn’t exist like a day ago. An older sister.”

“Uh. Huh.” Sans raised his brows. “You sure?”

“Yeah, before he always said his family was his mom, dad, him, and Daisy. And today I met Flora and she… like… talked like she knew me and stuff?” She shrugged. “And Kid said that she picks him up from over here all the time, and that I met her at the play. I kinda think maybe a time thing happened. Whaaat, um…? What do you think?”

Sans tapped his teeth thoughtfully. “Huh. Well. You know, it could be.”

“Could be? That’s it?” she asked, her brow furrowed.“Do you remember her?”

“Kinda. A little,” he said. “I mean. In passin’, y’know? But I see what you mean. There’s a haze.”

“Right?!” she said.

Sans took a step back, grabbed Frisk, and moved her with him. A second later, the tear in time flashed and Asriel dropped heavily into the leaves, sending some upwards in a _pomf_. He sputtered and laughed disbelievingly, and stuck his fists up and cheered.

“Aaaah, oh wow. Shit. I love that.” He tried to heave himself upright and fell heavily. “Ah. Never mind. I hate that.”

“Oh wow, you okay?” Frisk asked. She knelt to grab his arm.

He laughed, his breath rasping, and he coughed and sneezed, his fur bristling. He wiped his snout and draped himself around Frisk. “Yeah. I’m fine. Wow. What a trip. I kinda didn’t expect that to work.”

Sans knelt down and patted the kid’s head. “Hey. One step closer to havin’ to, uh, take less steps.”

“Pffft. Guess you’re right. Unlocked fast-travel, fantastic. ” He staggered to his feet with Frisk’s help. He had to grab her shoulders to keep himself upright. “Jeez.”

“You sure you’re okay?” she asked.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” He laughed and wrapped her in a hug. “Thanks.”

When he pulled back, he turned his head towards the tree. A faint, tired smile crossed his face. “You guys can leave, if you want.”

“I don’t mind,” Frisk assured him.

His ears perked, and he looked quickly at Sans. The skeleton had plunked down into the leaves and taken to supporting the outside of Toriel’s house. He’d dozed off. Asriel smirked. 

“Can’t leave him alone for a second, huh?” he said, shaking his head.

He prowled around the barren tree to the other side. Someone had left fresh flowers in a small, glass vase up against the trunk. He took a deep breath and walked up towards the gnarled old roots. Frisk followed quietly. She darted ahead and picked up the vase carefully. She moved it around to the other side of the tree, just out of sight. 

Asriel patted her gratefully on the shoulder when she joined him again. He sat on his knees and brushed some of the red away to reveal a small, wooden box nestled at the base of the trunk. The top was carved with the Delta Rune and polished so it shone. Frisk sat down beside him and he scooted a little closer to her. He flipped open the lid and his own hum, played on the tuned, metal lamellae inside, began to ting out slowly. He sighed.

“Wish we’d heard hers,” he said quietly. 

Inside the box rested a golden locket shaped like a heart and nothing more. Asriel fished in his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar. Human make, with a foil and red wrapper. He lifted the locket and laid down the candy before replacing it gently. He closed the lid and the tune stopped abruptly

Replacing the music box right where he’d got it, he carefully covered it with the bright red leaves and then leaned back, looking up at the dark branches that reached for the roof of the cave in vain. He grabbed Frisk’s hand and squeezed it.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Yeah, of course,” she assured him. “It’s been a little bit, feels like.”

“Month and a half.” He laughed dryly at himself. “Dunno why I bother.”

“I do,” Frisk said.

Asriel flinched. He gulped hard. His grip tightened and his voice rasped a little. “It’s just us, now.”

She offered him a hug. He took it eagerly. He sighed and rested his chin on her shoulder.

“I’ll come with you as many times as you want,” she said. 

“I know.” 

He drew away, huffed, and then flopped back in the leaves. Frisk copied him, resting her arms behind her head. He stared up at the branches and settled in, folding his hands on his chest. It was strangely comfortable. 

“Hey. Look.” Frisk pointed up to one of the spindly twigs that stretched out above them. “Is it actually trying to grow something?”

Asriel squinted. Looked like she was right. A tiny speck of a red leaf budding from way up there. 

“Hasn’t done that in a while,” he said. “Funny.”

“I guess it doesn’t do so good without sunlight, huh?” she mused.

“It’s supposed to be dead,” he said with a laugh. “So I guess this is better than I thought.”

They stayed a while, though Asriel poked Frisk up before she could fall asleep. After she replaced the flowers, they grabbed Sans and, as one more test, zoomed home through the tear in time and landed in the attic. Again, it took Asriel just a few minutes longer, but he plunked out of the light onto the wood floor with a laugh and a groan without any incident more than the fall itself.

As Frisk helped him up, hurried, thumping steps ran beneath them and the ladder up to the attic was yanked down by magic hands. Gaster heaved himself up with a worried look on his face.

“Did something happen?” he asked.

“Az can go through the time things, too,” Frisk said brightly.

Gaster gawked. He put a hand to his soul. “R… Really?”

“Yup. Stole your kid’s soul, so…” Asriel thumped Frisk affectionately on the shoulder. “You’re just really dedicated to making me OP as hell, huh?”

“I don’t mind,” she said.

“Wait, so… because a note of Frisk’s soul is in yours…?” Gaster tilted his head and carefully reached out to the boy to touch on his soul. “Oh. Ohh. I… I see.”

“What?” Frisk asked curiously.

“His soul is made up of many, right? It’s interesting. You don’t hear the others. The energy—”

“Fused through solidarity, the determination took over, and my hum came back but better,” Asriel said with a grin. “We know. Alph was really into studying it. Could you tell all that just by touching it?”

“Ah… I could.” He grinned sheepishly. “Do you happen to know if she recorded it all or—?”

“Who d’you think you’re talkin’ about?” Sans said with a laugh. “Just ask, she’ll tell you everything. For hours. And. Hours.”

Gaster snickered and massaged around his eye sockets with his fingertips. “I should have guessed.” He reached for Asriel’s shoulder and tilted his head. “And how do you feel?”

“Great. Like I got hit by a train,” he said with a laugh. “Don’t worry.”

“Lemme make you something. We can dump you on Paps,” Frisk said.

“That’s a good idea,” he said.

They left down the ladder. Sans didn’t look like he had any intention of following. The grey around his eye sockets seemed to darken. He rubbed his brow lethargically. His father stood and held up his hands as if asking him to pause.

“Sans. If it’s alright? I’d like to talk to you,” he said.

“Hm? Uh. Sure,” Sans said. “What about?”

“Well. It’s… something you said earlier,” he said. “I’m… I’m a little worried about you.”

“Uh.” Sans grinned sideways. “Why?”

Gaster tented his fingers, the tips resting lightly against each other as his brows adopted a cautious tilt. “I can almost hear it. But I know you’d never ask. They need you. You are what I could never be, do you understand?”

“Nnnno?” Sans said.

Gaster sighed. He sat down on a box and interlocked his fingers, grimacing thoughtfully. “Let me tell you something. Do… Do you remember…? Maybe you were too young. But, when you were a baby, I… I had no idea what to do with you. You came from out of the blue. And after what happened when you were born, I hated being separated from you. I didn’t even leave you with Asgore so much. But I was a mess. I had never even imagined being a parent myself, and yet, there you were. This tiny, perfect little being that I…” He had to cough. “Anyway, it took you quite a long time before you began to talk. I think it was mostly because you felt like you didn’t have to. And, to be fair, you weren’t wrong, but… Your first sentence… Do you recall?”

“Can’t say I do,” he said, raising one brow inquisitively.

“I was keeping you with me as I worked. Up late nights, as you do. And you’d sit up on my counter, and watch, and I could swear you were starting to understand, even then. And that’s where you said your first sentence, too. At one in the morning, you grabbed me as I was working on some project for the fifth night in a row, and you told me to go to bed.”

“Sounds like me,” Sans said.

Gaster smiled fondly. “You were better at keeping track of how I was feeling than I was.” His shoulders slumped and his expression turned melancholy. “I should’ve been a better father. I know I wasn’t the greatest.”

“Eh, you were fine,” Sans said with a shrug.

“But it shouldn’t have been an infant telling me to go to bed. It shouldn’t have been a five year old patching up my broken bones, a seven year old teaching himself algebra; a thirteen year old raising his brother.”

Sans frowned. “It’s not like you weren’t there. What’re you gettin’ at?”

“What I’m getting at is that you are not only necessary, but very much wanted,” he said. “I’ve seen you taking small steps back. And your dreams— you’re worried about the feedback loops. I understand. But, please, you have to ignore that feeling.”

An uncertainty flickered across Sans’s face. He shrugged. “You’re their dad.”

“But I was never the one that taught Papyrus everything he knows. I was not the one that did the same for Frisk. I could not be there for them. That was you. I may be their father, but it was you who guided them through so much. So. Please. Don’t change a thing.”

Sans stared at his father blankly for a few long, heavy seconds. He smiled slightly and scratched his cheek. “Whew.”

“Whew?” Gaster laughed. “I thought that that was very heartfelt! Was that too much?”

“Guess maybe you’re a little better than you gave yourself credit for.” Sans winked. “I’m, uh… Nah. I gotcha. Don’t worry about me. You’re not wrong.”

“Thank god.” He gave Sans a hug and blew out a long sigh. “Because I’m a bloody wreck.”

“What else is new?” Sans thumped him on the shoulder. “S’all good.”

Downstairs, Asriel was loudly cracking up as Toriel, sitting on the side table, looked amused but embarrassed.

“Alright, alright,” she said. “I see your point.”

Asriel grinned. He was sitting with Papyrus, clutching a mug of spiced cocoa and having his ears brushed, and trying not to look overwhelmingly smug. Toriel sighed. 

“What am I going to do with you?” she said.

“Iunno.” He shrugged in an exaggerated sort of way. His eyes darted to the incoming skeletons and he smiled. “Hey. Un-grounded.”

Gaster froze up for a moment. Sans didn’t even bother with the stairs and went to the kitchen. Frisk was there and, though she jumped, she grinned when she saw him.

He put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair. “Hey. Uh. Didn’t mention. But I saw the other place again. Just for a sec. So. I figure we’ll probably be doin’ that dumb adventure a few more times.”

“Oh weird! Okay.” She tilted her head. “Does it freak you out? Is that why you didn’t…?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“That’s okay, me too,” she said.

He grinned fondly. It hurt a bit. Always did to hear about something scaring his kid sister. But, he reminded himself, it was okay for them to work together on this. It was okay for them to be a team, like she always said. He’d keep repeating that to himself until he passed out. 


	13. FIVE-FINGER IMPRINT

That night, after everyone else had fallen asleep, Frisk was still up with a lot on her mind. The only downside to having Gaster around now was not having the living room to mope around in. Instead, she curled up between boxes up in the attic with her journal and quietly scribbled in it by the light of a tear in time. She wrote about the new dreams, and the new powers, Gaster’s arrival, and about Flora. With all of it happening at once, she was sure there was some connection. Had to be. It was too strange otherwise. Sometimes, just getting it all on the page helped to sort it out.

At the moment, the issue of Flora troubled her the most. Sans’s memories of the CORE rupturing were as fractured as her thoughts. What little there was didn’t feel like him— it was more like the memory of something he’d seen on TV. Did it erupt? Explode? It had happened in that chamber, as far down as a monster could go, right? But the spire went up through the mountain, and the magma reached far above that. So did something burst outside that chamber, too? How else would Flora have been affected? How old was Flora, anyway? When had she been yanked away?

Frisk tapped her pen on her notebook. Could there be more monsters who were gone? More who’d come back? She hadn’t met every monster that lived underground, though. She didn’t know if she could ever answer the question. She wrote down to ask Gaster about it.

Her fingers hesitated on the page, red ink dotting heavily in one spot before she pulled it back. Her hand felt stiff writing the word “dad” on the paper. She read it over and over again until it looked like gibberish. “_Ask dad_”. Underlined it. She smiled to herself. He was just downstairs. Real and solid and settling right in.

She went back to writing, though her eyelids were getting heavy. Before she knew it, she was blinking awake, rubbing her eyes at the sound of a hissing whisper.

“Psssst. Pssssssst. Little sister? It’s your coolest and tallest brother Papyrus, are you up heeeeere?”

“Mhm. Yeah,” she said quietly. She coughed to clear her throat and then stuck her hand up so he could find her past the boxes and the treadmill. 

Bright-eyed, he leaned around a pillar of cardboard, then grabbed half of it to set it aside. He sat down on the smooth wooden floor and scooted over, tilting his head. “Are you doing okay? Why are you up here?”

She held out her journal. He took it hesitantly and looked her up and down. She stuck her thumbs up. He grinned and lifted her in his magic, pushing himself over into her spot. He let her down on his leg and held her with one hand as he held the book with the other.

She fell asleep again until he squeezed her gently into a magic-charged hug. She blinked heavily and patted his arm. 

“Are you awake enough to talk?” he asked.

“…Yeah.” She rubbed her eyes and smiled up at him. “You read the whole thing?”

“Yes. Yes, definitely. Your spelling is getting better. It’s just… Nyehhh…” He jokingly squished her head. “There’s so much going on in this little space, isn’t there!” 

“Hah, yeah, I guess so,” she said.

“What did you make of that dream in the weird place, with the weird Papyrus?” he said. “He wasn’t cooler than me, right? Impossible! Right?”

“Bro, you’re the coolest, you already know that.” She smiled up at him sleepily. “You’re such a goof. Don’t worry.”

“What?! No! It’s just…” He tapped his fingertips together. “I mean. If I were less cool of a brother. I might, um… I might worry that… Maybe these last few days have been kind of rough. And maybe I wasn’t as helpful as I could have been when things were happening and a certain little sister was going on weird time adventures. Nyeh. Heh. Heh…”

Frisk smiled sympathetically. “Man. Don’t worry about that.”

“Well, I mean, I know that almost everything that happened was objectively good, but still…” He frowned. “You didn’t want me to come to meet the humans with you. Did you?”

“Whaaaat? What do you mean?” She grinned sideways but couldn’t even attempt to keep it up when he raised his brows skeptically. “Oof. Um. No. I… I guess I didn’t. But it’s not… I mean. It’s not like…” She rubbed her head and puffed. “Okay. Listen. I had a future dream, right? The one I was worried about. And this is gonna be hard to hear, but you and mom both died in it. There was a misunderstanding with the human guy and he kinda flipped out. Still not sure why, don’t really care, honestly. What matters is I didn’t want either of you anywhere near him.”

“Wait, didn’t he turn out to be nice, though?” he asked.

“Yeah, but that didn’t really matter,” she said.

“Why didn’t you just tell me that?” he asked with a laugh. “Gosh, little sister.”

“Because… I dunno. You always wanna be there for me,” she said. “Which, honestly, is like the nicest thing ever. And I love that about you. But I couldn’t… I couldn’t let you remember that.”

“But. Wait. I don’t understand,” he said. “You have to remember it, though.”

“I can’t help it,” she said with a tired grin. “I’m used to it now. But the first time… Seriously. You don’t wanna. I promise, you don’t wanna.”

“But, I mean, I do remember that it happened to me before, when it was just me and Sans.” He tapped his chin. “Though. You are right, I don’t exactly remember right at the moment of… Nyeh heh heh!! Wow, that’s really super morbid, isn’t it?” He rubbed the back of his skull. “But, honestly, you shouldn’t have to be doing so much worrying about me! I’m the big brother here, after all!”

“I know. I know.” She hugged him around his ribs. “Hey. You missed it before, but, you wanna see the forest?”

He leaned closer, eyes wide. “Can we do that?”

Frisk took him to the tear in time that glimmered on the other side of the room. She grabbed his hand. “This made Undyne feel a little sick, just to warn you. I, um, don’t actually know how any of this works, but… We’ll see.” 

“Oh! Okay, but…” He reached out and carefully touched the light himself. He winced in anticipation. Very quickly, his face relaxed and he grinned at Frisk. “Hey! I didn’t start crying this time!”

“Sorry about that,” she said with a laugh. “I guess whatever of me was out there was a bit rough, huh?”

“That’s okay! It still sounds like you, though,” he said brightly. “Okay! Show me.”

She touched the light, held the world solid, and then focused through to that place again.

All colour shifted to blue as grass spread out before them and the waning moon glowed bright, a silvery crescent high above them in the clear sky, surrounded by a blanket of stars. Insects buzzed gently in the air and a refreshing breeze rustled the plants around them. Papyrus squawked loudly and spun in place. He lifted Frisk up under her arms and stared her in the face. 

“Could you always do that?!” he demanded. “Where are we?!”

“Dunno!” she said. “Cool, though, right?”

“Um! YES!” He stared upwards, his eyes glowing faintly. “Oh wow. It’s so clear, here. You can see the stars so well!” He sat back in the grass and turned his face upwards. The moonlight made his bones shine. 

Frisk plunked down with him and leaned back.

“So where is this?” Papyrus asked.

“No clue,” she said. “Monsters lived around here once, though.”

“Wowie. Really? I wonder why an opening lead here. Maybe that’s why?”

She shrugged. Papyrus wiggled his toes. Then, he jumped to his feet so abruptly that Frisk toppled back, startled. 

“Hey!” he said brightly. “Little sister!! Let’s go exploring!”

“What? Right now?” she asked.

“Yes right now!” He beamed. “Come on, you said monsters lived here, right? There has to be some interesting stuff around, right? We could see that statue you wrote about, couldn’t we?” He reached out and patted her head when her brow furrowed. “Don’t worry! If we get too lost or something, we can just go back in time.”

“I guess so,” she said.

“Fantastic!” 

She pointed him in the direction of the statue and he took off. He was already out of sight before Frisk reached the bushes, but he quickly doubled back, grinning, and he grabbed her by the hand and lead her through the trees. 

True to form, he quickly found the statue she’d mentioned. He darted all around it, touching it with careful fingers, measuring himself up against it; even climbing to the top of it to take a look around. Frisk was just worried about stepping on a snake. The twigs and plants beneath her bare feet weren’t exactly the most comfortable, either. Her feet had gotten a lot weaker since she’d started regularly wearing shoes. Maybe that wasn’t so bad. Except for right now, of course.

When Papyrus came back to earth, hands on his hips and looking rather proud of himself, he shot a glance off through the trees and then levelled a finger in a direction that didn’t look too different from any other.

“I say we go that way!” he announced. “I have a good feeling about it!” He took her hand and walked with her for a few paces before changing his mind and scooping her up, helping her up onto his shoulders. “Maybe we can see the mountain from here if we go a little farther!”

“We’re too far,” she said. “You can’t see it at all.”

“What?! Really?! How can you tell?” he asked.

“Undyne climbed a tree,” she said.

“What?! Oh! That’s a good idea.” He was up in the branches of the nearest, thick tree in an instant. “Hang on tight!”

He clambered up and Frisk clung, white-knuckled, to his shirt and scarf. He surveyed the area and his jaw dropped.

“Weird, right?” Frisk said.

“Nyeh! What the heck? Where are we, then?! Oh. Wait. You don’t know. Um.” He put one hand up to his eyes. “Hey! Do you see that?” He pointed out into the distance to a spot where the trees gave. “Want to go over there?”

Frisk squinted. She recalled the stone something she’d seen the first time they were there, in the daylight. It looked really far away, though. Then again, she wasn’t the one who’d have to do the walking. “If you want to. I’m kinda curious.”

“Nyeh heh heh! Good! We’ll have a little adventure! I can see it from here, so it can’t be too far!” He let himself slide down the trunk and bounced back to the ground. “It’ll be a nice walk! Or run! You can sleep up there, though, if you want! I won’t mind.”

“I’ll try to stay up,” she said with a laugh. “Not too hard where I am.”

“Ugh, Frisk!” He rubbed his face. “You really do take after Sans, don’t you? But less lazy.”

Papyrus strode with confidence through the dark forest, skipping over a little brook and hopping over felled, ancient trees. Even so, he never deviated from the path. No, he was sure he knew where he was going. Something in his bones told him what was the right way. Frisk wasn’t sure if that was just a saying or not, but he insisted it was more literal than that. Something was drawing him to that crumbling place. It probably had magic in its stones, too, just like the statue of the ancient monster King that resembled Asgore. 

Frisk almost dozed off, her mind only snapping back into focus when she realized Papyrus was talking to her. “Hm…? Sorry, what?”

“Friiiiisk, did you fall asleep?” he teased.

“Um. Yeah.”

He scoffed and snickered. “Like I was saying! It’s so weird that we haven’t run into anybody, don’t you think?”

“It’s like two in the morning out here, bro,” she said with a laugh. “In the middle of nowhere.”

“No, I know, it’s just… I guess this whole outside thing is really a lot bigger than I realized. I mean. We had our town. And then the beach and the ocean. And then the big city. But nobody lives here?” 

“The world is super big,” Frisk said. “There’s a ton of places nobody lives in at all.”

“Oh! So there’s plenty of room for monsters anywhere, then!” he said. “I mean, there’s not all that many of us.”

“Mmhm,” she said.

“But I like where we are,” he said.

“Me too.”

Heat prickled along the backs of her ears. She perked up and peeked around. Papyrus ducked to pass below a low hanging branch and she hurriedly copied him so as not to get beaned.The rustling of the foliage formed a rhythm in her mind, the wind like a distant flute. Frisk tapped on her brother’s head and he stopped and leaned back a little.

“Yeeeeesss?” he said.

“Do you…? Do you hear that?” she asked.

“What?” he asked.

She shushed him and they stood in the quiet night for a little while. The sounds itched the back of the kid’s head. Papyrus edged forward, his bare toes clicking against some stones beneath his feet. 

“Ooh.” His soul flickered. “I think that’s some magic drifting around.”

“Me too,” Frisk said.

Excited, the skeleton picked up the pace. Though the sounds didn’t get louder, the tingling got a little stronger. 

The moonlight was trapped high above by leafy boughs, and the forest got deeper and darker the farther they walked. Even so, Frisk felt utterly secure. Papyrus lit his eyes, and though it wasn’t much, the shimmer of amber was enough to pick out the ridges of tree trunks and the muddle of bushes he stepped over.

“This is nice,” Frisk said quietly.

“Oh! You’re having a good time? Nyeh heh! Me too!” he said. “I like a nice long walk sometimes! And with a mysterious destination, out in the dark woods, on a chilly night like this? It’s great!”

Frisk snickered. 

The trees began to press closer together as they approached what seemed to be the edge out towards large mounds that may have the stones they were looking for. Papyrus took Frisk off his shoulders and into his arms and sidled sideways out of the forest. Suddenly, silver moonlight lit upon a crumbling wall of stones like a spotlight. 

Excited, Papyrus bounded up to the wall and put Frisk on it as he leaned over the top to survey the place. Beyond them, in ruins, worn down by wind and rain, was a castle partially in rubble, a crippled tower and more walls caved in around it. Much had been retaken by greenery. Leaves on the vines cradling the walls carried a moonlit sheen and a scattered bunch of flowers that shone pale blue speckled the ground near a sloping entrance. 

“Oh wow,” Frisk breathed. She slipped off the wall and her feet met grass much softer than she expected on the other side. “Dude, look at this.”

“What a find!” Papyrus vaulted over and stood on his toes. “Ooh! What’s this?” He took Frisk’s hand and raced over to a squarish block. “This looks like something, doesn’t it? A puzzle, maybe?”

Frisk stared up at the hunk of stone. She put her hands on it and stood up taller. She climbed up and sat on the top of it. From there, she could see the ground and more stones embedded deep in, almost completely overgrown with that same soft grass. She also noticed something else— a strange shape on a similar block, off in the shadows of one of the broken walls. She turned to her side and gently felt through the vines. She could see there were chunks of stone that almost looked like the bottom of a shoe.

“It was a statue,” she said. “It’s broken, though.”

“Hm? Oh!” Papyrus seemed to see what she had and then dashed over to the other one. “Oh!! You should come see this! It’s very cool.”

Frisk slipped to the ground again and moved to join him. He grinned wide and gestured to the statue as if he’d carved it himself. It was a horse. Aged and rough and covered in vines, but still standing proudly on all four hooves. The kid felt a thunk deep inside her.

“Um. Hey. Whose place do you think this was?” she asked.

“I have no idea! Someone who liked… this thing! What is this?” he asked.

“A horse,” she said.

“Oh! A horse! Okay. I’ve never seen one on four legs before!” he said. “Interesting! Do you think horses lived here?”

“At least one,” she said with a smile.

“Wowie. That’s interesting,” he said. “Hey. Do you think we can get inside there? Come on!”

Papyrus dashed towards the dark opening of the largest structure, bouncing through the grass to avoid the blue flowers. He waved at Frisk to follow him. She was careful not to step on anything, too. 

There wasn’t actually anything blocking the doorway into the ruins. Maybe there once had been— there was some metal that looked like hinges and some broken wood. There was a scuffed, threadbare carpet beneath their feet, dusted with mud, faded in spots, and entwined with creeping vegetation. Beyond that, they couldn’t see a thing.

Papyrus lit his eyes again, but it wasn’t much help. He laid his palm against the wall and crept forward a hesitant few steps. A groove in the wall revealed a metal sconce, two spiralling bands that crossed each other until they formed a cone. The skeleton touched it and it let out a strangely melodic sound against his finger. Magic swelled. Frisk yelped and hopped back, holding onto her brother’s leg as the sconce leeched some energy from his hand and brightened with an amber flame. 

“What the heck?” He poked the metal cautiously.

Abruptly, the whole hall lit up, flames in the colour of his magic rushing along the walls and concentrating in more spiral holders. 

“Oh wow,” Frisk said, eyes wide. “That’s nuts!”

The skeleton scooped her up and held her up to the flame. “You try.”

She looked back at him with raised brows, and he gave her an insistent nod. She gently touched the sconce and the flame burst bright. He yelped and pulled her back, just as the amber was dyed deep red. When the flame didn’t stir again, he grinned. 

“This must be where a monster lived, then!” he said. “Maybe a horse monster?”

“Could be,” Frisk said.

Papyrus strode down the hallway along the red rug without an ounce of trepidation. They passed two grooves in the walls opposite each other where something had once stood. Statues again, probably. There was only rubble and a vague shape of feet left there. 

Through the hallway, the fires lead them into a small room. Braziers near the door lit with the same amber fire. Objects in here hadn’t weathered like things farther out, but the whole place was in disarray.Long, wooden tables were upended and chairs lay strewn about with broken legs. At the back end of the room, though, still stood a larger seat made in stone, the arms and legs carved with distinct, spiralling markings. It had a chunk cut from the side of it. The walls were scarred with puncture marks. 

“Nyoo… This… looks a little less good,” Papyrus remarked. “Look at this mess. Ugh.”

Frisk’s chest got heavy. Something bad happened here. She wandered up to the throne and took it in. The polished, pale stone was carved with intricate, knotted patterns and spirals. Some of them formed bones. She bit her lip. Carefully, she clambered up onto a purple cushion. She could see empty sockets on either arm of the chair. Cautiously, she reached up and touched the broken chunk.

Her vision flashed over with red. She saw the light change to orange, her mind rushed, and she saw a strike of bone. She reeled back and fell onto the ground with a grunt. Papyrus was at her side in an instant, helping her up.

“Are you okay?!” he demanded. “What happened?”

“I… saw something,” she squeaked. She pointed up at the gash in the rock. “A bone.”

“A bone?” Papyrus perked up and he got to his feet, leaning in over the throne curiously. “A skeleton was here?”

“A… A l-long time ago,” she said. “I guess m-maybe the energy was really strong.”

“Must’ve been!” he said. 

Frisk felt a chill of dread prickle her skin. 

The door to the next room had been battered off its hinges, which really did not help. The flames led down a short hallway and to another open threshold. Frisk peeked in and stepped cautiously over the old planks of wood. On the wall, between two of the sconces, hung a large tapestry, a little faded but still mostly intact. The story woven on it seemed to be one of skeletons. Famers and knights, horses and dogs, working together, growing trees covered in pink blossoms. The figures that stood out the most were three skeletons in the centre of the image that seemed to be surveying everything protectively. One in the middle, the tallest, in blue armour with lyre horns stood proudly, and beside her were, presumably, knights: a short skeleton with a big grin and small, triangular horns, and a tall one with a serious face and bigger horns, holding a bone spear and shield.

“Oh dang,” she said.

“What?” Papyrus stalled where she had. His jaw dropped. “Oh. My. God. Is this…?!” He gently put his hands on the cloth and leaned in close. His touch brushed dust away, leaving the colours brighter. “Oh wow!! Look at them all! Do you think these were real skeletons? Or just fictional skeletons for the sake of the picture? Oh!! Look! This one’s sort of round, like Sans!” His finger traced between a shorter skeleton that was depicted petting a dog and a skeleton with a mohawk of spikes who rode on the back of a brown pony. “And this one, look at those spines! And this one has horns!” He pointed to the one in the centre of the tapestry. “How weird!!”

“Avenir had horns,” she said.

“A… Avenir? Wait. Dad told you about…?!” His eyes shimmered like stars and he squealed excitedly and scooped her up into a tight hug. “Nyeh heh heh! Oh! That’s good progress, actually. Hm.” He held her in the crook of his arm. “So do you think skeletons lived here? Or maybe just some fans of skeletons?”

“Probably skeletons,” she said. “I think that one in the middle, that could even be Avenir, maybe.”

“You really think so?!” Papyrus looked thoughtful. “Well, I mean. She was a very important skeleton, actually, so that could be right! Ooh. So. Maybe some of these might be our distant cousins.”

“Cousins?” Frisk tilted her head. “Dad said he didn’t have any brothers or sisters though.”

“Oh. Yes. Right,” he said. “Too bad! Imagine being an only child?”

“Don’t have to imagine,” Frisk said.

He snuggled her reassuringly. “But never again, though!”

Frisk was warmed to the core. Her gaze lingered on the old, woven pictures, and she looked up at her brother curiously. “So, like, you remember a bunch about skeletons, now, right?”

“What?” He looked thoroughly puzzled.

“Well, you guys seemed not to before dad got back, right?” she asked.

“HMMM.” Papyrus cupped his chin and tapped his foot. “Well. Actually. Yes?”

“And mom didn’t either. Remember? You guys had to explain your emotion magic stuff to her a couple times and she always said she didn’t know much about skeletons. But that doesn’t make sense, if she was such good friends with dad and is also super old, right?” she pushed. “You think she remembers, now?”

“HmmMMMM. So all remaining skeleton facts were erased with dad?! That’s pretty dismal,” Papyrus said. “Maybe it was just… the ones people learned from him? I don’t know, honestly. Because other facts I learned from him didn’t vanish, but then again, they weren’t actually facts about _him_, were they?” He started along the carpet towards the upcoming threshold, frowning to himself. “Ugh, I wish all this timey-wimey-woowoo stuff was more consistent, I can’t keep up sometimes.”

“Same, though,” Frisk said.

Papyrus laughed. “Nyeh heh! That makes me feel a bit better, to be honest.”

The next room was damaged, too. Battered bookshelves lined its walls, and there was another, open-centred level above them with yet more bookshelves rimming it. Intricate red carpets covered flagstones. The place smelled of warm ash, pine sap, and musty paper. A stone hearth beside a set of cushy, large pillows began to burn bright with amber fire. Despite the broken table, toppled chairs, and scattered books close to them, the place was cozy and warm.

Frisk skimmed the room curiously. “Huh,” she said, brow furrowing.

“What?” Papyrus asked. “Is something wrong?”

“Well, it’s just… I dreamt a place a while ago that looked a lot like this,” she said. “But… It for sure wasn’t this place.”

“Oh! How weird,” he said. 

He gently put Frisk back down and went to inspect a bookshelf. Some of the books, though clearly old, looked rather pristine, while others were decrepit— just tattered, ratty covers with colours fading to grey slumped awkwardly onto the shelves. As he poked about with the tomes, Frisk noticed something else. One of the shelves was split straight down the middle. She crept up to it and cautiously touched the splintered wood. Red caught in her eyes again and she saw a sudden massive wall of bones slam into the shelf. 

With a yelp, she stumbled back. Papyrus shot her a worried look.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I… I, um…” She glanced to the other side of the room. She could see parallel cracks in the stone. She gulped. “I saw more bones.”

“Oh?! Wowie, that’s interesting,” he said. He took a step back and put his hands on his hips. His eyes skimmed the room overall. “Huh. I… suppose there was a fight in here?”

“I think in the whole castle,” she said. 

“Ooh. You know! I bet! You’d be very helpful at any old ruins, don’t you think? If there was strong magic in it? That’s really neat.”

“Yeah, but I keep scaring myself by accident,” she said with a sheepish smile.

He snickered and patted her head. “You’ll be just fine, I’m sure of it. Hey! That means you’d be a great, um… What do you call it? Archeologist!”

“I guess that’s true,” she said.

He lit right up and grabbed her around the shoulders. “Imagine it! If people had a history question, you could just come right in and answer it because you can see it! That’s really amazing.”

He squatted down and ran his fingertips along the rough edges of the wood until he tapped something metal near the bottom. He ducked down and found a box pressed up near the shattered edge. Frisk leaned in curiously over his shoulder as he lifted a dented, dark metal case. 

“Oooh, mysterious,” he said. He tried to open it, but it was stuck tight. He reached into the front of his shirt and pulled out his small gadget knife and held it up. “Do you think it’ll have an un-sticker?”

“Umm… Probably? Unless that’s a box with a magic lock or something?” she said, slumping over his shoulder. “You can probably just use the knife part. Or the nail file.”

He flipped out the blade and wedged it in between the two bits of metal and, with just a tiny bit of pressure, it popped and released. With a grin, he clipped his gadget closed again and dropped it down his front. He waved Frisk in a little closer and opened up the box.

Inside rested a polished, pale wooden cube, segmented and dotted with symbols, not unlike the Rubick’s cube he had back at home. It wasn’t colourful though, and had many more rows of small blocks connected to each other. Some didn’t have a symbol on them at all.

“Is that a weird magic block or something?” Frisk asked curiously. 

“Ummm… Nyeeehhh I’m not sure, actually,” he said, lifting it up and turning it over in his hands. He twisted a row of symbols and, to their surprise, the ones he’d touched lit up with the colour of his magic. “Oh! Wowie, would you look at that?!” 

“Oh, that’s cool!” Frisk said.

He passed it back to her. She peered at it close as the symbols dyed her with a firelit glow. 

“I’ve never seen symbols like this, have you?” she asked, running her fingers over them. “Oh. Uh. Oops. You don’t think this might be like, a spell or something?”

“Oh! No no, it feels very weak, actually,” he assured her, looking back over his shoulder. “I think maybe it’s a puzzle! Maybe it opens something?”

Frisk let out a quiet _hmm_ and then stood back a little, her focus on the cube. She looked around, but it wasn’t as if some door had popped open, and nothing else was echoing Papyrus’s soul. 

“Maybe it’s just a game,” she said.

“Ooh, do you think it’d be okay if we took it home?” he asked. 

“Can’t see why not.” She took a moment to twist the little sigils into the shape of a heart on one of the faces and grinned when it lit up with red. She offered it back. “Here! You keep it.”

“Oh! Nyeh heh heh!” He held it in both hands and grinned bright. “I think I might even keep it just like this for a little while!” He dropped it down the front of his shirt, too. 

“Are your boxes full?” she asked. “I can carry that if you want.”

“Oh! Yes, but don’t worry about it,” he said. “It’s all very important stuff that I’d like to have close at hand.” He began to count it off on his fingers. “A cookbook, a plate of spaghetti, a bowl of spaghetti, some dry spaghetti, some very cool nighttime sunglasses— Anyway! I won’t bore you with that! Maybe there’s more puzzles around?”

As he crossed the room, his foot bumped on something and he stopped abruptly. He squatted down and lifted a book that had been on the floor carefully in his hands. All the text was in that old skeleton script. He flipped it open carefully. The pages were a little dusty, but intact otherwise. Frisk scooted over to look up. She noticed the door nearby that was slightly ajar, not broken like the others. There was a hand’s imprint burned into the wood. She gulped. She wasn’t sure she wanted to touch that one. She looked up at Papyrus, who was gently skimming through the book he’d found.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“An old story book,” he said brightly. “Ooh! It has a bookmark in it. I guess someone was reading this when…” He froze up. He ran his fingers over the red scrap of cloth gently. He gently closed the book. “Oh. That’s… That’s sad. I hope they’d read it before. So they knew the ending.”

“We’d read it many times.” The voice came from behind and caught them both off guard. 

Frisk spun around so fast she fell over, only to see their father at the edge of the room. He raised his hands apologetically.

“Jeez, you scared me,” Frisk said with a laugh.

“I’m sorry,” he said, coming closer. “When you two weren’t home or… anywhere… I found your journal upstairs, Frisk, and I figured maybe you’d found your way here again. I saw the fire lighting the hallways.”

“Wowie, that was a good guess, then!” Papyrus said. “Hey. Wait. But you just said…?”

“This was my childhood home.” He smiled faintly. “I guess while I was out of time I was drawn back here.”

“Is that Nimbus? Out front?” Frisk asked, wide eyed. 

He chuckled fondly and shook his head. “Her grandfather. Tekton.”

“The other statues, though—”

“It… doesn’t matter,” he said quietly.

Papyrus frowned slightly. He handed Gaster the book he’d found, careful with it despite it not showing much age. “I… I guess you can read it again, now.”

“Thank you.” He smiled warmly and held it close to his soul. “We can read it together, if you want. It is a good story. It was one of my favourites, back then.”

“So, like, did you just sprint over here, or what?” Frisk joked.

“Ah. Um.” Gaster’s face flushed. “I was just concerned.” He tented his fingers. “…Sometimes there’s wild bears out here. Or there was. Probably still is.”

Frisk snickered, but she felt a heavy sense of melancholy settling in over the tall skeleton. She reached up and held his hand in both of hers. “There was a big fight here, huh?”

“There was. They took quite a bit. Not the parts of the most value, though.”

He carefully stepped around the others and knelt down near the rug that was closest to the next doorway. He rolled the carpet up. Papyrus leaned over his shoulder curiously. His eyes fixed on the wood of the door and he levelled his finger at the handprint.

“What’s that?” he asked.

Gaster looked up. His face went blank. “Oh.” He leaned forward on his knee and gently touched his fingers against the matching ones on the wood.

The door pushed away very slightly. He sighed and sat back on the worn stone floor. Papyrus and Frisk shared a look. He dropped down and grabbed their father into a tight hug. 

Frisk sat down with them and looked at Gaster sympathetically. “Is this the first time you came back?” she asked.

“It is,” he said.

The kid flinched. She looked at her hands. She rubbed her fingers against her thumbs. “Um. Do…? Do you want to know?” She pointed at the skeletal print. “I can, um… See.”

He froze. He clenched his jaw. He reached for her hand and she held him gently. “Perhaps it would be… I’m not so sure that’s wise, but…”

Frisk got to her feet. She felt her stomach drop before she’d even touched it. 

“Wait,” Gaster said. “Wait, Frisk. I… I can’t ask you to—”

“It’s okay,” she said.

When she touched the mark, the room was orange with daylight and her hand was a taloned, skeletal one. It trembled. Her vision was cloudy and light-streaked. A jerk of her head directed her gaze onto a large man in a cloak of brown fur. She lurched upwards and put her hand across his snarling, bearded face, burning another print into him before everything went grey. A thought intruded into her mind, one in a determined voice not her own: 

“_You cannot be rid of me. I will make you see you were wrong to come here._”

Frisk toppled backwards and blinked into the bleak darkness of the other room. She couldn’t see much but a small bed back against the wall and scattered books, tossed haphazardly all around. She gulped and turned back to the others. Before she could say a word, Gaster grasped her into his arms and touched his brow against her head.

“I’m sorry. That was… That was so selfish. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay! It’s fine,” she assured him.

“What happened?” Papyrus asked worriedly.

“She cursed a guy, maybe? If that’s a thing?” Frisk said. “I… I think there were a bunch of guys. But she only focussed on one of them. And she put her hand on his face and said… Well, she didn’t really say it. But she… wanted something to stick on him, kind of. It’s hard to explain. She sorta said: _I’m gonna make you see you were wrong to come here, and you can’t get rid of me._ But, like… In a feeling. It was weird. Does, um…? Does that help?”

Gaster stared down at her, wide-eyed. A tear slipped down his face and he began to grin. He snuggled her and coughed out a laugh. His soul spiked. He let out a long, voiceless breath, and he grabbed Papyrus, too, and hugged him tight.

“Oh! Is… Is that a good thing?” Papyrus asked.

Gaster nodded emphatically.

“So…? Wait. That was…? Grandma Avenir, right? Was that a curse? Can we do curses? Is that a thing?” Papyrus asked. “I thought we just did bones and other bone-related things. Was it a bone curse? Bad calcium? I don’t think we should be doing curses…”

He held Papyrus’s skull and gently bonked his brow against his. He took Frisk’s hand and gently traced letters in her palm.

“Not a curse,” she repeated. “Then what did she mean?”

He cupped her face and smiled at her fondly, and then playfully ruffled her hair. She pointed at his chest and let her hand flare with red sparks. He nodded. 

It took a lot of focus, but she cranked his soul backwards a bit. He chuckled. 

“Thank you,” his voice was raspy and had a distorted warble in it. He got to his feet slowly and popped his shoulders. “As I said. Not a curse. She… used some of her last energy to try to impart her point of view. I have a feeling she succeeded.”

“Oh really? Why?” Papyrus asked.

“Because all that time ago, there were rumours of a human man, with a scar shaped like a hand on his face, that helped monster children.” He put his hand to his chest and was quiet for a second. Then, he smiled brightly. “Alright. Would you two be up for helping me gather a few things? There’s a lot of books here that would be fantastic to read again.”

Despite the centuries past, after the initial looting, the small castle seemed to have been left alone. Frisk and Papyrus were probably the first people there since Gaster had fled from the place. They’d come back another time, Gaster said. He’d show them the place in the daylight. Maybe even rebuild it someday. Tonight, though, they were happy enough with what they’d found, despite what had occurred there so long ago.

Papyrus took a special interest in the ancient kitchen. It had a big fireplace in the stone, shaped in an arch, hooks adorned with battered old cooking pans and metal pokers hanging above. Some empty pots were piled up at its side, and there was a hefty wooden bench near them, against the wall. Papyrus heaved open a drawer underneath it to unveil a bunch of old cooking implements. He looked over them thoughtfully, rubbing the back of his hand with his opposite thumb. 

“Did you scrape yourself?” Gaster slid in to join him and gently grabbed his hand to peer at the bones. 

Papyrus laughed. “Oh! Nyeh heh heh. No.” He drew a line over the back of his hand with a finger. “Just a habit, I guess! I had a scar there in some of the time that didn’t happen anymore. Human metal can leave pretty good gouges if you’re not careful! But! It was for a good cause.” He grinned.

“Ah, I see.” Gaster thumped him on the shoulder. “You’ve found some of our old tools, hm?”

“Ah! Yes! I’ve never seen some of these things,” he said. “Which must mean they’re very old, since I’m a master chef nowadays, you know.”

His father plucked out an an old, bent masher and brushed the benign dust off with his fingertips before setting it down gently on the table. “My mother was not a very good cook, so I spent a lot of time in here myself, before… Feel free to take anything you like.”

“Wowie, are you sure?!” Papyrus asked.

“Absolutely. And maybe we can all cook together sometime,” he said.

“YES PLEASE!” The boy’s face flushed. “I mean. Nyeh. I’d like that.” He puffed out his chest and put his hand against it. “You might even learn something from me!”

Gaster smiled fondly. “I’m sure I would.”

Frisk, meanwhile, was still in the library. She was too short to reach much, but what she could find was mostly books she couldn’t read anyway. She caught a glimpse of Gaster as he left the kitchen, and followed silently at a distance as he walked the old halls with quiet reverence. The only room he didn’t want to enter, it seemed, was behind the door marked with the hand print. 

Cautiously, she slipped inside. The fire didn’t follow here, so she concentrated hard to create a red bubble of energy in her palm to light her way. There wasn’t much, though it was clear it was a child’s room. The bed was small, and patchwork quilts were tossed askew. A chest had been opened and books tossed about. There was a window with broken glass out of sight of the door, where plants had crept inside. Somehow, there wasn’t any weather damage despite it. 

With a bit more focus and a heavy huff of breath, Frisk made her orb float alongside her. It put a strain on her head, but she’d deal with it. She carefully checked inside the chest. There was an ancient plush dog on the inside. Put aside but treated well. Not much else was to be seen though, aside from a tin with a few small, chipped coins inside and something made of folded cloth.

“Frisk?” Gaster called from another room. “Frisk? Ah… _Cá bhfuil tú_?” 

He mumbled something else in that language, but Frisk couldn’t hear it. Not that she could understand it anyway.

“Over here,” she replied. She stuck her head out of the room, her light dimming. “Sorry!”

“Oh!” Gaster hurried to her side and then looked around her into the darkness. “Were you in there? _Tá tú an-chróga_.”

“Um.” She tilted her head and smiled bashfully. Curiosity sparked in her eyes. “Hey. What language is that anyway?”

“What? Oh! I apologize. It’s my native language. _Creatlach_,” he said. “Old Skeleton, as it was colloquially called.”

“Creatlach,” she repeated, raising her brows. “Oh! Okay. Is…? Is that why your accent is so different from the others?”

“Partially,” he said. “Apart from the usual small differences, I still carry that sort of cadence as well, if that makes sense.”

“Yeah, I got it. I still got a lot to learn about monsters. I didn’t even know there were other monster languages,” she said.

“Not so many left,” he said with an apologetic tilt in his brow. “Your brothers both know it. It was inborn. Do…? Do you understand it?”

“No. Sorry,” she said.

“Would you like to learn?” His eyes brightened. “I would be happy to teach you.”

“Lemme finish learning to read English first,” she joked. “But, yeah, I think that’d be kinda cool!”

Gaster grinned. His eyes sparkled and he held her gently by the shoulder with one hand and patted her head with the other. “You are very good, _a stór_, putting up with an old bonehead like me. It would really mean a lot.” 

“Well then, that’s even more of a reason to do it,” she said with a smile.

The old skeleton smiled. He sat down on the floor with her, his cheekbones flushing. “I… I really need to thank you,” he said.

“For what?” she asked.

“Well… I… I suppose I never expected you to accept me so quickly.”

“Why?” she asked. “It’s not like you’re a stranger.”

“Even so, to have some guy just show up. Even if he is your father… I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “I really don’t have any right to expect anything from you. You’ve had to be independent for so long, I don’t feel like I have any business stepping in and trying to… Honestly, you don’t even have to call me _dad_ if you don’t want to. I’d never want to impose that onto you.”

“I want to,” she said. “What else would I call you? It’s not like you had a different name or something I got used to.”

Frisk was a little surprised by how thoroughly startled Gaster looked. “You know I love you, right?” she said with a worried frown. “You… do know that. Right?”

He froze in place. He gritted his teeth but his eyes began to glow softly. His words seemed to catch when he tried to speak and nothing came out.

“You know,” she said, tenting her fingers, “when I remembered you, I… I was so sad for you. I was so mad at myself for not remembering. Because I knew you were nice, I knew you were there for me. I knew that look you got whenever we had to start again. I wanted so much for you to be okay after all that happened. And I wanted to tell you that I remembered everything now. And I felt… I mean, totally loved you. Of course. ”

“Frisk…”

She laughed at herself. She rubbed her eye with the heel of her hand. “I was gonna invite you to live in the basement or the garage or something until we could figure out how to make people remember you! Silly, I guess, but… Well. Anyway. Then you show up and you’re okay, and… And. Even if you weren’t my dad at all. Still love you.” She shot him a grin. “So, I guess what I’m saying is that when you told me that, it’s just… I dunno. Even if you had just said, _I’m your brothers’ dad and I really like you, too, and I’m gonna stick around_, that would’ve been more perfect than I could’ve ever imagined. But this, it makes me feel like a person. I never expected to ever know where I came from. Even if it is still super weird. I’m really glad you’re here.”

Gaster sighed quietly and wrapped the kid in a gentle hug. She leaned in gratefully. After a few seconds, she started to laugh. Her fingers were tight and sure.

“Aaah, it’s so weird but so cool,” she said.

Gaster grimaced and gently bumped his head against hers. “I love you so much,” he said quietly. “I… God. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry! Jeez.” She looked up at him with a bright smile. “Love you, too.”

He went quiet, content, his soul humming gently and warming the kid, even though the sound was awkward and sharp.

“Sorry if it’s still a bit wonky,” he said. “…A lot wonky.”

“Doesn’t matter,” she assured him. “If it’s yours, it’s good. Have you heard mine?”

“Of course,” he said with a laugh. “It’s the only one I’ve heard for ten years.”

“Really? Oof,” she said. “Sorry, that must be annoying.”

“Exactly the opposite,” he said. 

\- - - 

As the moon began to dip behind clouds and the splash of rain pattered on the ancient rooftops, the skeleton family prepared to head home. They only took some books, the kitchenware, the rolled-up rug, and the tapestry off the wall.

Papyrus was full of energy now after the jog through the woods with the cool water dripping overhead, and sat up with Gaster in the living room, keeping him occupied with stories as he treated his warping soul with more opera cakes. 

Frisk, on the other hand, retreated to the bedroom with a heavy head and a lot to think about. She found that Sans had fallen asleep upright against a wall, and she grabbed a blanket and wedged herself into his lap and closed her eyes. Her mind was going too fast, though. She just kept replaying what she’d seen. She pictured what little she’d caught of Avenir and it hurt in her chest. 

Sans ruffled her hair with a weak hand, a shiver in his fingers. She was surprised he had even woken up. Their souls shifted purple. He felt a little sick, but pretty content as well. Same for her.

“See you soon?” she said quietly. “Got a bunch to show you.”

“…Sure,” he said groggily. “Hey, uh… sorry to even ask, but…”

She lit her fingers up with red and hugged onto him. Magic lights like drifting embers in crimson and purple floated from her skin and tinted the room around them. His shoulders slumped and he let out a quiet, relieved sigh.

“No, don’t, I’m glad to help,” she said.

“…Thanks, kiddo.” He was still cold, but it helped. Hoped wherever she’d been was warmer than here.


	14. DOUBLE TROUBLE

Frisk fainted on her way down the stairs in the later hours of the morning. Nobody was home and, when she came to, she rolled over and lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling, legs propped up on the steps without the will to try to stand. Her whole body felt like a bruise. 

She eventually slid away from the stairs and flipped over, though the second she was on her knees, she upchucked black liquid onto the carpet. It vanished almost instantly. She groaned and gave up on trying to stand again. She lay on her back and didn’t bother with much else until she heard her phone ringing. She couldn’t remember where she left it, but it sounded like it was on the couch.

It took a long few seconds before she’d gotten up again. She grabbed it off the arm of the sofa and answered it with a weak grunt.

“Uh. Kiddo?” Sans’s voice. “You okay?”

“No,” she said. “You?”

“Nah. Sleepwalkin’. Sorry,” he said. “I’m in the lab. Alphys’s insistin’ on givin’ me a physical.”

“Good.” She laughed and rubbed her eyes. “I fainted.”

“Oh. That’s, uh, not good.”

“Yeah, and I fell down the stairs.”

“Oh for f— Jeez, kid, can’t catch a break, huh? Or, uh, did you?”

“Nah, I’m just bruised,” she said with a laugh. “I’m okay. You hurt yourself?”

“Nah.”

“Phew!” She rubbed her forehead. “Guess you don’t happen to know where anyone is, do you?”

“Didn’t catch ‘em.” He sounded thoughtful. “Look. I’ll come home real soon and—”

Alphys interrupted him. Frisk couldn’t hear what she was saying, but he laughed.

“Okay. I’m bringin’ the Doc. Won’t be too long. Just, uh. Hang in there? Don’t do anything weird.”

“Won’t.” She flopped forward onto the couch. “Byeeee, bro. Love you.”

She let the phone drop from her hand and rested her head on her arms. She guessed maybe she’d been using that way of travelling through the tears in time and space too much too quickly. That’d make sense, right? 

The house was too quiet. She felt a heavy loneliness, even though she was sure that nobody was actually that far away. Toriel was probably at school. Maybe Gaster was, too. Papyrus was probably with Undyne. Asriel, though, she wasn’t sure. She wished Sans and Alphys wouldn’t be too long. She turned on the TV so a recording of Mettaton could keep her company. 

She dozed off, her dreams dragging her to a town where everyone she knew treated her like a stranger. When her phone rang again, she awoke, heartsick and nauseous. She struggled to pick it up and answered it with a soft sound of affirmation.

“Howdy! Frisk, is that you?” Asgore asked.

“Oh. Yeah. Hi, Asgore, how’s it going?” she asked groggily. She felt an uneasy twang inside her. “Everything okay?”

“Oh! Yes, absolutely, my child,” he said. “I just wanted to check in on you. Did I wake you?”

“Me? Oh. No. I’m okay,” she said despite yawning quietly and trying to muffle it with her hand. “So nothing’s wrong? Not with the humans or anything?”

“Oh, goodness no!” he said. “The Ambassador said it was a pleasure to meet you. She seemed quite taken with our home. I just know you have been through a lot recently. So I thought… I mean. I know it’s… just me, but I thought maybe if the King were to tell you he was on your side…?”

“I know you’re on my side,” she said with a laugh.

“Oh! Oh, good! Excellent. I’m happy to hear that,” he said. “I apologize that I have not been more active with what you’ve been going through—”

“Oh, jeez, that’s okay, you have so much to do,” she said.

“It’s true, but even so. With all this… I know it can’t have been easy at all. Have you been able to have a decent break since then?”

“Uh… Yeah. Yeah. Not bad,” she said. “I’ll be okay.”

“It must’ve been so strange, with all that and with Gaster returning. I’m sure it was overwhelming, especially all at once.”

“Eh. It’s okay. I mean. After what I been through, this is pretty easy,” she said. “And I got a dad now, so that’s good.”

Asgore chuckled warmly. “Frisk. Listen closely. I am very proud of you.”

“You are?” she asked.

“Of course I am!” he said. “Once all this nasty paperwork is done, and everything is settled— and if it’s alright with your mother— I think a nice, long family vacation is needed. For all of us. What do you think, does that sound nice?”

“Yeah. It does,” she said. Her mind flitted off to Gaster’s old castle. “I’d like that.”

“Good.” He sounded pleased. “I’ll let you go for now. Take a nap, little one! Talk to you later!”

She dropped her phone on the floor again and turned to the TV. Mettaton was on live now, reporting the news and the weather out on the surface. She should probably get up, she thought. Take care of that headache. She didn’t want to stand, though. 

She didn’t realize she’d fallen asleep again until she got gently flipped onto her back and felt a cool hand on her forehead.

“Yup, she is bruised as heck,” Sans said.

She raised her hand to wave. She opened her eyes a crack to look up into her brother’s face. “…You’ll always remember me, right?”

“You delirious?” he asked with a laugh.

“Just tell me yes, will ya?” she said.

“You already know that,” he said.

“Kay…” Her eyelids drooped closed. “Dreams are trash.”

She was wrapped in the hug of warm, scaly arms and she felt a familiar, lemon-coloured magic flicker across her skin.

“Aw, sweetie, what happened?” Alphys said gently.

Frisk snickered. “You don’t gotta worry so much.” She blinked heavily and rubbed her eyes. “Thanks, Alphys.”

“B-But…?” She looked at her, waiting on elaboration. 

“Oh. I, um. You know. Fainted on the stairs. Guess I was worn out,” she said.

“Mm, Sans mentioned.” She affectionately patted Frisk’s head. “S-So, um, how far did you go? I mean… N-Not down the stairs, obviously, but I mean, through the, um…? You know? The tear?”

“No clue. Ask dad. It was his house when he was a kid.”

“Mhm! S-Sans told me you, um, showed him in your dream?” she said. “G-God. Hah. That must be so weird. To lucid dream like that all the time. Right?”

“For sure,” she said with a laugh. 

She looked around for her brother. She noticed a sound or two from the kitchen over the songs on the TV. She hugged Alphys gratefully. “Hey, you know what’s really weird?”

“What?” she asked.

“Okay, like… So. We have a dad, right? I… have a dad,” she said. “That means, like… there was a whole family and stuff. We had a grandma and everything. I mean. That makes sense, right? But it feels so weird to me that… I mean. It’s weird. I still don’t understand how I work if I’m not made of magic, but… Ummm… Hey, Sans?”

“Yeah?” he said.

“So, like… How related are we, actually?” she said. “I mean, like… physically”

“Dunno,” he said. “Magic’s related. But then, your magic’s also related to Az’s in some weird way. And then you got that whole extra body thing goin’ on over there. Who the heck knows how that works.”

Frisk’s brow furrowed. “I am still a human, right?” she asked.

“Of course you are,” Alphys assured her. “Aw. You’re still a little c-confused, then, right?”

“I think I’ll always be confused but I feel so much better now, you don’t even know,” Frisk said with a smile. “But… Wait. Hey Sans?”

“Yeeeah?”

“If my soul is just straight up made of dad’s soul, how come he can still exist and stuff?” she said.

“Time magic? You probably reversed the heck outta him when you yanked him outta the time void hellzone,” he suggested. “You’re not just a clone or somethin’, obviously.”

“A clone,” she repeated, frowning slightly.

“She is a little like a weird s-super opposite clone, though,” Alphys said with a a laugh. “Ooh. That’s… an, um, interesting thought.”

“AU?” Frisk asked.

“W-W-Well, I mean…”

Sans scoffed. He brought Frisk a steaming mug of spiced hot chocolate and handed it off to her carefully, patting her head gently as he sat down. “Whatever you are. However this works? You’re my sister. And dad’ll always just say you’re his kid. The rest of it, does it really matter? Also, jeez, you look like a frickin’ raccoon.”

“I probably hit like four stairs on the way down, too,” she said with an embarrassed smile. She sipped her cocoa. “Thanks.”

“I know. Things are still kinda weird,” he said. “I mean. I know what it’s like. To not know. No answers. But, I had Paps so stuff didn’t matter so much. But. You…” He shot her a sympathetic smile. “Sorry. Guess it’ll always be weird.”

“It’s a super comfortable weird, though,” she said. “But, it’s still kinda confusing to think about. To be made by a monster and stuff—”

“If we wanna get technical about it, he wouldn’t have actually made you,” Sans said.

“Um, what?” Frisk asked blankly.

“Your soul made itself out of his energy and every time thing that was explodin’ through him all at once,” Sans said. “So, you’re more like… time shovin’ itself into a soul through a skeleton that was smashin’ into time. Theory goes that all that determination and time magic could only really exist inside a human, and accordin’ to the Dark Model, you gotta exist no matter what, kiddo. We know, up there, you weren’t, y’know… Exactly near anyone else, right? So, guess you kinda… formed yourself? Instead of, uh, comin’ outta an egg or whatever humans normally do.”

“Wish I picked a better spot to do that, though. ” Frisk pouted. “But that’s super weird! How does that even work?!”

“Who the heck knows, kid?” he said. “Got you. Don’t really care much about the rest.”

“Well, I guess if nobody really knows how it works, then we’re all on the same page, right?” she suggested.

“That’s a r-really good way to look at it,” Alphys said fondly. “It’s really okay to not understand, b-because, well… We don’t either. A-All we know is that we… Sans was looking for you for a l-long time. Um. I mean. We a-all were, you know? We j-just didn’t know. And e-even if you didn’t hatch from a normal human egg, that’s totally f-fine!”

“And you can headcanon it any way you like, right?” Sans said with a wink. 

Alphys blushed. She waved her hand at him and tutted as if to shoo him away before she turned her attention back on Frisk. “A-Anyway!! So h-how much did you see of your grandma, exactly? Her name was Avenir, right? What did you think?”

Frisk snickered. “Sheesh Alphys.”

“What? Oh, come on! I do r-really want to know,” she said quickly. “Gaster almost n-never talked about her. B-But he seemed happy whenever h-he let anything slip. But n-not many monsters who were around back then really wanted to talk about the Before the Mountain Ages. It’s just… i-interesting, to hear anything from that far back, d-don’t you think? Sans, aren’t you curious?”

He shrugged. She scoffed and whacked his arm.

“I only saw a little,” Frisk said. “Her voice was nice. And she had horns. And big dark eyes. Dad wasn’t with her very long, I think. But she was really good to him.”

“Sh-She was a seer, right?” Alphys asked.

“I dunno, what’s a seer?” she asked.

“S-Someone who… Well! Actually! S-Someone kinda like you,” Alphys said. “Someone who s-sees things in advance.”

“Oh. So more like Sans, then,” Frisk said. 

“See-er,” he joked.

The kid grinned. She tapped her fingertips together. “Dad said she had, um, what’d he call it? A magic split, I think. And part was red, like me. So. I guess maybe she saw stuff, too.”

“We’re a family of dumb time weirdos,” Sans said. He tapped the mug in Frisk’s hand. “Drink it, will ya?”

Frisk hurriedly tipped her cocoa into her mouth. She sighed happily. “I can show you guys the place. If you want.”

“Another day, huh?” Sans put his hand on her forehead again and shifted her bangs. “Still rough.”

“I’m w-working on it,” Alphys said with a sideways smile. “But, um… I’d l-love to see it. Let’s just g-give you a few days, okay? P-Pace yourself.”

“Oookaaay,” Frisk said.

\- - -

An hour or so later, Gaster returned on his own, the chill and damp of water about him, a buzz in his soul that sounded faintly more melodic than it had yesterday. He had brought a large batch of crabapples back with him. He’d seen Gerson, he said. Caught up for a while. Got a bulk fruit discount.

The others decided to stay mostly out of his way as he dragged box after box of books and other old stuff from the attic down into the living room. It was all from the apartment at Dandelion Plaza, Sans explained. Frisk liked seeing all the books; liked picking up the old tomes that were bigger than her head. Alphys sat on the floor, dragging out the books and stacking them, unable to help herself from checking each one.

“What’re you gonna d-do with all this, anyway?” she asked.

“Hopefully, we will be able to set up a room for it. And then I’ll have to get to organizing,” Gaster said. “I can’t imagine you kept them in any order, Sans.”

“Nope.” He folded his arms behind his head and kicked back near the wall. “Wasn’t even lookin’, to be honest. We didn’t really hang around.”

“My goodness, you got spooked,” Gaster said.

“H-He just walked out of w-work and never came back,” Alphys said with a sympathetic smile on her face.

Sans shrugged in reply. 

“You don’t work in the lab anymore?” Gaster asked.

“Nope. Not for like ten years, dude,” he said.

“He’s a sentry,” Frisk said proudly.

“Oh.” Gaster raised his brows.

The short skeleton shrugged again, though his father’s forehead bent with worry. Alphys laughed with an awkward lilt, a little sweat beading on her scales. She grabbed some books out of the boxes, fumbling with them as she tried to hold them up.

“Um! H-Hey, so h-how are you, um, going to sort all this?” she said.

“Oh! Well. There’s so many options,” Gaster said. “Sort by author. Or by subject. Or alphabetically by title. I’ll often do subject, then author within the subject, and then book title, and if there’s many first letters that are the same, I’ll go by colour in a gradient.”

Sans caught Frisk’s eye and rolled his before covering his face with his arm. She snickered. 

“I l-like to do by author, too, but then by how long ago th-they wrote the book,” Alphys said.

“Oh, that is not a bad idea.” Gaster tapped his chin. “How about—?”

Frisk never got to hear the end of the sentence. She was upstairs in the bedroom. She turned and saw Sans leaning up against the bed behind her.

“Oof. Bored me to tears,” he said. “They always get like this about filin’.”

“Really?” She scooted around to face him. “He was a librarian before all of this. Wasn’t he?”

“How’d you figure?” he asked.

“I… Uh. I’m not sure,” she said.

“Welp. You’re right.” He winked. “Once upon a time. A long time ago.”

“I liked the big book room in his old castle house,” she said. “We should do that.”

“Sure we can figure somethin’ out,” he said.

“Then I can practice reading all day,” she said.

“You could do that anyway,” he said.

“Yeah, but in a big room all full of books with a cozy fireplace and big pillow chairs and everything?” She glowed and pushed over to sit beside him. “I dunno, I think that would just be super perfect. Right?”

Sans grinned. He ruffled her hair. “Takin’ a leaf outta his book, huh?”

She snickered. Her brother looked at her fondly. His expression fell for just a second and he rubbed his eyes. Frisk tilted her head curiously. He leaned back and rested his arm across his knee. 

“It’s, uh… It’s weird,” he said. “Movin’ forward, I guess.”

“Yeah, I know, right? I mean…” She grabbed his hand in both of hers. “For you especially, I bet.”

“Hm. But. We finally get a place, right? You… Heh. You get a home. A real one,” he said. He rubbed his head, then settled, giving her a tired, knowing look. “You’re gonna like havin’ your own place for good. It’s gonna help.”

“Hope so,” she said. She scooted around and plopped herself beside him. “I… I sometimes still get that really awful feeling, y’know? Of just… Y’know, of losing it again.”

“Bet those dreams don’t help.” His eyes narrowed. “Doesn’t feel predictive, does it?”

“No. Just… guess it just knows what I hate. Whether it’s a reset or we’re all somewhere new, it’s just… when you guys don’t remember me? Or never knew me at all? That messes me up. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I kinda can’t help it. I, um… I guess I’m still kinda scared of that. Um, d-don’t tell the others?”

“No. I mean. I know. How could you not be? After all that crap.”

She shrugged sheepishly. “I mean, I know it wouldn’t happen again. Can’t, right? But when it shows me you, and you don’t… Ugh. It’s just… Worse. Y’know?”

“Don’t worry about crap like that,” he said.

“I know, I know,” she said. “S’just you’re… Dude, sorry this is the sappiest thing ever, but you’re, like… If you’re there, I know everything’ll be okay.”

“That is the sappiest thing ever,” he said. 

She shrugged again and shot him a bashful smile. “I know, I can be kinda a weirdo sometimes, huh? Sorry.”

He winked. “I’m used to it.”

A hard, sharp knuckle tapped on the door, and it creaked open slowly.

“Ah… There you two are,” Gaster said. “Is… everything okay?”

“Fine,” Sans said.

Frisk nodded. Gaster smiled, relieved, and backed up a step. The kid raised a hand up to catch his attention.

“Um! Just a sec. Can I, um, ask you something?” she said.

“Absolutely.” He was over in an instant, kneeling down. “What is it?”

“This is weird. But, uh… Do you, um…? Do you think that maybe anyone else could have been taken out of time like you were?” she asked.

He froze as still as a statue and stared at her silently. Her brother nudged her in the ribs.

“Think you broke ‘im,” he said.

“…Dad?” Frisk asked.

“What?” he said blankly. He shook his head. “I mean. Wha…? Who?”

“It’s just, my friend’s sister,” she said sheepishly. “Flora. She just came up to me and talked to me like she knew me, and then Kid, he told me I met her back when we did this big play thing with Mettaton, but I’m sure she wasn’t there.”

Gaster frowned. He tapped his teeth with his fingertips. “You’re positive?”

“It was always just him, his parents, and his sister, Daisy. She’s just a bit older than him,” Frisk said. “Flora looks a bunch older.”

Gaster opened his mouth, then closed it again. He raised one finger, then tapped his chin, the faint sound of bone on bone only interrupted by his eventual, low, contemplative hmm-ing. “Where does this girl live?”

“You’re the one that showed me their house,” Frisk joked. “In the little section of houses behind the bar. Near the river. With the really low extra doorknob thing.”

“You’re right.” He straightened up quickly and rushed out of the room. “Alphys! I have something for us to do.”

“Don’t creep them out!” Frisk called.

He thumped loudly down the stairs. “I won’t!”

“He might,” Sans said with a grin.

The door slammed shortly after. Sans chuckled quietly. He rubbed his brow.

“Well. At least that’ll give him somethin’ that’s not endless sortin’ hell.”

Frisk laughed. “Sounds kinda like he likes it, though.”

“Sure, until he loses like twelve hours to it.” He grinned. “He’s always been a bit, uh, overzealous.”

“Kinda like Paps?” Frisk asked.

“A bit. But more of a dork.” He winked. He got up and stretched his arms. “Hey, kiddo, you wanna…?” His voice caught. His vision blurred and his shoulders went stiff. Colours pulsed and scrambled, making his head ache instantly. 

“Wanna what?” she asked.

He couldn’t answer. His vision shifted. Overlaid a different room overtop of the one he saw. A faint image of Papyrus. Not his. He had fangs; a faint crack in his skull. He was sorting books.

Frisk edged into his line of sight with a worried look on her face. He wanted to tell her. He couldn’t. Couldn’t move. She grabbed his shoulder with one hand and cupped his cheek with the other. She talked to him but he couldn’t understand. His vision tried to blot her out while he did all he could to focus on her. Her voice started to fade. Fear hit him. His soul bristled as her face stopped registering. He wanted to curse. Tell her to come closer; grab her up in his arms and collapse. It was as if his bones had petrified.

Then, he saw himself. Translucent, like Papyrus. Different, like Papyrus. Pointed teeth in his grin, broken lines in his skull. And, when he turned, his eyes caught on his— the other skeleton’s expression shifted from a relaxed grin to a shocked, worried frown. He knew the sudden dark-eyed expression. The other guy saw him. Hesitantly, he came closer and Sans still couldn’t move. The universe was an oppressive weight crushing him into his own bones. Dark crept in at the corners of his vision as the other cautiously approached and extended his broken hand. The air was gone and he was fossilized. He felt like he was about to die.

He was yanked to the ground, breaking him from stone. Frisk held him, hands clinging tight as she pulled him close, as if using her small frame as a shield. The purple warmth in their souls erased the grey and black, but the layers were still pushing in. Sans grabbed her as tight as he could and buried his face against her. He wished, in a second of dazed panic, that he didn’t even have eye sockets.

“I got you. I g-got you.” She sounded certain despite the warble in her words. “Holy c-crap.”

He took a deep breath. His eyes began to water, stinging deep into his cranium. It was a strain to even vocalize. “Did…?” His voice snagged. He tried again. “Did you see it?”

“No,” she said. “I felt… I felt you… going. I don’t know.”

“It’s, uh… It’s bleedin’ real bad,” he croaked.

She kissed his head and rubbed his back as he began to rattle. “How bad?”

“He saw me.” He pressed the heel of his hand against his brow and puffed out a sigh. He laughed disbelievingly. “Oof. Sorry, kiddo, I am really frickin’ broken.”

Frisk held him tighter. “Got you.” She bit her lip and a spark of red shone in her irises. “Got you.”

\- - -

Grass felt nice. Asriel used to hate it. Hated the smell, the feel, even the look of it close up. It was different out under an open sky, somehow. Everything felt new and refreshing. He liked the soft green blades under his paws. He pretended he could wave them back and forth with a lazy gesture of his hand.

“Asriel?”

He opened his eyes. His mother leaned over into his view of the cloudy, bright blue sky and then knelt down, smiling at him fondly. 

“Were you napping, my child?”

“Nah. S’just nice out here,” he said. He sat up and stretched. “Did you need me again?”

“No, no. We’re done for now.” She put her hands on her hips and looked off into the distance with a satisfied smile on her face. “I think, this time, I will place the school just at the base. There. Near the river.” She looked down at the clipboard and notes that she brought. “Though… Not many people here to actually survey… I think this location will be much better.”

“Oh yeah? Where was it last time?” he asked.

Toriel froze. Her hand dropped, and she quickly shook her head. “Somewhere much less scenic. And I think it would be nice. To have the children able to take lunch outside near the river. Maybe even go fishing on time off. You know, children who have time to sleep in in the mornings and that are able to take breaks during the day are able to learn much better than if you push and push.”

“Makes sense,” he said. 

“Do you think I should ask Sans to teach?” she wondered. “He’d be so good at it.”

“Only if you plan on letting Frisk stick around him all day,” he said.

“True,” she said. She tapped her chin. “Maybe later, then. Another year. When Frisk is better.”

“If she gets better,” Asriel said.

“I’m sure she will,” she assured him. “It may take a long time. But that’s alright. We’ll take it as it comes, won’t we?”

Asriel couldn’t help a smile. He rubbed the back of his head. “Hey. Thanks for understanding.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well, it’s just, it’d be easy for you to not get it at all. I mean. Even if you don’t. How could you, really?” He shrugged when his mother gave him a worried look. “Inside her head’s all messed up. The stuff she’s seen, or felt or…” He clenched his fists. “What I did to her. It’s, uh, not easy sometimes.”

Toriel _tsked_ gently. She let herself down in the grass and grabbed him gently into her arms and booped his forehead with her big, soft snout. 

Asriel smiled fondly. He’d missed this. When she let him go, she gently ruffled his ears. He’d missed that, too. 

“I hope you’ve been enjoying things, at least,” she said.

“What? Me?” He laughed. “Literally anything is better than before! But. Yeah.” He smiled. “Yeah. It’s been good.”

“In spite of the nightmares, I hope,” she said.

“Like I said. Literally anything.” He folded his arms and leaned against her, tilting his head back to look at her. “…I haven’t told dad.”

“Really?” Her eyes went wide. “Why not?”

“Man, he’s… He’s just… He’s so messed up inside on his own,” Asriel muttered. “He doesn’t need that on him, too. You know him, he blames himself for everything on the planet. Even if he’s got nothin’ to do with it, and knowing he can’t fix me would tear him up so bad…”

Toriel gritted her teeth. She kissed his head. “You’ve seen it, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, of course,” he said. “You always dealt with it better.”

“How many times did you tell me?” she wondered. “How many times didn’t you?”

“Oh, god, I don’t even know,” he said with a laugh. “Sorry. I’m messed up, too, huh? I know it’s not comfortable to hear about.”

“No, it is not.” She chuckled quietly. “Oh, you poor thing. You know, Asriel, of course, your father and I aren’t exactly on the best terms, but… I think, when you’re ready, you should open up to him more. It does no good to feel like you’re hiding yourself in your own home. And his home is yours, you know that.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, I know, it’s just… I’m dumb, I dunno.”

“You’re not dumb,” she assured him. “Stubborn, yes. Dumb, absolutely not.”

“Hah!! Wonder where I got that from?” he teased, sticking his tongue out at her.

She snorted and frowned, but couldn’t help a smile sneaking across her face. She kissed his nose and he snickered and let her cuddle him a bit more. The breeze picked up, cool and refreshing. The scent of grass and fresh water was in the air.

“I’m so glad you’re back,” she said softly.

“Me too,” he said.

“You’ve grown up quite a bit since we were last together.”

“Had to, I think,” he said. “Sorry. If I could’ve come back exactly the same as I was back then—”

“No, no, honey.” She smiled. “You’re perfect.”

Asriel took a deep breath of fresh air. His eyes welled up a little and he blinked quickly. “So. Um. Hey. Is this where you guys were last time? Goin’ for the same spot?” he asked.

“Mhm.” She gestured to the rolling hills and trees around them, where the only interruption were loose dirt paths and some houses far in the distance. “We must try not to crowd the place. The nature of the surface is a little fragile, and very important. It seems to cope well with magic, though.”

“So what’re we thinkin’? Guess the plans’ll change a bit since Gaster showed up,” he said.

“Well, everything is so different now in general,” Toriel said with a fond smile. “You’re here, too.”

“Right.” He laughed. “Kinda excited to start aging again for a bit, if I’m honest.”

“Excuse me if I’m a little pleased that you’re still pick-up-able right now, though,” she said.

He snickered and nudged her gently with his elbow. “I don’t really mind.”

Toriel smiled knowingly. She turned her snout into the wind and let it buffet her long ears gently. She got to her feet and strode over towards the trees. They were mostly pines, but there was a couple maples and other broad-leafed trees dotting their land. 

“I think I would like to have a garden this time. Away from the house, of course,” she said. “And perhaps even an apiary! A small one. Frisk is not allergic to bee stings, is she?”

“No, she’s only allergic to Tems,” he said.

“Oh. Yes. Right.” She scratched her chin. “I should’ve… Ah. Never mind.” She shook her head. 

“What’s wrong?” Asriel asked.

“Oh. Nothing, my child,” she said swiftly. She held out her hand. “Shall we head home?”

He tilted his head, his brow furrowed, but he took her paw and let her pull him up. He tried to picture a house on that spot. Still, all he could really imagine was the inside of their place in Snowdin, but bigger. Wasn’t the most exciting, but he liked the thought. Except, maybe having his own bedroom would be nice this time.

He shoved his paws into the pockets of his hoodie as he and Toriel began the walk to the lift to take them back up to the plateau. The sky felt so huge above them. Even months later, Asriel still wasn’t used to it. Nice to not have to experience it from dirt-level, though.

The path up towards the mountain delved back into forest. Leafs bustled in the wind and birds called to each other in shrill, pleasant melodies and repeating patterns. The river, unseen through greenery, blurbled constantly through it all.

“Asriel?” Toriel’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “I was wondering. Did you have any thoughts for what you might do after school?”

“Take a nap?” he suggested.

“No, hun, I mean after all the classes are done,” she said with a sideways smile. “In a few years.”

“Dunno,” he said. “Kinda figured I’d help Undyne out running stuff once dad retires. That might not be for a long time, though.”

“Oh. Yes. Right. He… formally recognized her as his heir, didn’t he?” Her mouth went thin. “Does that… bother you, my child?”

“Nah, not at all,” he said. “He did that way before I came back. Undyne’ll be a good Queen. She’s kinda rough around the edges but so am I, and we all got a big family of smart people to chuck their opinions at us. I think we’ll be okay.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” She paused and cupped her hand over her mouth to hide a laugh. “Oh my.”

“What?” he said. 

“I suppose that means we may eventually have a Queen Alphys, as well.” She winked. “Won’t that be something.”

“Oh my god.” Asriel snickered. “You’re right. I don’t think she even realized yet.”

“The poor dear. Alright. You will definitely need to help them out, sweetheart,” she said. “It’s very stressful, ruling a kingdom.”

“Yeah, I know, I…” His nose twitched. He sneezed heavily, and quickly wiped his snout. There was black on his hand, but it vanished. Before he could even vocalize how weird he thought it was, his soul shook. He put his hand against it, frowning deeply. 

“What’s wrong?” Toriel asked.

“I… I’m not sure.” His energy pinged as if receiving a transmission. His head swam with music for a brief instant and he saw a flash of blue in his mind’s eye. His ears lifted. “I… Oh. Shit. We gotta get home.” He picked up the pace, but stalled when his mother put her hand on his shoulder.

“What on earth is wrong?” she asked, eyes wide.

“I’m not sure, I think…? I think it’s Sans?” he said. “Uh. Should I run ahead? What should I…?”

“Go.”

Asriel took off at a sprint towards the mountain. His mind rushed for the closest tear in time. There was one on the plateau, but was there one closer? He ground his heels into the dirt. Back in town. Near the river, where it dipped into a valley and widened out. He remembered Frisk latching to it a while back the first time Asgore had taken everyone fishing. 

He bolted from the path and ran through the trees until water opened up before him. He took a deep breath and pulled his phone from his pocket. Calling Frisk didn’t work. He couldn’t tell if the signal was bad or she just wasn’t picking up. 

He braced himself. His fur bristled. The determination in his soul churned. He sprinted along the bank, his paws scraping over rocks and through mud. When the water sped, he knew gravity was guiding it down into the valley. He broke through the tree line and skid down the slope alongside the rushing river.

The golden light was back against a small, sheer cut from the higher ground above. He ran across the slippery, wet stones and shoved his hands into the light. He closed his eyes and focussed hard. Attic.

A chill resonated through every inch of his body, down to the tip of each strand of fur. Light and pitch darkness played on the backs of his eyelids, though he didn’t dare open them. His muscles swelled. His fangs and horns itched and grew, or he imagined they did, at least. Intense vertigo rocked his head and the wind was punched from him.

He toppled with a thud onto the floor of the attic and sucked in a deep breath of air. His whole body hurt. He checked his phone with shaking fingers. He’d lost about five minutes. Whatever. He heaved himself to his feet and dropped straight down the ladder and into his mom’s room. He rubbed his rump and grumbled before shoving himself up again and pushing through the door as if he had to break out.

“Guys?!” he called. “Sans?!” He peered over the banister but he wasn’t on the couch— it was weird, though, had it always had those patches of blue? “Frisk?!”

Her voice answered from nearby. The other bedroom. He shoved his way in and his vision scrambled instantly. The colours were wrong and jerky in big, distinct squares, like broken pixels on a shattered monitor.

“What the hell?” he demanded.

“Oh no, do you see it, too?” 

Frisk sat back near the closet. Sans was with her, drooped, with the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up over his head and covering most of his face. Though an arm was around her, she looked much more like she was consoling him.

“Yeah, I see it, I… What is it?”

“I don’t think it’s real,” Frisk said. “I mean. It might be reeeeal but the room’s not actually changing, it’s just we’re… seeing weird stuff. Except Sans. He’s not allowed.”

“Fine by me,” he said quietly.

Asriel frowned. He stepped cautiously through a rug of distortion and squatted down. The skeleton wasn’t just hiding under his hood. There was some black cloth completely covering his eyes as well.

“Are you blindfolded?” he asked.

Sans bashfully rubbed the back of his head. “Ah. Yeah. Until the place stops lookin’ like sunspots took over and the weird time ghosts go. Kinda gives me a headache.”

“Don’t blame you,” he said. He put his hand against Sans’s chest and felt his soul’s upset beat through his fingers. “I felt something happen to you.”

“Heh. Sorry.” he said.

“Okay, one, shut up,” Asriel said. “And two. What the hell, for real?”

“Something’s messed up,” Frisk said. “He saw… He saw another him. A real one. That saw him, too. While he was awake.”

“Not that it was much better while I wasn’t,” Sans joked.

Asriel’s jaw dropped. His brow furrowed. He gulped and looked at Frisk, grimacing. “What do we do? How do we help?”

“I, um… I’m not sure,” she said. “Sans?”

“Can’t really see a solution,” he said.

“Pfff.” She held his face and bumped her brow on his. “You’re gonna be okay.”

He drooped, but a bit of the bristling reduced. He cuddled her up in his arms. 

Asriel sighed and plopped down beside him. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. The colours of sunspots was pretty accurate, now that he thought about it. “Hey. You guys call Gaster?”

“Yeah, didn’t get anything,” Frisk said. “He’s already trying to figure out why I’m pretty sure Kid’s sister didn’t exist like a week ago.”

“What, Daisy?” Asriel asked, raising his brows.

“No, Flora,” she said.

“Flora…?” He frowned. “Flora…”

“Do you remember her?” she asked.

“I’m… not sure? Wow, that’s weird,” Asriel muttered. He rubbed his eyes and blinked. “So. Wait. Forget that. Why are the colours only bad in here?”

“Did you not see it outside?” Frisk asked.

“Nnnooo,” he said. “Well, uh… maybe a little? I’m not sure.”

Frisk’s eyes went wide. She grabbed Sans’s hands to pull him to his feet. “Let’s try outside.”

Out of the room, however, the fractured colours and images weren’t much different. Frisk pouted.

“No good?” Sans asked.

“I guess it’s just us,” she said. “Wherever we were?”

“Great,” he said with a tired laugh.

“Think your dad’s gettin’ it, too?” Asriel asked. “Oh. Should we, um…? I mean. If we split up for a little, do you think—?”

“But Sans can’t see, I don’t want to leave him,” Frisk said.

“But maybe he could if you left him,” Asriel said. 

“Oh. Um.” Frisk looked uncomfortable. She shot Sans a worried look. “We could… try?”

“Don’t have to,” Sans said.

“Better to test it,” Asriel said.

He took Frisk and they waited outside the house. She paced, folding her arms tightly, worry all over her face. She could still see patches of the world shifting, but it didn’t seem quite as bad as before. She bit her lip. If her staying with Sans had only made him worse…? Her heart sunk.

However, it didn’t take Sans long to peek out the doorway again, though his hood was still low and his eyes were shrouded. He touched on Frisk’s soul with his magic and smiled apologetically. 

“Still bad?” she asked.

“Not as much,” he said. “But. Yeah. You?”

“Not as much,” she agreed.

“Hang on. Lemme check something.” Asriel sprinted away down the road until he disappeared behind the festive tree. Then, he ran back, towards Waterfall. When he returned, he huffed and ran his hand through the fur on his brow. “Okay. It’s not distance.”

Frisk sighed with relief and Sans seemed to perk up a little. 

“I think it’s just time,” Asriel said. “I mean. Time passing. Not… You know.”

They went back inside and Sans flopped himself onto the couch and put his arms behind his head. “Actually. Don’t hate this.”

Asriel rolled his eyes. “So. What triggered this?”

“Standin’ up too fast?” Sans grinned apologetically. “No idea.”

“And why are you getting it the worst?” he pressed.

“He always gets it the worst,” Frisk said dismally. “So… I guess we just have to wait it out?”

“Guess so,” Asriel said, ears drooping.

“Just glad you nerds aren’t seein’ what I’m seein’,” Sans said.

“Which is?” 

“Lotta people,” he said.

“And… Um… Did more of them see you?” Asriel asked.

“Don’t think so.” He shrugged.

“What’s that like?”

Sans grimaced slightly. “…Wouldn’t recommend it.” He put the heel of his hand to his brow. “Tell me when you guys stop seein’ stuff, huh?”

“Okay. Don’t fall asleep though,” Frisk said quickly. “It could make it way worse.”

“Hate that you’re right,” he said.

Frisk felt helpless. They put the TV on, but she couldn’t stop pacing. This seemed to amuse her brother, who kept track on her by his hold on her soul. It felt like hours before the colour splotches vanished, though it couldn’t have been that long. She looked at Asriel. 

“Well?” she asked.

“Uh. Maybe… okay?” he suggested. 

“Sans?” Frisk asked.

He stuck his thumb under the cloth covering his eyes and pushed it up a bit. His left iris was vibrant blue. He blinked and squinted. He sat up, pulling what was a dark, folded scarf away from his face and looked around. “Welp. Could be worse.”

“What do you see?” she asked worriedly.

“Room’s a bit off-colour in bits, but that’s a hell of a lot better,” he said.

The kids let out a collective sigh of relief. Frisk grabbed him into tight, desperate hug and smooched him between his eyes. He laughed, finally releasing her soul, and ruffled her hair gently.

“S’okay. Quit worryin’ so much,” he said.

“But it’s super freakin’ weird though, bro,” she said.

“She’s not wrong.” Asriel rested his hand on his chin. “What do we do if it happens again?”

“Still happenin’ currently.” Sans pointed at his glowing eye.

“You know what I mean,” he said.

Frisk pouted and tried to call Gaster again. It didn’t work. She tried Alphys and that didn’t seem to work either. Papyrus, Toriel, Undyne, all the same. She groaned and rolled onto the floor.

“What do I do?” she asked.

“What d’you mean?” Asriel asked, leaning down over her. 

“How do I fix this?”

“Probably can’t,” Sans said.

“No, no, there’s gotta be something, right?” she said. “It… It just started, right? So something went wrong. Something changed. That makes sense, right?”

“I, um… I guess so?” Asriel said, his brow furrowing. “What weird time things happened?”

“Um. Dad came back. But… But I don’t think that would be it.” She sat up and folded her arms. She chewed the inside of her cheek. “Oh… The… The star travel thing.”

“What?” Asriel asked.

“What else did I do different? Nothing, right?” she said shrilly. Her eyes went wide and glossy. “I-I must’ve been using it too much. Sans, I’m so sorry.”

“Uh…” He grinned sideways. “Kiddo. C’mon. Why would it be that?”

“I dunno!” Her throat tightened and her voice cracked. “What else could it be?! Nothing else really changed before it got r-real bad and… I’m so sorry, it’s probably all my fault.”

Sans got on his knees and grabbed the kid’s face in both hands. He brushed his thumbs under her eyes. “Jeez, kid. C’mon. Don’t cry on me. Even if we pretend for a sec that it is your fault. I don’t care. You know that.”

She gulped and nodded stiffly.

“Why couldn’t it be your dad coming back again?” Asriel said. “I mean. That’s the biggest thing, isn’t it?”

“It was getting worse before he got here,” Sans said. “Just, uh… not like this.”

“I’m so sorry,” Frisk said quietly.

“Kid.” Sans gave her a stern look.

She drooped and wiped her eyes. She shook her head quickly. “I’m gonna figure it out.”

“Relax,” Sans said. “I know I ain’t the only one seein’ stuff.”

“It doesn’t matter.” She made as if to get up, but her brother seized on her soul and plunked her right back into place. “Saaaans.”

“You wanna help, right?” he said. “Chill out.”

They locked eyes— a strange, steady standoff. She gritted her teeth. She leaned into him and gripped him tightly around his ribcage. He sat cross-legged and scooped her up.

“Don’t freak out on me, alright?” he said quietly.

She nodded. “I’ll t-try not to. Isn’t there anything I can do, though?”

“Well. Maybe one thing,” he said.

“What?” she asked so quickly it came out like a bark.

“Tea.”

“Tea? Tea!” She finally cracked a smile. She got up and rushed to the kitchen. “I can totally do that! Just a minute!”

When she was gone, Sans let out a quiet sigh, resting his back against the couch. Asriel slipped over and squatted beside him. 

“Seriously,” he said at a whisper.

“I’ll be fine.” His eyes looked heavy. He drummed his fingers on his leg. “Hey. Do me a favour?”

“What?”

“She’s… She’s gonna try to do somethin’ stupid,” he said. “Might work. Might not. Probably can’t stop her, but… watch her back, okay?”

“Wh…? Uh.” Asriel’s eyes narrowed. “What do you know?”

Sans shrugged and he smiled sideways. “Just know her.”

“Right.” Asriel straightened up and shot him a smirk. “For the record. I don’t believe you. Not about her. About you.”

“Hey, whatcha gonna do?” the skeleton said. He sighed heavily. “Sheesh.”

Asriel looked him up and down. He scooted a little closer, hesitated for a moment, and then grabbed him into a tight hug. The skeleton snorted.

“Kid, I’m okay,” he said. “Uh. Actually. Are you? You been a little more…”

“I know, I know, I just…” He sighed and pouted, drawing back and and shaking his head. “After everything, we… Okay, not me. But you. You deserved a rest. A longer one, before you say, _oh, I had a month_, or some crap.”

Sans laughed. He patted Asriel between his horns reassuringly. “Jeez, if you’re sayin’ that, guess you’re real serious, huh?” he said.

“Shut up, of course I am,” he said. “…You’re my brother now. Even if that’s… so weird.”

Sans caught himself grinning a bit wider. He squished the kid’s ears gently. “Yeah, guess it’s pretty w-_ear_ed.”

“Why did you…? Oh, come on!!” Asriel protested, scrunching up his snout. “You just can’t help it, can you?”

Sans’s smile widened. “Oh, no, I can totally help it.”

“I think that’s worse,” the kid said.

\- - -

It didn’t take too much longer for Toriel to arrive. She’d beaten out everyone else and instantly took Sans into her arms and squished him close, even before anyone had explained what had happened. Once they had, she flared her magic bright and held him, pulsing energy through his bones as strongly and as steadily as she could. He had to admit, it wasn’t half-bad.

Frisk, on the other hand, was a roiling ball of nerves. Phones still weren’t working to call with. She’d thought maybe it was just them, but Toriel’s hadn’t worked either. She wanted to talk to Gaster. More than almost anything. If anyone had answers, it had to be him, right? And maybe Papyrus was with him. She sure could use an amber-magic hug right about now. She had never wanted to leave her house so badly in her life.

When her mother pulled Sans aside to show him new floor plan drawings, Frisk stayed anxiously in the living room. She eyed the door. He’d try to stop her. Would probably know where she was headed, too. Maybe she could get a head start, but…? 

She was jerked from her thoughts as Asriel pulled her into his arms. 

“Hey. So. I noticed you’re schemin’,” he said.

“What? No!” Frisk said shrilly. “I’m not…”

“Yeeeeah, you super are,” he said. He touched his snout gently against her cheek. “Listen. Just relax. He’s gonna be okay.”

“I need to do something,” she said quietly. 

“What can you do?”

“I need to talk to dad,” she said. “He’ll probably be in the lab by now. Right? So—”

“But, I mean, you don’t look so good yourself.” He grinned. “That was quick.”

“Huh?” She stared at him blankly. 

He snickered and tilted his head. “He knew you’d try something. Didn’t think it’d be so soon.”

“Oh…” Frisk wasn’t even sure why she was surprised. “What if I just tell him?” 

“What?” Asriel blinked.

“What if I just go tell Sans I’m gonna find dad and just… see what he says?”

“Oh. Well… I mean. Go ahead?” he said. “I’ll come with you.”

“You don’t have to,” she said.

“Want to,” he said.

Frisk slipped upstairs to where Sans and Toriel were talking. They were in his old room. She tapped on the door and let herself in, where the two of them were sitting on the bed, surrounded by papers. Toriel smiled at her.

“Hello, hun,” she said. She gestured to the mess. “We are going to need some proper desk space for future projects, I think!”

She nodded. She caught Sans counting down on his fingers and she pointed at him. “I see that!”

He grinned. She sighed and laughed.

“What is it, my child? Did you want to tell us something?” Toriel asked.

“Um. I’m gonna go to the lab,” she said. “I wanna talk to dad about what happened and since phones are still stupid…”

“That urgent, huh?” Sans said. 

“Course it is! Jeez,” she said, eyes wide. “Are you still seeing it?”

His hesitation gave her her answer. He smiled tiredly. “Can’t talk you out of it?”

She shook her head. “I need… I need to at least see if we can think of something to help.”

He sighed. “Want a lift?”

“No, no, you stay here, don’t teleport or do anything timey that doesn’t just happen in your head, okay?” Frisk said quickly, raising her hands. “Please? Just in case?”

“Oh, my, this really spooked you, didn’t it?” Toriel asked gently. “But can it not wait until Gaster gets home? You look exhausted.”

“I can’t just do nothing,” she muttered.

“Nothin’s the easiest thing in the world,” he joked.

Frisk got closer and grabbed his hands. “I just wanna talk it out. Okay? I’m gonna go? Az is gonna come with me.”

Sans patted her head. “Hate to see you all torn up. Honestly. Chill. But, I mean, can’t stop you.”

“Right! Okay! Right.” She grabbed him and hugged him tight. “I love you so much and I’m gonna fix this and it’s gonna be fine.”

“Jeez, kiddo,” he said. “Relax, will ya?”

“Oh, sweetie, she just wants you to feel better,” Toriel said, putting a caring hand on his shoulder and smiling. “Just as we all do, honestly. You of all monsters know you should let her help.”

“Oof,” he said with a laugh. “Nothin’ too weird though, okay?”

“I’ll do my best,” she said brightly.

Frisk and Asriel left together and quickly headed into Waterfall. They checked Undyne’s house on the way, but nobody was there.

When they reached the lab, they started hearing chattering voices as soon as they opened the door. Mettaton was inside with a camera and a microphone pointed directly at Alphys. Gaster hovered around behind her, trying to make himself inconspicuous as if he’d been trapped in the shot and was afraid to move. He noticed them and bashfully twiddled his fingers to wave.

“As you know, for almost all monsters— especially myself— phones are a necessity! What are you doing to fix this?” Mettaton asked.

“W-Well! Um.” Alphys turned back to the monitor behind her. “H-Honestly, it’s just a little power fluctuation. I, um, just will need to r-reboot a few of the systems attached to the CORE and then we should be o-okay!”

“And that will solve the power failures of the lifts from New Home and the Hotland puzzles, too, correct?” he said.

“It should.” The lizard nodded and grinned nervously. “Um. Yeah! S-So, um, if you’re stuck in a section, just, um, get some lunch? And it sh-should be fixed by the time you’re done! If you, um, m-miss school and need a note, s-send me a text when this is all fixed and I’ll make sure you don’t get in trouble!”

“FANTASTIC!” Mettaton leapt in front of the camera, arm extending out to hold it exactly in place as he grinned into the lens. “Well, there you have it, beauties! Our dear Royal Scientist should have all this done in, oh, say, ten minutes?”

“M-Maybe more like a half hour or so,” Alphys squeaked. “So, um, the power might g-go out for a few minutes in—”

“A half hour! Fantastic. Try not to bore yourselves to death in the meantime, my darlings! That is the end of Mettaton’s Super Emergency Broadcast Special! You all have yourselves a wonderful day! Ta-taaaa~!”

Mettaton hit some buttons and put the camera down. Alphys slumped, but he grinned and grabbed her shoulders. 

“Great job,” he said. He whirled and grinned brightly at Frisk and then glided over like he had wheels in his feet. “HELLO my darling little Frisk! How are you doing?!” He lifted her up and squeezed her before she could answer. “I heard about that nonsense with those foreign humans, how are you holding up? They didn’t cause too much trouble, did they? I can write a political hit piece if you need!”

“No, no no, it’s fine,” she grunted as he put her down. She took a breath. “It’s good to see you. I watched your party thing on TV, it looked cool.”

“Of course it did!” He posed proudly, and then shot a smile at Asriel. “And hello to you, too, Prince Dreemurr! You were a great help on that.”

“Well, popcorn ain’t gonna pop itself,” he said.

“Exactly! And Papyrus was—! Oh, actually!” He gestured widely to Gaster, who had crept in close with a hopeful smile on his face. “Have you been introduced to Doctor Gaster yet?”

Frisk grinned. “Yeah, we mightta met a few times.”

With a big smile on his face, Gaster knelt to give her a warm, relieved hug. “I’m glad to see you.”

“Me too.” She tried not to get too weak in the knees.

“Oh, s-so, you must’ve b-been calling,” Alphys said, edging in. “Sorry, F-Frisk, it just went haywire at kind of a bad time, huh?” She looked around. “Where’s…? Is Sans not with you?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Um. Something… Um. Something didn’t go so well back home.”

That drew all the adults’ attention completely. Frisk tented her fingers. 

“Um.” She took a deep breath. “Sans saw through time. It… wasn’t good.”

“Wait what?!” Alphys said shrilly.

Gaster’s eyes went wide. He put a hand to his soul spot. “Was…? Was that what that was?”

“Did you see, too?” Asriel asked.

“No, but I…” He shook his head quickly. “How is he?”

“A little better. It was rough, though,” she said. “He almost fainted. He couldn’t look at anything for almost an hour.”

“Wait, what does that mean?” Mettaton asked. “I don’t understand what any of this is, by the way.”

Alphys groaned and pushed him off to the side so that he rolled away. “Not now. S-So. What’s happening? Why is i-it happening?”

“It’s… been getting worse, hasn’t it?” Gaster asked softly.

Frisk nodded. She grabbed his hand tightly in hers. “I… I need your help. I need to fix it. It shouldn’t be this b-bad, right? There has to be something I can do. Right?”

Gaster tapped his teeth thoughtfully. He turned to Alphys. “Fix what you can? I need to help Frisk with this.”

“R-Right. Um. Right!” She stuck her thumbs up. She grabbed Mettaton by the hand and pulled him towards her desk. She grabbed her laptop. “C-Come on. I’ll need your help.”

“What? Moi?” Mettaton put a hand to his chest, his eyes wide.

“You’re so m-much taller than me!” she said with a laugh, shoving her computer into his arms. “And most of the old controls were designed by that guy over there.” She jerked her thumb at Gaster.

“Fair enough.” 

“This doesn’t…? Is this anything to do with Sans?” Frisk asked worriedly.

“Oh! Because of the…? N-No, no, it was just m-my fiddling with it while I w-was trying to, um, r-reverse engineer s-something. A small p-part, um, overloaded,” Alphys said with an embarrassed laugh. Her cheeks flushed. “Um. Asriel, m-maybe could you come, too? I mean. In case there a d-determination flare up anywhere? Oh! Um. Unless you’re needed here?”

Asriel raised his brows. He looked at Frisk. She shrugged.

“Gonna try to not do anything stupid,” she said.

He grabbed her shoulders; stared deep into her eyes. “Don’t mess up.”

“Okay okay.” 

Asriel laughed and headed over to join Alphys and Mettaton. Alphys smiled fondly and patted him on the shoulder. 

Mettaton leaned in close to her as he followed her towards the door and whispered, “It’s okay to leave them alone, right? He’s not going to do strange experiments on her, is he?”

“PFFT! No, no,” Alphys laughed. “He’s her father.”

“Her WAITWHAT?!” He was dragged out before he could ask any more questions.

Gaster smiled bashfully despite the worry making his brow heavy. He put his hand on Frisk’s head and tutted softly. “You look so worried, _a stór_. What can we do?”

“I dunno, that’s why I came to you,” she said. “I… I’m so freaked out I don’t even want him to go to sleep like this. I don’t know what’ll happen. He keeps saying it’s fine. He won’t care unless it’s happening to me.” Her throat tightened and she grasped her hands. “I can’t let it keep getting worse. But whatever I gotta do… I dunno. I gotta go into the void, right? I must have to. Right?”

Gaster tapped his teeth. He nodded. He offered his hand and she took it readily.

“Come,” he said. “I think I know what to check, at least.”


	15. OUT WE GO INTO...

Gaster’s set-up was below the most utilized floor of the lab. He took Frisk into the elevator and urged it farther down. It was oddly nostalgic to stand there, looking up at him with that low humming sound and the rumble underfoot. 

She recognized where he was taking her as connected to the room where Alphys had first shot her with a beam of determination for her soul to absorb. Gaster had commandeered a small room shooting off of that area before the several locked doors, and had pulled in monitors and a computer from elsewhere. There was some sort of prickly metal pole bound together with tape in the corner, jabbing up into the ceiling, and some stacks of bulky drives and terminals with coloured lights blinking as if trying to communicate some mysterious message.

“Um. What is all this?” Frisk asked.

“It’s mostly an analysis room,” he said as he hurried to the computer. “It’s a wee bit scrappy, but it’ll do. I can pull data from a receiver up the CORE tower to track… Well… Almost anything.”

“You just set that up?” the kid asked, eyes wide.

“I had one before,” he said. “Everything’s been all shifted around but… They’re not exactly hard to make if you know how.”

“Okay,” Frisk said. “Oh. Did you… Uh. Find anything out about Flora?”

“Funny you should say,” he said. He pulled out his phone and offered it to her. “You know. I was thinking of sending out a read on the signal that… Oh! Take a look.” He tapped on an app on the screen with the symbol of a white heart and the letters SOULSCN on it. “Alphys is so clever, I can’t even tell you.” He grinned proudly.

The app opened up to a dark screen with a large panel and a circle taking up most of it, and a list with different coloured hearts and names beside them. A lemon yellow one was labeled “ALPHYS-TUTORIAL”, a black one with a white outline said, “WDG” and the last one was a pale, leaf green, labeled, “FLORA”. He tapped that one and it came up with the wafting, magic image of a heart of that same colour, and a waveform of a hum below it. The soul itself, though, occasionally had a strange spike, where the colour went darker. Gaster tapped on it.

“See that? That is absolutely unusual,” he said. “And if you look at mine…” He switched the panels to WDG to show that, in fact, his soul’s entire image was made of those spikes. “Bears a certain resemblance, doesn’t it?”

“So if you tracked that—”

“I could find anyone else who was affected.” He nodded. His brow furrowed and he gently held her face in his hand. He brushed his thumb under her eye. “What is…? Are you injured?”

“Hm? Oh. No.” She smiled bashfully. “Just gets like that when I’m real tired.”

Gaster frowned. He straightened up and went back to the computer. As he navigated the interface, his magic projections of hands appeared to help him operate some of the other gadgets on towers of stacked computer terminals. “So… This thing with your brother. It’s… quite serious, isn’t it? Can you explain in a little more detail?”

“Um. Well, I mean… He said he was seeing people. As if they were there. But it was himself and Papyrus, mostly, but not looking the same. And there was a Sans from… From a timeline we dreamt together. And that one, somehow, Sans was sure he saw him, too. He— the other one, I mean— tried to touch him.”

“Hm… Maybe… I could run some tests, rebalance him if I’m able to perhaps extract—”

“It’s not just that, Az and I saw it, too,” she said. “That’s why I think it’s out there.”

Gaster turned and stared. Looked liked he’d just broken a glass. “You… saw it.”

“Not as bad,” she said quickly. “It was like… patches. Like these rectangles of the wrong colour or the wrong time of day or… something. It’s hard to explain.”

Fear flashed through the skeleton’s eyes. He turned away, grimacing, and he paced the room quickly, back and forth a few times. He whirled on Frisk, bent down, and hugged her. “I’m sorry. I… I’m so sorry. So… it’s not just in his head.”

“Yeah. Pretty sure. Um.” She looked up at him with big eyes. “I kinda hate to ask, but you know it better than anyone. Maybe… Could you help me see if anything’s wrong out there?”

“Of course I can,” he said quickly. He clenched his fingers gently into the back of her hair. “I… I knew it was getting bad, but I didn’t think…”

“Yeah. It, um… It got worse real quick,” she said quietly.

He sighed and bumped his brow on hers before swiftly straightening up. He looked back at the monitor and flinched. “I think I may have an idea.”

He pulled up a moving energy diagram on the screen that Frisk didn’t understand. She edged closer and tried to read it. Something to do with CORE fluctuations and a map. After a second, she realized some dots on it matched up with where the tears in time were. She shot her father a curious look. He drummed his fingertips against the computer, and the screens began to shift far too quickly for the kid to follow. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, and one of her father’s magical hands reassuringly patted her on the head. Curiously, she grabbed the hand and held it in both hers, and looked it over. It was almost exactly like the real one, hole and all, except the colour and faint transparency. It grasped to her gently and she snuck closer to Gaster. 

“Um. So. Do you know what to do?” she asked.

He turned to her, about to speak, and froze instead. He stared at her and then couldn’t help but smile. He rubbed his face quickly; the false hands vanished into dark glitter in the air. “I think you’re right. We need to check the space between. Just… give me a moment.”

Gaster used his phone to pull out a dark blue tome and opened it on the desk. He flipped through the pages quickly, past the small amount he’d already read. He was looking for shielding; perhaps a way to protect Frisk, but he found nothing of the sort. No, the spells here were stronger and louder than what might have been a relatively simplistic spell of protection. Long-range, bombastic; experimental. Dangerous. Spells of destruction, storms; alchemy. Of lucid dreams and prophecy. Built on will and determination, only suitable, for the most part, for a boss monster or a choir of monsters. 

As Frisk leaned in to look at what she couldn’t read, Gaster frowned thoughtfully at the pages.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“A spellbook, essentially. I’ll explain everything a little later,” he said. “I was just hoping…” He shook his head. “Well, it’s good for many things, but not exactly what I would like.” He stashed it away again. “Alright. Come.”

In the main body of the lab, Frisk latched to the light to hold the world steady. Gaster held her gently and reached his hand through the star, too. His eyes went dark and his bones took an ashy tint. 

“You okay?” Frisk asked.

“…Fine.” He didn’t sound fine.

“You can wait here. Just tell me what I’m looking for,” she said.

“I can’t, I need to…” Gaster smiled and then put a hand over hers. His fingertips grazed the light, his bones shimmering with blue, and they connected with a sharp crackle of energy. “Close your eyes.”

Frisk did as he asked. A chill hit her like she plunged into water. 

When she looked again, darkness dotted with stars stretched out endlessly before her. She took a deep breath. She was alone. “Dad?” she asked. Her voice echoed to nowhere. 

Frisk frowned. She spun around. Nothing. She flipped upside down. Still nothing. She put her hand against her soul and let it glow softly. Her song resonated in the back of her head— inaudible sound that pulsed from her, somehow. She thought she heard something and flipped back up. She saw a shape cut in front of a light. She willed herself towards it.

It was Gaster. He was drifting, unconscious, goo as dark as the void around them pouring from his eyes. Frisk yelped and grabbed onto his shoulders. 

“Dad?!” she demanded. Her heart sunk. She’d messed up already. “Oh, man, c’mon, dad, don’t do this.” She cupped his face and grimaced, leaning forward and bumping her brow on his. She focussed her energy on his, though it was cold and dark and deep. “Come on. Come on come on come on…”

He gasped. She pulled back quickly, but held him tight as his eyes shot open and he looked around frantically. His irises beamed with gold and blue.

“Hey. Hey, relax, you okay?” she asked.

He fixated on her and his expression softened. The light in his sockets dimmed. With shaking arms, he hugged her gently. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t, it’s okay. Was it too much?” she said. “Should we leave?”

“I… I’m fine,” he croaked. “Let’s get started.”

He managed to straighten up a little and he wiped the blackened tears off his face. “It’s alright,” he said. “We’ve been here before. Remember?”

“Is this where I found you?” she asked.

“It is. You pass through, for just a moment, every time you move yourself.” He smiled at her fondly. “This is the place where you are the most powerful.”

“It is?” she asked, frowning. “But… You came here first. You cut it, didn’t you?”

“I can change little aspects. But to truly manipulate it. To do what we need. Only you can,” he said. “It’s in your nature.”

“Oh. R… Right,” she said. “Um. But. This all, um, kinda looks the same to me. I mean, it’s super pretty but I… I don’t know what to do. This place is huge.”

“Infinite,” he said with a nod. He drew his hand through the dark and it rippled. “Think of this place like… Water. Or. Maybe more accurately. Blood. The blood of time. Even if that sounds quite melodramatic.”

Frisk snickered. “Gross.”

“It is an accurate analogy,” Gaster said. “It was an old human method of medicine to lance swollen wounds. Gross, as you said. But, potentially effective. To relieve the pressure. That is what I did.”

“Okay,” she said. “Because… the CORE did something to it? How’d you manage that?”

“That is far too long a story,” he said apologetically. “Now, the problem we’ve seen is something external to your timeline is seeping in, right? So, if we continue along that train of thought…”

“…There’s a… A cut? Or something?” Frisk said. “And it’s leaking? But in.”

“I would expect so,” he said.

“So, um, you know what we need to do, right?” she asked.

He dipped his head in a nod. “You will need to seal the tear.”

“And… Um. Okay. How do we find it? Can your machine do that? Do you know what it looks like?”

Gaster chuckled and smiled at her fondly. “You’re asking all the right questions, Frisky. Though, I’m afraid I don’t have many answers in this case. Numbers and data can only take us so far when we haven’t observed what we’re looking for ourselves. You’ll have to rely on your soul and your senses.”

“You… sound like you’re not coming,” she said.

“I can’t,” he said apologetically. 

Frisk grimaced, but she nodded. She held his hand. “I understand. You’re still sick, huh? Yeah, you should stay back, then.”

“It’s not just that,” he admitted. “I… This will sound strange. But I don’t trust myself close to any significant tears that reach beyond your universe. You will need to be the one to protect everything. From… From me.”

“From…? Wait, what?” she asked.

His smile was forlorn. He put a hand on her head gently. “In my time outside of myself, I saw… other timelines. Other versions,” he said. “In countless universes, there are countless other versions of myself, with countless other CORES, that will inevitably rupture their own universes. One of those rupturing might have caused what we’re seeing now.”

“Oh. Jeez,” Frisk breathed. “But… won’t they need help? Like you did?”

“We can’t help them,” he said. “Not without compromising our world. While I was here, I… I saw into some of their minds. I believe you might have had a similar experience, in your dreams. With other anomalies. Right?”

She looked worried, but she nodded anyway. 

“Some of them are like me. Most of them are different, some in ways that are… dangerous. Cruel, even,” he said. “And almost all will shatter like I did. And some may break things, unintentionally or not. Maybe some already have. I… cannot risk us like that. And I don’t trust myself.”

“What d’you mean?” she said.

“I’ve always been drawn to this place. I know many of the others must be like this, too. I can’t guarantee I won’t get curious. That I won’t try pulling on it again.” He flinched. “I am afraid that the way I… The way I returned may have also contributed to this. The way I dragged myself away from timelessness attached to your soul.”

“…But I wanted you to come back, remember?” she said. 

“And you would have brought me. You did. But I clung. I fear I ripped something. And despite how sick it makes me, I keep wanting to pass through this place again. It can’t be helping. I can’t be allowed to pick at the wounds in here. Whoever else is out there can’t, either. We must… You must cauterize it.”

“C… Cauterize,” she repeated. 

He looked so worried; so sad. She gulped and she reached up to hold his hand. 

“So… So what do I do?”

“Reach out. Use your magic to close it off,” he said. “I know it sounds daunting. But I think that you are so connected to this that, once you link in, you’ll understand right away.”

Frisk sighed and laughed at herself. “So much for not doin’ anything crazy,” she said.

“We can try a different—”

“No. No. I can’t let Sans sit through just seeing other times all the time. He’s gonna go nuts,” she said. “I’ll go. I’ll try.”

The kid took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She put a hand to her soul spot and lit it up bright. Her father put his big, broken hand over hers. 

“What you’re looking for,” he said gently, “is an ebb and flow of time. Like water, moving between different levels of pressure. Do you understand?”

“Think so,” she said. When she pulsed, she felt an immediate connection all around her, like she was the centre of a spider’s web. She could hear voices, some she knew and some she didn’t. She could hear people crying, people laughing. Overwhelming noises, voices; hums. Her ears pricked to one she knew better than all others. Sans’s voice, deep in the dark, out there somewhere she couldn’t see.

She reached out, heat swelling in her fingertips. Her energy tried to tap in, and she felt little tugs in all directions; short snippets of song. Her brother’s. Of course. They would always be connected through what had happened to them, wouldn’t they? Didn’t matter what version.

Her heart felt heavy and she blew out a shaky, cold breath in the darkness. When she opened her eyes, she was alone. She saw bleak space divided by a scar of white so bright it hurt her eyes. She thought about going closer and her body did it on its own, shifting, effortless. Maybe this was the rip? At least, a place where any sort of separation had stretched and thinned. She wondered what would happen if she stuck a hand through, then thought better of it.

She drifted towards that divider. Circling it, it had no form at all from the reverse. She moved back to the front of it and squinted into the light. She laid her hand against it and felt someone reaching out for her. She gulped. Someone out there needed her help. She closed her eyes again and focussed. There was a song. That other one. The one Sans’s soul made when the world might end. It hurt her heart. Was he calling out with it?

The longer she stayed, the more she could feel his energy. But she felt something weird; unexpected. Determination. A lot of it. She grimaced and focussed all she had and put her fingertips against the grey and gently pushed until it got darker and darker, slowly quieting the noise. At the edge of pitch black, Frisk felt something familiar jab into her.

In that deepened grey, blue flickered. A very specific, familiar blue. She gently touched her palm against it. 

“Sans, I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I… I don’t know how to…” 

The blue formed a shape. A palm. Slowly, fingers made of bone and dyed that same shade of blue pushed through cautiously from out there. Her stomach dropped into sheer cold. But that had to be him. From somewhere else. Why was he there now? Because she was? 

Cautiously, she touched the boney fingers. She felt a tremor of surprise through them and she laughed in disbelief. It wasn’t a vision— there was really someone over there. She grasped him tight and traced “hi” in his palm. Though the blue hand shook, it held hers. The thumb seemed to test her skin and the shape of her palm curiously. Then, the other side of the world got blue again. And there was a knock. Like a fist tapping on frosted glass. Frisk burst out laughing. She knocked in return.

“_Can you hear me?_” That was Sans’s voice. It came in through the back of her mind, though, not her ears.

Frisk’s heart thunked hard in her chest. “Yeah. Can you hear me?”

“_Oh. God. Okay. You’re… real, then?_”

“Yeah,” she said.

“_Uh… Who are you, kid_?” he asked.

“I’m Frisk. Um. Sounds kinda weird, but I’m like the, um, anchor, anomaly thing in charge of time stuff of this side? Like, this universe thing over here.” She grinned embarrassedly. “Oof, that comes out real dumb sometimes.”

“_Pffft. No. No, that’s fine_,” he said. “_Actually. Just who I’m lookin’ for._”

“Oh?” She tilted her head. “…You do need help, huh?”

“_I don’t. I mean. I do. But not me. Does that make sense?_”

“More than you’d think,” she said. “So… So what’s the problem?”

“_Real me’s stuck in a loop. Needs a break. Really, really bad,_” he said. “_It’s… Well. If you could do anything… To be honest, I got no clue how long I been out here and this is the first gap I’ve ever seen with someone on the other side. Can you come through?_”

Frisk froze. She gulped. She looked at the space around her. “Can I…?” She took a deep breath. “Okay.”

She let the blue hand pull her through to the other side. A strange, rippling sensation passed over the kid’s body. It was like moving through a bubble. She was brought face to face with her brother’s blue-tinted twin— a perfect replica except a faint scratch in the bone on his brow. Frisk stared at him, stunned, for a moment. He looked back at her with considerably more shock, his dark eyes seeming huge in his skull.

“You’re human,” he said.

“I’m Frisk,” she joked.

He cracked a smile. “Thanks for comin’. What were you doin’ all the way out here? I mean, you’re a tiny kid. Uh…” He smiled sideways. “Unless you’re older than you look.”

“I’m eleven,” she volunteered. 

Sans laughed and grinned. “Well. Technicality, I guess.”

“What?! C’mon, how old do I look?” she asked.

“I dunno. Half that?” He patted her shoulder. “Still. Big place. Small kid. But, uh, so you’re… the one in charge of the timeline stuff?”

“Yeah,” she said quickly. “I do time travel stuff and I can’t die. S’kinda my thing. My brother sorta thinks I’m a time god? It’s sorta weird to say, and sorry if it sounds kinda full of myself, but it’s the quickest way to explain.”

“Right. Okay. Fair enough.” He tilted his head. “So, uh, whatcha doin’ out here?”

“Something’s all messed up with my brother,” she said. “We see time stuff normally but we don’t super control most of it, and then it started to happen in a really bad way, so I thought if I’d come out here to fix… something? It might help him. I thought maybe it was this rip thingy. That’s where all my magic stuff took me, anyway.”

“Oh. Alright. Makes sense,” he said. He tapped his teeth thoughtfully. “Actually. This might help you, too.”

“Oh?” Frisk tilted her head. “You know something?”

“Kinda,” he said. “Buncha things can cause these rips. But I think a big push from someone like you could close it as long as what’s makin’ it ain’t holdin’ it open. But, see what’s been wearin’ it thin on this end is, uh… Me.”

“Okay,” Frisk said. 

“See. It’s complicated,” he said apologetically. “I’m… like a fragment. A bit stuck through a save. Kinda to, uh, try to hold sanity. If that makes sense. The real me is just stuck in this real strong loop. Has been for a while. But you… If you’re really are what you say, then, maybe you got a chance of breakin’ it. I mean…” He looked bashful all of a sudden. “S’that too much? To ask a favour from a time god? I’m not sure what I could give ya, but I’ll do my best. ‘Cause, seriously, I’m sorta runnin’ low on options here.”

“Whoa, whoa whoa, you don’t gotta give me anything,” Frisk said quickly. She held out her hand. “Just, um…? Bring me to him. You. You know.”

The skeleton’s face broke into an even wider grin. His eyes lit up. “Thanks, kid. ‘Preciate it.” His soul spot began to glow and so, too, did the palm of his hand. “Hope you won’t regret it.”

“Nah.” She winked. “Helping Sanses is what I do.” She reached into that blue light and felt her stomach drop. The black around her plunged and blurred like mixing paint before her eyes until it was a radiant spectrum. Then, the world was solid.

She saw Sans, soul shining blue in that golden hallway. He had the same scratch on his forehead that the blue skeleton out in the void had. She almost rolled her eyes. Of course he was here.

His face was steady, but before she could even open her mouth, her soul turned blue, too, and he threw her to the ground. With a squeak, she scrambled up to a wave of bones rushing her. Heart pounding, she ducked and weaved and jumped, and braced for what was next. Massive, draconic skulls burst from nothing and loomed above her.

Reflex and awful memories guided her and she sprung out of the way as beams of energy accompanied by a deep, magical thrum shot out, driving her back and forth and boxing her in. She didn’t take a hit.

His expression didn’t waver, but the feeling in the air did. It crackled, and in an instant, his song burst to life. Not the normal, relaxed notes, though. The bombastic one, the one that meant he was filled with determination; the one that his soul shouted when the world was dying. Frisk gulped.

“S-Sans, hang on a second!”

He didn’t. He held her soul, pinned her with gravity, and his attacks came relentlessly. Frisk knew them. Jumped and dodged; readjusted herself when he threw her into walls. She hated it, and she was already wearing out a little. He wasn’t talking, either. No sass, no quips, no moralizing. He just seemed exhausted. She felt awful for him. All she wanted to do was hug him, tell him everything would be okay; let him know that, for now at least, he was safe.

Lost in thought for a moment, Frisk tumbled in the blue magic. She yelped and a bone slammed into her and sent her rolling across the floor. It didn’t hurt much at all, but it knocked the wind from her. She pushed herself up to her knees to take a breath, only to be toppled over again. She grunted and rolled onto her back and sat up, rubbing her head. She caught a glimpse of Sans. He looked thoroughly disturbed, but his attack had stalled. She waved awkwardly. She saw him tense, and her hand fell.

“Oh, uh. Right. Sorry,” she said bashfully. 

In a blink, he was in front of her, and he squatted down, tilting his head and giving her a quizzical frown. “Is this some kinda joke?” he asked. “Cause I ain’t laughin’.”

“Oh jeez, you must be really tired, huh?” Frisk said. “You okay? You wanna sit?”

He looked baffled. He hesitated for a moment, but then took her by the collar of her shirt and pulled her closer. “What the hell are you…?” His words stalled. He seemed taken aback by her worried look. His brow furrowed. “Wait…” He put a hand on his head. “Oh. My god. You’re… You’re not her, are you?”

“Her? Chara? No,” she said.

Sans stared for a few seconds before he dropped down onto his tailbone, put a hand on his brow and began to laugh. His song faded to nothing, leaving the hall oddly still and silent except for his exhausted chuckling. “Ah, jeez, kid,” he said. “Heh. Sorry. Seems like there’s been a bit of a mixup. Didn’t dunk you too bad, did I?”

“No, don’t worry,” she assured him. 

“You know who I am,” he said, raising his brows.

“Yeah, of course,” she said, and she smiled a little. “Sans. Captain lazy bones. Possibly the master fartmaster. Depending on the time, I guess.”

“Heh. Alright,” he said. “Sure you’re fine?”

“Yup, no worries,” she said. “Sorry to scare you.”

He raised a brow and then rubbed his tired eyes. “So. I don’t get it. Your LV is nil. How’d you know my moves so well?”

“Long story,” Frisk said. “Part of it is we— um, the Sans I know, he went through some stuff just like this. And we have the same dreams. I used to have to sit in the head of another anomaly kid without being able to control it. So…”

“Well shit,” he said with a tired laugh. “That sucks.”

“It’s a little better now,” she said. “Sorry.”

He shook his head. 

They sat in silence for a little while. He looked like he could fall asleep at any moment. Instead, he turned to her.

“Welp. Better run off back to your own timeline, huh?” he said. “This one’s crap.”

“How long have you been here?” she asked worriedly. “You look so tired.”

“Heh. What else is new?” he said. “I dunno, actually. Feels like forever.”

“Oh… I’m so sorry,” Frisk said.

He shrugged. “How’d you get here, anyway? You look a bit like that other one. Bit different, too, though. So I guess you gotta be one of these weird time kids.”

“Right. I’m Frisk. Where I’m from, I’m the anchor,” she said. “If that, um, means anything to you.”

“Oh. So you’re a good one.” He looked a little surprised. “Huh. Who’da guessed. So. It finishes. At some point. That’s good to know. Whatcha doin’ here?”

“I’m, um… Well, I was looking for a way to close my timeline. See, my Sans, from my time? He’s seeing other times while he’s awake.”

“Welp. That sucks,” he said.

“I know, right? So. I mean. We both have the time dreams, but it just got super bad super quick. And I’m the only one who could maybe help, so I went out and I… I was trying to close it. I think? It’s all, like, really abstract imagery stuff?”

“Tell me about it,” he laughed.

She smiled bashfully. She tapped her fingertips together. “But then I heard you. I mean, your song. Can’t really say no to it. And I just… I dunno. A fragment guy of you was out in the time void and he asked me to come see you. He thought I could help.”

“Pfft. Alright. Guess I’ve heard weirder.” He stretched. “Guess you know a version of me pretty well, then, huh? If you’ve seen the dreams.”

She nodded again. He looked thoughtful.

“What are you to me?” he asked. “Or. Us? Him? Other me. We pals, at least?”

“We’re family,” she said.

“Oh. Huh. Didn’t expect that,” he said. “That’s actually pretty nice. Bet that made him real happy.”

“Yeah, made me really happy, too,” she said with a smile.

“You, uh… still have Papyrus where you’re from, huh?” he said. “Keep him safe, okay?”

“For sure,” she said gently. “H-He’ll come back, you know. At a reset.”

“I know,” he said with a smile. “Still hate it.”

“Me too,” she said.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his skull. “So, you got any idea what you’re doin’ here?”

“I dunno, sounded like you needed help,” she said.

“Kiddo, we all need help,” he said with a laugh.

She looked him up and down and then sighed and gave him a hug. He froze.

“You’re so brave, dude,” she said. “I know you’re just, like, thinking you’re only doing what you have to. And maybe that’s true? I dunno, but… whatever happens out there, you’re gonna do great.”

“Heh, I dunno, kid,” he said quietly. “Can’t even explain the crap I’ve seen.”

“Don’t need to,” she assured him. “I believe in you. Even if it gets as bad as it can possibly get, just hang in there. I promise you’ll make it.”

“…Even if the world ends?” he said.

“Even if the world ends,” she said. “Just keep going. Chara can only push so far. And one day, she’ll find some kid she can’t push. Even if it’s not me, or… or it’s some other version, however that works, you’ll find an anchor. One who loves you. There’s always one. Has to be.”

“Kid…” He sighed. “Dunno. Lookin’ kinda bleak to me.”

“I know,” she said. “But you’re determined, too, huh?”

He was quiet for a few seconds. He slumped a little. He wrapped her in his arms and their energy linked. He felt old. Much older than he should. Exhausted. But, together, they were warm, and steady. Together, they shone purple.

Sans pulled back and looked at his hands. That purple energy coursed between his bones; dyed the blue in his soul, too. “Huh. That’s new.” He started to laugh and rubbed his face. He looked bone-tired but, somehow, a little relieved. “I’m not gonna remember a second of this, am I?”

“No clue,” Frisk said. “But, the smartest guy I know told me that, in all this time stuff, feelings stick, and… well, you’re kinda purple right now, maybe that’ll stick, too.”

“Heh. Fair enough.” He ruffled her hair. “Dunno why, but I think something changed. Feels kinda okay. How about you?”

She nodded. He grinned.

“Thanks, kiddo. Good luck out there.”

“You too,” she said.

“Whew. I need a nap.”

He slowly got up and turned to walk away. Frisk grinned.

“_Bone_ voyage!” she called.

He stopped dead in his tracks. Smacked himself in the forehead. “Why didn’t I think of that?” he muttered, and he turned to shoot her a smile. “I’m totally stealin’ that one.”

“Do it!” she said.

He stuck his thumb up. He looked back at her inquisitively. “You okay on your own here?”

“If I’m not, I’ll find you,” she said.

“Alright.” He vanished, but then reappeared in a heartbeat. “Hey. Sorry. Can I ask a favour?”

“Yeah,” she said.

“Can you reset for me?”

Frisk’s heart thumped heavily. She cupped a hand over her soul and, though cold sweat beaded at her brow and nerves dumped nausea through her, she frowned quizzically. “C-Can I even? This place isn’t mine,” she said quietly.

“True, but you booted the other one,” he said. “Which… Oh. Hey.” He started to grin. “Think that means you shot that psychopath out into god knows where. That’s hilarious. Anyway, I can’t pull it back. If you’re as strong as you say, shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“But I… I don’t know if I…”

“See, thing is,” he said, carefully pulling something red out of the front of his t-shirt and holding it tenderly in his hands, “I, uh, would really rather not stay here with that flower at the end of the world, y’know?” 

The kid gulped heavily. She’d do it for them, wouldn’t she? It made her sick, but she got to her feet. “If you’re the one asking me,” she said, “of course I’ll do it.”

“What? Really? Huh. Thought I’d have to be more convincin’ than that,” he said.

She shook her head. “I-If… If this place is mine, even if it’s only for a few minutes, I c-can’t leave it like this.”

Sans grinned. He dipped his head and clapped her on the shoulder. “That’s all I needed to hear, kiddo. Thanks a million.”

The world shimmered and leaked away like sand drawn through an hourglass. She tumbled into blackness and her body went numb. She couldn’t see a thing.

A hum buzzed through her soul. Her brother’s. A different stage, but the same tune. A cold, gentle, boney hand touched on her soul. She could feel his other arm across her shoulders as he supported her body.

“Aw, kiddo. Hang in there, alright? You did good,” he said quietly. “Sorry to drag you all the way out here.”

“D… Did I do it…?” she asked weakly. 

“Sure did,” he said. “Exactly what we needed.”

The centre of her gaze filled in dimly with his face, grey and foggy. She blinked. His eyes lit up and he grinned fondly.

“Hey there, sweetheart. Just gimme a sec,” he said.

“…Sweetheart?” She rubbed her head and snorted out a soft laugh. “Which Sans are you?”

“A helpful one. Hopefully.” He grinned sideways. “Sorry for the little detour. Doin’ alright? Need anything?”

“Uh… Well, I mean, I—”

“I already know why you came here.” He grinned. “You’re real brave, y’know?”

“…Was it you? Calling me?” she asked.

“Yup.”

“Are you…? I mean. This is weird, but, are you my brother?” She frowned. “Am I just super hallucinating right now?”

The grey Sans laughed. He rubbed her head gently. “It’s complicated. Don’t sweat it. And, uh, close your eyes? This is gonna get bright.”

She did as he asked. There was a flash of red that shone through her eyelids. “Oof.”

“Told ya,” he said. “Now, let’s get you right back on track. Keep ‘em closed.”

She felt the hard pads of his thumbs resting gently on each of her lids. She was a little confused, because he still held her shoulders. Did this Sans have a bunch of arms? “Um, what’re you—?”

Blue and amber light flashed and then shifted to red. She squeaked with surprise and recoiled slightly. He laughed.

“You can look now.”

She blinked, but her vision was filled with spots. It wasn’t unlike what had happened when time seemed to be leaking. She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles. “What the heck was that?”

“Okay. So. Might be a bit weird. But it’ll be good. Soon. Promise,” he assured her.

“But, like, you’ll…? He’ll be okay?” she asked.

“More than that. Hey. Think of all this kinda like a quilt, yeah? Lotta little weird pieces, but it should make sense and come together eventually. Trust me, alright?” He grinned. “You did real good.”

“Um. Thanks,” she said bashfully. “I’m glad I could help.”

“I knew you’d say that.” He ruffled her hair gently. “Sendin’ you back. Y’ever need directions, come find me. Have a good one, huh?”

“Wait, but—”

“Trust me.”

When Frisk blinked her eyes again, everything was black. Her head spun and her stomach dropped. She felt herself slip away, and a calm came over her. She was ready for a nap. Something clunked. Something else clicked. A red thread stitching a wound. Imagery she couldn’t parse.

She could hear music. Her own. It was all around her. Soft and reassuring. Why was the universe humming her song?

\- - -

The darkness was singing. Absolutely radiating with magic. An orchestra. But in this swell, Gaster couldn’t find his daughter. Her soul had slipped away from him, and horror set in. 

Shouting was no use. He’d called and called, but the sound went nowhere. He could have simply fallen to dust in his dread.

He reached out his hands and tried to feel through everything, calling out to her soul with his magic. No matter how strong his was, it was just a drop in a galaxy here. He pleaded. She wasn’t meant as some sacrificial lock. He had to pull her back.

Something pinged in the back of his skull. Little tingles of boney fingers crept at the edges of his mind, poking for a crack. He was almost sick.His hand glowed with his black, sparking energy and he held it out and closed his eyes, focussing as hard as he could on that feeling. 

“Get out, get out, get out,” he grunted. 

Everything inside him turned to ice. A low, dark sound thrummed inside his head and rattled through his bones, getting deeper and deeper until it could only be sensed as an uncomfortable, incessant sense of dread. He felt like it was going to shake him apart.

The air hit him with a shock and the world cracked like thunder into a vacuum. He whirled; squinted through the dark. Was that red that glinted back at him? Had to be. He headed for it as quickly as he was able; shifted himself towards the light until it seemed like a looming, flaming rip straight through the blackness into the sun. 

It was blinding, the colour so vibrant at its centre that it washed out white. There, though, he was sure he saw something. Some shape amongst the radiance. He took a breath. That had to be her. He reached out and it was like a torrent of wind in stagnant air. He braced himself and waded in, but it blinded him utterly. He tried to shield his face, but there was nothing he could do. He stretched his arm out and pleaded with the universe to give him his daughter back. The song in his head began to swell, but he felt himself start to drop. He gasped and grimaced. Realized he wasn’t asking the right question.

“Frisk. Please,” he said. “Come back. I was wrong, I’m sorry. Please. Come back.” The moment the words had left him, he felt something soft brush his fingertips. He couldn’t see, but he could feel a small form lost in this light. He grabbed her to him.

It was like snuffing the flame from a candle. The world around them dimmed. He saw spots and red, and the form of his little girl, but her eyes were open and blazing like fire and she was limp. He could have cried.

“Frisk. F-Frisk. _A leanbh. _Can you hear me, sweetheart?” he asked. “Oh god. I should never have brought you here. I’m so sorry.”

“D… Dad?” Her voice was soft and her fingers were weak when they clung to his shirt. 

Tears blurred his vision and he clutched her tight against his ribcage. “I have you. Are you okay? Your eyes, you’re…” He realized too late that she was barely conscious, and he cradled her gently with his hand against the back of her head. “Are you there? Can you see me?”

The corner of her mouth twitched upwards. She seemed very calm. “I see… everything,” she whispered. Her eyelids drooped and she wilted in his grip, but still the red blazed from her eye sockets. 

He felt a pang in his soul. He knew what this was. He’d thought it impossible. “Don’t worry, sweetie, I-I’m getting you out of here,” he muttered.

He raked his fingers through the void, down and then sideways. He had no idea where they’d be, but it didn’t matter. He threw himself through the tear and collapsed sideways onto cool, dark stone. 

Heaving himself up on his knees, he could see he’d ripped a hole into a tiny cave in Waterfall where all there was otherwise was a bench. He looked down at Frisk, finally able to see properly. She, however, was still oozing magic. 

Gaster couldn’t even recall using the light he’d made to jump back to the lab, but the next thing he knew, he was stumbling across smooth tile on the lower floor. He ran as fast as he could, babbling apologies to the unconscious girl. 

He knew what he needed. The rooms were different, though. He realized, with horror, that he had no idea where his things were anymore. He pawed for his phone. Couldn’t find it. Frisk had one. He took it and was relieved to find Alphys’s number in it. He called. Every second he waited felt like an hour. He begged for it to work. The click and the ambience of the receiver made him melt.

“Hey, h-hi!” Alphys answered. “Good t-timing, I was just going to t-test call.”

“My arcane-harmonic stabilizer, where is it?” Gaster said.

“Wha…? G-Gaster, what are you…?” she stammered. “Uhh… I h-had to move it, I… It’s d-downstairs in the r-room just past the, um, d-determination injector chambers. Why?”

“Thank you,” he said. He hung up to her shrill sounds of protest. 

He sprinted for the elevator and slammed his fist into the wall, his magic forcing it to drop like a rock. It slammed to a stop just before his destination and he bounded out.

Doors that were otherwise locked shot open for him, but everything was a blur until he stumbled into the room connected to the opposite side of the determination chamber. His eyes scanned it in panic, and for the first time since he’d started running, he took a deep breath. It was exactly as he’d left it.

Control panels unused for a decade lit up when he shocked them with magic and he rushed to what was essentially a repurposed dentist’s chair. He carefully placed Frisk into it, though it broke his heart to let her go. She looked so tiny.

“Oh god. God, sweetie, I’m so sorry,” he muttered, holding her face gently. “What was I thinking? What have I done to you?” He stretched out his arm and magical facsimiles of his hands hovered over the controls and rushed to boot up the stabilizer. His left eye lit with blue and showed him the screens as he hurriedly positioned the kid right in the chair.

The stabilizer was still on an arm that hung from the ceiling. He grabbed it and yanked it down to rest in front of her. It was equipped with three adjustable magic prongs that looked a bit like monstrous drills. He had never gotten around to refurbishing it to look less like a science-fiction torture device, as Sans had joked about when he was younger.

Soul buzzing, heartbroken; dizzy with worry, Gaster had to slow himself as he aligned one spike each with Frisk’s eyes and the spot where her soul glowed from her chest. Couldn’t make a mistake. He was already at the edge of never forgiving himself— that would certainly topple him. She was just barely too small for the safety restraints to keep her aligned. There was no way he was willing to let her go. He’d just have to hold her.

Despite their disuse, Alphys hadn’t altered his machines at all. It was up and running quickly. He set the dials and the tips of the prongs began to glitter with white. He turned it up, higher than he’d used on himself or on Sans when this had happened. He triple-checked the alignment and then, taking a deep breath, grasped his little girl tight and turned the machine on. The magic thrummed deep and loud, pounding into his skull as blinding lasers struck right into Frisk’s eyes and chest. He winced. Bowed his head and closed his eyes, and counted down from thirty. Time slowed to a dragging, uncomfortable crawl. The second it was up, he switched it off and shut the whole thing down.

Frisk didn’t move, but the red flaring from her eyes was gone. She looked like she was asleep.

“Frisk? Sweetheart?” he asked quietly. He didn’t really expect a reply, but even so, his heart sank when he didn’t get one. 

Gritting his teeth, he lifted her up and bent his head to listen to her. Despite everything, her hum was strong, and he could hear her heartbeat going steady. He touched her soul spot with gentle fingers, testing her energy. It wasn’t arcing or sputtering, swelling or leaking. It felt like what he expected. He let out a long, deep breath.

“Oh, Frisky, _a stór_, I’m so sorry,” he muttered. “Gaster, you absolute idiot. How could you? To your own daughter… Idiot. Idiot.”

Cradling her close, Gaster rushed back up a level. He had to remind himself he’d seen this before. It was only the precursor that had been different. He preened her hair gently.

There were still a few beds in the large, main room on the uppermost basement floors. He ran to them and, using magic hands, pulled back the blankets on the one closest to the door so that he could carefully lay the kid down on the soft mattress. The false hands vanished in sparks and he knelt down, resting his broken palm against her forehead. Her body temperature was just slightly elevated, according to his memory of what a human was supposed to feel like. He gently cupped her face, letting a weak glimmer of healing energy to pass into her. It fizzled out within seconds. He couldn’t do much more. 

He fumbled with her phone. He shivered at the thought, but as quickly as he could, he called Sans. His heart leapt when he heard the click on the other end. “Sans.” Gaster almost choked. “C-Can you come to the lab? Now? I’ve done something horrible.”

\- - -

Alphys stared at the screen of her phone, puffing her cheeks and frowning in frustration. She dialled Frisk’s number again. Why wasn’t anyone answering? And what did Gaster want with those old contraptions of his?

She tapped her foot and tried Gaster’s number. Still nothing. What was he doing? She called Papyrus and he didn’t answer either. Sans. Nope. Alphys pouted. Maybe her phone fix hadn’t worked as well as she hoped.

She sat down with her laptop on her knees against one of the CORE tower’s big, blue walls, and checked the diagnostic she’d been running. She sniffled— the sharp, high-atmosphere smell of the place sometimes made her snout itch. Everything looked normal on the screen, though. She sneezed, squeaked, and then leaned back and sighed to herself. 

She was about to try calling Undyne, but heels clunking on the metal floors gave her a start and she fumbled with the device. Yelping, she caught the thing in shaking fingers and then clutched it close to her chest. She looked off towards the sound, brows raised high.

“M-Mettaton, is that you? You didn’t have trouble with the reset switch, d-did you?” she called.

“Oh, it’s me alright,” he said. “Uhhh… No. But…” He came around the corner and into view with Asriel draped, limp, in his arms. “I had a trouble with the Prince?”

Alphys’s jaw dropped and she stammered incoherently as she slammed her laptop shut and stumbled to her feet. She ran over to meet Mettaton and reached her hands up for the boy. He dipped and gently passed Asriel over to her.

“Wh-What the h-hell h-h-happened?!” she demanded. “Is he..?!” She lowered her head to listen to his breathing— it was shallow, but regular.

“I honestly don’t have a clue, he just sort of started glowing and then he swore and fell over. I barely caught him.”

“What colour?” Alphys asked.

“Red, of course,” he said. “The same as his soul.”

Alphys bit her lip. She cupped the boy’s face. “Az? Sweetie? Are you okay? Can you h-hear me?”

“I tried that already, darling,” Mettaton said apologetically. “Should we take him to the hotel? Give him a bed?”

“I don’t… uh… B-But the lab h-has all my…” Her eyes went wide. “G-Gaster.”

“Gaster? What about Gaster?” he asked.

“Whatever h-he was doing with…” Alphys’s scales went pale. “F-Frisk. Oh.” She looked down at Asriel, eyes like full moons. “Oh g-god what did he do…?!”

“Forget that, what do we do?! Namely so that Lady Toriel does not dismember me and melt me down,” he said. “And we don’t get sent to the dungeons for attempted regicide.” 

“Uhhhh. Uhhhhhhh…” Alphys began to sweat. “O-Okay. Okay. Let’s… Let’s take him to the hotel j-just… just to g-get our bearings.”

Mettaton scooped the boy out of Alphys’s arms and gently held him over his shoulder. He tilted his head down the walkway and urged her along. 

The hotel lobby was too busy for anyone to pay them much attention. As they slipped off towards the stairs up to the second level, the crowds were forced to part by a pale someone sprinting through the lower floor and slamming out the front door.

“H-Hey, was…? That wasn’t Papyrus, w-was it?” she asked.

“Not a clue,” Mettaton said. He grabbed Alphys’s hand and pulled her along, even as she strained to look back at the confused crowd to no avail.

Bursting into his large, decorative, private suite, Mettaton gently lay Asriel down in the fresh linens and placed his head carefully on a fluffy pillow. Alphys crawled up beside him and held him, her magic sparking through his body. Mettaton paced and she tried to heal as best she could. He didn’t actually feel damaged, though. She couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.

“D-Do you think you c-can call his mom?” Alphys said. “And try F-Frisk again? Or Sans? Or a-anyone?”

“Uhhhh. Well. I mean. Yes. Yes, okay.” Mettaton backed away from her and clenched his fist, holding out his thumb and pinkie and putting them to his head as if they were a phone. He tapped his magenta boot on the floor.

Alphys bit her lip. Time dragged. It seemed like it was forever.

“Ah!! Lady Toriel!” Mettaton said loudly. “Hello. Yes. This is Mettaton. Would you mind coming down to my marvellous hotel? Doctor Alphys and I have a… Yes. Yes. No. Oh, no, it’s… Well, it’d be best for you to see for yourself! Um. Yes, alright, I will meet you in the lobby, thank you, goodbye!” He looked back at Alphys and shrugged.

“Why didn’t you say what was h-happening?” she asked shrilly.

“Because I think she can breathe fire through a receiver, mon cheri.” He tapped his metallic fingertips together and leaned over the boy. “Is it helping?”

Alphys breathed out a long, heavy sigh, and she shrugged slightly. She worriedly snuggled him and then leaned in to listen to his breath again. It seemed to have relaxed. With shaking fingers, she stroked the fur on his head. 

“A-Asriel?” she asked softly. “Can you hear me? C-Come on, sweetie.”

Time trudged like molasses. Alphys felt like she might be sick. She gently rocked the boy. Her throat caught. When he shifted, she almost jumped right out of her scales. She yelped loudly and then barked out a relieved laugh. She cuddled him and smooched his head.

“Oh thank god,” she muttered. “Asriel, are you okay?”

He grunted groggily, his voice soft and weak. Sounded a little like an affirmation, though she couldn’t be sure. Mettaton blew out a sigh and ran the back of his hand over his brow.

“Thank goodness,” he said. “Prince Dreemurr? C’mon now, darling, it’s not time to nap.”

Asriel let out some small noise that was probably a response, but he couldn’t quite rouse himself.

“L-Let’s just give him some time,” Alphys said. 


	16. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE

Too weak to heal, too scared to leave, Gaster stayed at Frisk’s side with a hollow feeling deep inside his ribcage. He wondered if a magic drip might help. Then again, it might make it worse. He didn’t know what to do.

The door down the hallway opening loudly startled him out of his stupor. He got up, expecting to greet Sans, but instead was met by Papyrus barreling right into him. His son gave him a frantic squeeze and then cast around, eyes wide. 

“Where’s Sans?! Is he here? Mom said he was coming here and…” He caught sight of the bed and oozed out a warbling, “Oh.”

He ran, eyes starting to blaze, and almost tripped over himself getting to Frisk. He carefully slipped under her and scooped her up into his lap, his magic igniting in a burst. “Oh no no no, Frisk? Friiiiisk? Little sister, come on, get up.”

Gaster gritted his teeth. “I’m sorry,” he croaked.

Papyrus jerked up. “Why? What did you do? What happened?”

Gaster opened his mouth and then withdrew in on himself. He shuddered and then hurried to join his son. He gently held his shoulder and put a hand on his skull.“Can I show you?”

“Please!” Papyrus said. 

Gaster touched on his soul, and then bonked his brow gently on the boy’s, focusing hard on what he wanted him to see. Papyrus yanked back, suddenly panting, eyes even wider. Gaster shrunk away. 

Papyrus’s jaw dropped. He looked down at Frisk and then hurriedly pulled her up and into his arms, rocking her gently back and forth. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let her go,” Gaster said quietly.

“No you should not have!” Papyrus said shrilly. “But… But. I don’t know if you could have actually… Nyeh!” He gripped his fingers tightly into her shoulders. “Oooh no this is not what I wanted to find. Not. At. All.”

“You… came here for Sans?” he asked hesitantly.

“Yes! I felt… Ugh! Undyne and I got stuck in New Home and I felt him going all wonky,” he said. “I should…! I should…”

“It’s alright. I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” Gaster said. 

Papyrus let out a loud, shrill sigh. “Can you go find him?” There was a hint of pleading in his tone. “I… I need to know he’s okay. But I can’t leave her. You understand, right?”

Gaster stalled. He grimaced. He nodded and got to his feet, but his legs were stiff under him. He didn’t have to go far, though. By the time he reached the elevator doors, they let out a pleasant chime and Sans stepped out. He already looked worried. Their eyes met and Sans put a hand to his brow, his eye flaring and his cheekbones flushing with sickly blue.

When he saw his siblings in the other room, Sans stared in stunned silence. His father reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. The short skeleton let out a deep breath and took a seat beside them.

“Brother, I’m trying my best,” Papyrus said. 

“I know.” He touched on her soul. “I knew something was wrong. When my vision cleared up so fast. I knew… I just knew.”

“Sans, I’m so sorry,” Gaster said swiftly.

Sans gestured for his brother to hand her over. Reluctantly, he did so, and the short skeleton put a finger against each of the kid’s temples and bent to rest his brow against hers. After a few seconds, he drew back, running his hand over the her head. He cracked a tired grin. 

“She’s fine.”

“She is?! She doesn’t feel fine!! Are you sure?!” Papyrus demanded.

“Yeah,” he said. “Give her a little bit.”

“Thank god.” Gaster put a hand to his face and his shoulders sagged, his eyes welling up. “I… I… I’m a horrible father. Oh my god.”

“Stop,” Sans said.

“I c-can’t believe I…! I just wanted to keep you both s-safe, I—”

“Dad. Stop,” he said again. “Listen. You listenin’ to me?”

“I am,” he said.

“Okay. Good. What happened?” he said.

“She… She wanted to test the void,” he said. “I told her she could seal it. I thought it was the only way to keep you safe. I didn’t think that this would—”

“Don’t wanna be safe at her expense,” he said. He shook his head. “Jeez, kid, that’s why I said nothin’ crazy, huh?”

“I didn’t mean for this,” Gaster said, pacing. “She… She dove straight for a rupture. Like… she was drawn to it, too. I… I can’t believe I brought her there, I never should’ve… I should’ve done more research, I should’ve done it myself, I—”

“Dad. Stop.” Sans grabbed his soul tight to force him still. “I want you to go. Upstairs. Get a coffee. Calm down. It’s gonna be fine. You stabilized her?”

“I d-did,” Gaster said, nodding quickly.

“Good.” Sans smiled. “She’s tougher than you think.”

“But—”

Sans simply pointed his finger at the door. Stiffly, Gaster nodded.

Once he was gone, Papyrus let out a long, loud sigh and grabbed Sans into a tight hug. The short skeleton snorted out a laugh and he shot him a smile.

“Jeez, Paps,” he said. “This happened to me too way back, huh? It wasn’t so scary.”

“Ugh, not that! I mean! Yes that. Thank you. But, no. You. You were… What happened?!” he demanded.

“Oh. That. Yeah, just my time vision junk got all screwed up. Kiddo was tryin’ to fix it,” he said. “Went a bit too far in a few places, huh?”

“But you’re okay,” he said.

“Sure,” he said. 

“And she’s okay?”

“Soon.”

Papyrus deflated where he sat and he rubbed his face with the palms of his hands. “Oof. She scared me. Maybe I should go get some coffee, too. If you are okay to heal her for a bit on your own? I’ll bring you some tea or one of Alphys’s terrible fizzy sugar drinks, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”

“Uh…” Sans grinned sideways. “I’m sure I’ll figure somethin’ out. You go. Chill out for a bit.”

“Nyeeeh I hate big scares like this!” Papyrus said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes?”

“Take your time,” Sans said.

As he left, Sans puffed out a sigh. He settled in beside Frisk and rested his palm against her forehead. Her skin was a little too warm. He put his hand on her chest, touching on her soul and trying to light a spark of healing. It wouldn’t come. He wasn’t entirely surprised, but it gave him a sense of heaviness in his soul nonetheless. However, he could hear her hum carrying along pleasantly. 

“Got you, kiddo,” he said quietly. “Jeez. Never listen, huh?”

He tucked her in snugly and rubbed her head. She let out a little, drowsy sigh and rolled over onto her side, curling up and snuggling into the covers. Sans couldn’t help a snicker. Relief wasn’t a strong enough word for it.

He shuffled her and her pillow over sideways and kicked back beside her. She clutched to his hand when he settled in. His eye glowed and he laughed tiredly. 

“I’m not goin’ anywhere, don’t worry,” he said.

\- - -

Frisk’s head was spinning; it was filled with music. She felt like she was falling and then stopped, suddenly in a cozy place. She felt safe and warm and she could hear a hum right up against her soul. Her brother’s. She could feel his ribs as she started to gain focus, but it was too dark to see. His pointy, cool fingers rested on her head, his skull leaning lightly on hers. It was so strange, though: she was sure he was glowing, but she couldn’t see any hint of blue in the blackness. She cautiously touched her eyelid, but nothing was blocking her sight. Her stomach dropped for a moment, but she let out a deep breath and tried to rationalize. Whatever. If it was true, she’d fix that, too. Or, maybe, if she had to give up her sight for her brother’s, that wasn’t so bad of a trade.

“Hey. Kiddo. You awake?” Sans asked groggily.

“Mhm.” Her voice cracked and it rasped weakly. “Think so.”

He chuckled. “Not sure, huh?”

She rubbed her eyes and leaned over to rest her ear against his soul. She didn’t have to listen for long. She perked up and smiled at him. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mhm! I just saw a bunch of… Uhhh…” She smiled sheepishly. “I’m really sorry. I went out into the place through the rips to try to help and—”

“I know, I know,” he said. “How you feelin’?”

“Umm… Pretty okay,” she said. “Forget that. How are you? Did it fix?”

“Mhm.”

She let out a loud _phew_ and squished him, though her arms were shaking. He chuckled and scooped her up.

“Jeez, kiddo, what am I gonna do with you?” he said quietly.

“I know, I know, I’m really sorry,” she said. “But I’m also kinda not sorry? Sorry.”

He snickered. He nudged his elbow into something and Frisk was surprised to feel someone else stir. Her eyes went wide and she jerked around as she head a soft nyeh-ing sound.

“Paps?” she asked.

“Hm?” He snorted sleepily, and then quickly let out a loud squeaking sound.

Frisk found herself whisked up into boney arms again and snuggled up against his shoulder.“Oh hi!” she said.

“Nyeh, you gave us such a spook!!” He bumped his brow gently on hers. “I’m so glad you’re okay, little sister.”

“Mhm!” She felt him glow and she knew for sure that she couldn’t see. She reached up and held his face. “I’m happy you’re here.”

He cooed and snickered. 

Frisk settled in and rubbed her eyes. She couldn’t help the furrow in her brow. “Jeez, how long was I out?”

“Just an hour or so,” Papyrus said. “Thankfully.”

“And this dude just stress-naps the whole time,” Sans said with a laugh.

“I did not! I was just…Well… Nyeh!”

“Oh! Wait! Crap, what about dad, is he okay?” Frisk’s heart thunked heavily.

“He’s a mess, but he’s fine,” Sans said.

“He didn’t get wrecked, though?” she insisted.

“Not, not at all, he was very much intact,” Papyrus said helpfully. “A bit, um, over-emotional, maybe. He was very, _bad father_ this and _how could I?_ that, and it was all very melodramatic, but he’s okay otherwise. I’m not sure why he was so worried, though, I was sure you’d be fine!”

“Hence the stress nappin’” Sans said. He was grinning, for sure.

Frisk snickered as Papyrus huffed indignantly. She reached up to find his face again and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. He melted, giggling quietly, and slumped straight down under her, a deflating bag of bones. Sans ruffled her hair and then poked her on the forehead.

“How’re the eyes doin’?” he asked.

“Ahh… Ummm… W-What d’ya mean?” she stammered.

“See anythin’ yet or nah?”

“Oh! You…” Her cheeks flushed. “You knew about that?”

“You weren’t gonna say anything?” He barked out a loud laugh. “Jeez, kid.” 

“Is it normal?” she squeaked.

“C’mere.” He grabbed her in his magic and sat her in his lap. “Lemme look at you.”

“Uh…?” She didn’t complain at all when he held her face. She felt the shimmer of his eye, somehow. “You’re glowing, right?”

“Mhm. Can’t see it though?”

“No, it’s totally black,” she said.

“Oh no, Frisk! That must’ve been scary at first,” Papyrus said sympathetically. “But not to worry! The same thing happened to Sans a long while ago and he came out fine!”

Frisk tilted her head, confused.

“Dad had to chuck you into the stabilizer,” Sans explained. “Apparently your eyes were all burnin’ out your head or somethin’? Anyway, thing’s supposed to help. Kinda messes with your vision for a little bit, but you’ll feel fine after.”

“Okay. So… the stabilizer?” She was suddenly a lot more curious than concerned. “What’s that?”

“It’s like a big dumb machine that shoots beams of magic into your head and your soul,” he said. “Redirects your magic so that it sorta knows not to do that. It’s pretty par for the course with us. Paps is the only one who never needed it. Dad even had to do it to himself. More than once.”

“Jeez, I must’ve scared the heck outta him, huh?” she said sheepishly.

“Well, that’s what he gets for shootin’ you into space,” he said with a laugh. “Don’t worry. Everything’s fine.”

Frisk looked around. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. Everything was so black she might as well not even have them open.

“Dark day for us, huh?” she joked.

“Pffffft. Yeah. Guess so.” He grinned sideway. “But, jeez, what the hell were you thinkin?”

“Sorry. I know. I thought that, too,” she said, drooping. “I didn’t mean to lie. I just… I wanted to see if I could find the problem and then I just kinda maybe found it. Wanna know a really weird thing?”

“I do!” Papyrus said.

“I saw, like, three different Sanses out there,” she said.

“Well that’s surreal,” Sans said with a laugh.

“What?! What do you…? Nyeh! That’s too weird! I don’t understand,” Papyrus said quickly.

“I think there’s, like, a ton of worlds with their own sets of timelines and stuff out there,” Frisk said. “Like… Um. I dunno why, but I wanna say bubbles? Does that make sense?”

“Okay, so. Wait. What?” Papyrus insisted.

“I saw two that were the same guy. One was blue and was, like… I guess a part of him he’d left in a save to try to go out and get help.” She grabbed Sans’s hand. “And then the other was normal. Kinda. He was a lot like you. But I don’t think he’d ever found an anchor. He was stuck in the hallway. For a really really long time.”

“Rough,” Sans said.

“Yeah. But. I think I gave him something that went purple, it might help,” she said hopefully.

“Ooh! That sounds helpful,” Papyrus agreed. “This is so weird, though! What about number three?”

“He was grey.” She smiled sideways. “He seemed kinda goofy. He called me _sweetheart_.”

“Pffft,” Sans scoffed.

“He was nice. Think he was helping with… something. He seemed… I dunno. It’s kinda hard to explain. I passed out a little after that, I think, though. Sorry. Can’t really tell much more. But it fixed your eyes, right? So I’m okay with it.”

“That’s some weird shit,” Sans said.

“Sans!” Papyrus cawed. “Well, we are just really glad that everything worked out.”

Frisk snickered. She stretched “Is dad here?”

“Nah. He was freakin’ out; I sent him to get drinks,” he said. 

“It has been a while, though, he should be back. Somewhere,” Papyrus said.

“Okay, good.” Frisk groped around the bed and tried to find the edge. “Someone come with me?”

She squeaked when Papyrus lifted her under her arms and put her on the floor. She reached out for the edge of the bed and held herself up. She blinked, snickered, and rubbed her eyes. “Aaah, it’s weird,” she said. She looked back and pointed at her face. “Do they look weird?”

“Nah,” he said.

“But my eyes were burning like right outta my head?” she asked.

“That’s what I was told. Didn’t, uh, see it myself, though. Sounds pretty _ablazing_ though.”

“Sans!!” Papyrus scolded.

“Pffff.” Frisk leaned back and grinned. “That was awful.”

“Thanks,” Sans said.

“And they weren’t burning burning like with fire, it was magic flaring!” Papyrus protested. “Skeletons do that all the time! Um. Okay, well not all the time.”

“It’s fine,” Frisk said. “Someone gimme a hand?”

“I will!” Papyrus said. “Aaah! Sans, don’t. Even. Think about it!!” 

“What?” he said with a laugh.

Frisk could guess, especially as Papyrus squawked and she heard the clicking of bones. 

There wasn’t much point in staying downstairs for any longer, as far as they could tell. Though she clung a little more tightly than usual to Papyrus, Frisk was happy to make their way to the top level. She hoped to find Gaster and then head home. She was pretty confident she could navigate their house, but she was also sure the lab would be a permanent tripping hazard if they stayed there for very long.

When they reached the ground floor, however, Frisk was surprised to hear voices more than just their father. That was Alphys, too. And Toriel. And was that Mettaton?

Before she could say a word, she was grabbed and pulled forward out of the elevator and against a fuzzy body not much bigger than her own. She laughed tiredly. “Hey, Az,” she said.

“I was just about to come see you.” Asriel’s voice warbled. “You okay?” He turned his attention Sans. “She okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said.

“Oh, is that…?!” Toriel joined them now, kneeling and yanking both kids into a hug. “Thank goodness.”

“Hey, Gaster, you hear that?!” Undyne called from somewhere. “She’s up!”

“O-Ooh! That’s great! F-Frisk, let me make you some tea,” Alphys said. “You must be tired.”

“Y-Yeah, I guess,” she said.

She was whisked away from her brothers and deposited somewhere—looking like she’d been chucked onto a treacherous floor puzzle— where she stood stiffly and almost jumped out of her skin when Undyne ruffled her hair.

“Kid, you’re nuts,” she said.

“Yeah kinda,” she said.

“Were you doing strange weird time shenanigans again, darling?” Mettaton asked, gliding up to her. “I thought most of that was over, _n’est pas_?”

“It was, um, kinda an emergency,” she said bashfully. “I think it’s all okay now!” 

“Aw, wonderful!” Mettaton said. “Honey, uh…? Are you alright?”

“Sure, why?” she asked.

“Well, it’s just that you’re just sort of staring off,” he said.

“Oh! That’s because she can’t see,” Papyrus stated.

Frisk blushed and folded her arms up close to her chest. 

“What?!” Toriel barked.

“Ooooh…” Alphys said, as if suddenly understanding. She flicked on a kettle on a hotplate and it bubbled to life. “A-Actually, that does make sense if—”

“Ah, c’mere, kid!” Undyne’s big hands wrapped around hers. “You poor little dork! No wonder you look all lost and crap.”

“Will she be okay?!” Toriel cupped Frisk’s cheek gently. “Oh, sweetie.”

“Just needs a few hours, it’ll clear up,” Sans said.

Toriel gently touched her snout to Frisk’s brow. “Thank goodness. Do you need anything?”

“I dunno, not really,” she said.

“This is from what Gaster did?” she pressed.

“Mom, she’ll be okay!” Asriel said with a laugh. He shouldered between her and Undyne and grabbed Frisk. “Here, hang onto me. I’ll make sure you don’t trip, promise.”

“Thanks,” she said. “Um. Hey, is, um…? Is dad here?”

“Well of course he…! Ummmm…” Papyrus sounded suspicious, and he bustled all around the room quickly. “That’s weird, I thought I saw him.”

“Huh? D-Did he leave?” Alphys asked. “I c-could have sworn he was…?”

Frisk felt something in the air bristle. Sans’s energy. Took her a second to realize he must’ve teleported. She smiled, even though her heart held a little ache of worry for her dad. “I’m sure Sans’ll find him.”

“What? But Sans is…? Aah!! He’s gone, too!” Papyrus said shrilly. “How’d you know that?” 

She shrugged and smiled. “Felt it.”

“That’s impressive,” Toriel said, surprise clear in her voice.

“You can do that?” Mettaton asked.

“Okay, okay, enough questions,” Asriel said with a laugh. “Jeez, just look at ‘er, she’s gonna fall over. C’mon, Frisk, let’s sit.”

“R-Right. Right. Yeah.” She let herself get guided to a squishy, spinning office chair. Something didn’t feel quite right, though.

\- - -

Sans didn’t have to go far to find his father. He was just outside the lab, back to the wall, eyes sparking and flickering brightly, hands clasped tightly over his mouth. Sans raised his brows.

“What d’you think you’re doin’?” he said.

Gaster shook his head.

“You need to get back in there,” Sans said.

The tall skeleton’s shoulders slumped. He shuddered, but he nodded. Sans tilted his head slightly. There was steam coming off his father’s face. He sighed and grinned sideways.

“Jeez, dude. You’re gonna boil your bones at this rate.”

Gaster coughed silently and managed a smile. He brushed his thumb under each eye. He took some deep breaths and a rasp of his voice returned. “I-I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say sorry to me, it’s the kid you gotta talk to,” Sans said, frowning slightly.

“…I am an absolute fool,” he muttered. “What I did, I… I should have been more careful. So much more. She… deserves better than— ”

“No offence but, uh, this ain’t really the time,” Sans said. “Kid’s in there. Can’t see a thing. Hasn’t heard from you since she went off in there, right? Think she might kinda need her dad?”

“Need me?” He gripped his own arms tightly, his voice choking up. “I have done nothing but cause problems since I arrived! I—”

“Don’t you dare,” Sans said. He grabbed Gaster’s arm. “Listen, you can’t just—” His vision greyed out. His head felt heavy and he almost swooned. 

He blinked and his father was holding him up, wide-eyed, burning with blue and gold.

“Are you alright?!” he demanded.

“Heh. Jeez.” Sans rubbed his eye socket with his palm and managed to get his feet back under him. “Heat must be gettin’ to me.”

“Sans,” said said. “Come on. What can I do to help?”

“See Frisk?” he suggested. “Seriously. Why you holdin’ back? And don’t say guilt or I’m gonna whack ya.”

“…Should I lie instead?” he said sheepishly.

“Oh my god.” He rubbed his temples. “You’re worse than me, you know that?”

“Of course I am,” he said.

“That’s not what I…” Sans sighed. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder and towards the door to the lab. “So?”

Gaster looked between him and the door. He gulped. “I… I will. I will. I… I know! I have an idea.” He headed away from the lab quickly, and then turned on his heel to look at his incredulous son. “Ten minutes. I promise. I will be back.”

He took off at a jog. Sans sighed and went back inside. Everyone was sitting around the kid, who was cozied up with Asriel. They paid rapt attention as she told the story of what she had found out in the time void. The imagery she painted was starkly unfamiliar to all but Asriel. So, there was a lot of explaining to do. It wasn’t that Sans wanted to tap out, but he was suddenly feeling lethargic and heavy. He folded his arms and supported the wall.

He roused only when he felt his sleeve being tugged. He opened one eye to see Frisk smiling at him. The iris in her left eye was softly shining red. The lab was quiet, except for the faint squeaking noise of Alphys’s chair spinning around slowly. Sans put his hand on her head.

“Found your way over okay,” he said.

“Yeah, I only tripped one time,” she said with a proud grin. 

He cocked his head to the side and held her cheek. She snickered bashfully. 

“You notice this?” he asked.

“I’m not really in a noticing kinda state,” she joked. “Why, what is it?”

Sans tilted his head and he looked over at Asriel, who seemed nonplussed. He hadn’t seen it, then. Could the left eye be a coincidence, or…?

He reached into his pocket and stashed a scrap of paper in one hand. He held both fists out to the puzzled kid.

“Pick a hand,” he said.

“What?” she asked. “I don’t… uhh…”

Sans began to open the hand holding the paper, and the kid instantly perked. She grasped his fist in hers, and then grinned proudly.

“Gotcha!” she said. “Oh, that’s weird. Wait, I—”

“Try again.” This time, he backed up and held both hands over her head.

“What the heck you doin’?” Asriel called as the chair he sat in spun around to face them.

“Hang on.” Sans began to open his hand.

With a lot more curiosity on her face, Frisk reached up and grabbed his hand again without a second of hesitation. She tilted her head. “Why do I…?”

“Well, would you look at that.” Sans grinned and stashed his trash away in his pocket. “No offence, kiddo.”

“…Am I doing a blue glow?” Her eyes went wide. “Can’t be right?! I lost it, right?!”

“Your left eye is red,” Sans said.

Frisk put her hands to her cheeks. “What?! No way! So, is this…?”

“Guess at least part of it sunk into ya,” he said proudly. “Nice.”

“Wait, okay, what’s happening?” Asriel asked.

She grinned and whirled, pointing at her eye. The kid sat up a little more in his seat.

“Okaaay… That’s weird.” He squinted. “That’s a thing. Is it helpful?”

“Um! I think so?” She turned to head back towards him and almost instantly tripped over a spare box. 

Sans caught her before she hit the ground and she laughed and stuck a finger into the air.

“Okay, um, overconfidence. Bad,” she said as he set her back on her feet. “It’s just weird, I felt like maybe I could—”

“If it was movin’ you’d be okay, I figure,” Sans said.

“Explain,” Asriel whined.

“She’s using a predictive sense,” Sans said. “So if it were movin’…” He gestured as if summoning the conclusion from somewhere.

“Oooooh. Okay,” Asriel said. “Like you?”

“Basically,” he said.

“Aaaah, that’s so exciting, though!” Frisk smiled brightly and grabbed him into a tight hug. “Saaaans!! I thought I lost it forever!”

“Not like you need it,” he said.

She pulled back bashfully. “I mean, yeah, it’s fine without it, but…” She tented her fingers and her cheeks flushed. “I dunno, just kinda makes me feel better.”

“You guys are such dorks,” Asriel said. “Of course she doesn’t need it, bonehead, it just makes her feel like you’re helping her.”

Sans looked down at his sister with surprise. “Aw, c’mon, kid. Really?”

She smiled sideways. “Well… Yeah?”

“You guys are hilarious,” Asriel teased. “So is it gonna be doin’ that until you can see again?”

“No clue,” Frisk said. “…Can you explain it to mom and everyone for me if they ask?”

“Uuugghhh, do I have to?” he whined.

“Speakin’ of,” Sans said. “Where is everyone?”

“This girl is so sneaky,” Asriel said. He had a big, sly grin on his face. “She just kinda slips in, how,_ oh, wouldn’t it be nice to all hang out for dinner or something_ and everyone just goes ballistic to go shopping and everything.”

She tapped her fingertips together and smiled shyly. “Um. Well. I mean. I do think it’ll be nice, though. It’s just… It was getting kinda loud, and… I dunno.” She snuck in a little closer to grab Sans’s hand again. “But we could have a thing. Get Asgore. Hang out with dad. If he ever shows up.”

Sans sighed. He held the kid and patted her hair. “Said he was grabbin’ somethin’. He’ll show.”

Frisk pouted. She nodded anyway. “I should be normal soon, though, right?”

“Overnight, maybe,” he said. “You’ll be fine.”

“Phew!” Her face suddenly fell. “Oh. Right. Um. This is probably important? Az passed out, too. At the same time as me.”

“Hm?” Sans shot a look back at the goat boy. “You alright?”

“Been worse,” he said. “I’d say it was a weird coincidence, but I kinda don’t think coincidences between Frisk and me are a thing, so…”

“Fair enough.” His brow furrowed and he folded his arms. He smiled slyly and nudged the kid gently with his elbow. “Maybe that’ll be enough of a deterrent, huh?”

“Aaah, stop stop, I said I was sorry,” she whined. Her cheeked flushed. “I… I know. I goofed up. I’m sorry. Are you mad?”

“Pfffft, course not.” He grasped her soul carefully in the blue of his magic. “Helpful or nah?”

“Umm…” She squinted and then looked up at him. “Yeah, actually.”

“Then I gotcha.” 

He mussed up her hair and cast a glance around. The lab was a cold metal mess at the moment— not a lot of seats or cozy places to hang out, just a lot of fold-out chairs and scraps of junk brought up from the lower levels of the building. Some of Undyne’s dumbbells, too. 

He gently tossed Frisk back to Asriel and plopped himself on one of the packed up moving boxes. He watched the kids sleepily hold each other and relief lifted him a little. Whatever the two were to each other since the soul creation, it was times like this when it was clear how helpful it was for them. He put his elbow on on his knee and rested his chin on his fist.

The banging of the metal door at the other end of the lab announced the return of a huffing, steaming skeleton, arms heavily laden with brown paper bags. Sans raised his brows.

“Hi dad,” Frisk said.

“Sorry! I’m sorry, I’m very sorry, I did not intend to take so long.” He dropped everything in a heap onto one of the desks and then struggled to straighten them out before anything tipped over. “The bar was busy and it was a very large order. And, uh, I believe I dropped a bag out in the, um, void of time, so if any of you find a burger out there, it should theoretically still warm, umm… Ah.” He surveyed the room. “Where did everyone go?”

“Picking up food,” Asriel said with a laugh. 

“Oh.” Gaster grinned sideways. 

He hurriedly began to unpack a bag before he abruptly reconsidered. He jerked away and bolted for Frisk. He pulled her from her seat and hugged her gently. She snickered and put her arms around his shoulders. His soul spiked and warbled an awful song that was, somehow, cheerful. He let her down again and held her face in both hands, his long, boney fingers cool against her skin.

“I’m sorry. I… I should have been here. Are you okay? How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” she said, holding onto his hands. She smiled. “You okay?”

“Me?! Wh…?!” He gritted his teeth, bones flushing with colour, especially as Asriel snickered. “I… I’m fine. Why would you even…?”

“Well, I mean, you had to go out in the weird void place, too. And it makes you puke sometimes. A you fainted and stuff. ” She shrugged. “Plus, I mean, whatever I did must have been dumb and freaky, right?”

“You’re just kinda a freaky creature,” Asriel joked.

“Aaaah, I try not to be!” she protested.

“_Cnámha m’anam._” Gaster stroked Frisk’s head. “Do not waste a second of worry on me. Is… your eye…?”

“Future sense super powers she stole from Sans but thought she lost but didn’t actually,” Asriel said.

“O-Oh.” Gaster shot Sans a confused look, but he had dozed off already.

Frisk shrugged. “S’helpful. I think.”

“Wh… Um. Alright. Okay. That’s… That’s good!” Gaster said. His urge to question was so strong that there was a twitch in his hands. He didn’t, though.

He pulled back and straightened up to turn back to the bags. He hurried to remove some carefully stacked milkshake cups from inside one of them. “Kiddo, did someone explain to you about your vision?”

“Mhm,” she said.

“And you’re alright?” he insisted.

“Yeah.”

“You’re absolutely sure?”

“Unc, she’s fine,” Asriel said with a laugh, grabbing her hand to help her back up onto the chair.

“And you?!” he said. “You’re still holding up?”

“Yeah yeah, I’m fine, jeez,” he said.

“Listen,” Gaster said, “if you start flaring, you tell me or your mother right away, okay?”

“What, like I did?” Frisk asked. She reflexively looked in Asriel’s direction and her brow furrowed with worry. “Can that happen?”

“If it can happen to you, it stands to reason that it could happen to him.” He brought the milkshakes over and made sure each of them took one. “Please drink these, they will help.” He also carried one over to Sans and gently nudged him awake where he had slumped on his box. “You too, lazybones.”

Groggily, Sans stuck his thumb up. Gaster patted his shoulder affectionately. He took a step back and leaned against the desk stiffly. He ran his hand over the back of his skull. A comfortable, quiet lethargy settled upon them. Gaster pulled off his glasses and hooked his sleeve onto his thumb to wipe around the edges of his eye sockets. 

“So,” he said, directing the somewhat heavy, lingering word to his daughter. “Are you… able to recall what happened out there?”

“Oh, yeah, for sure,” she said. She smiled bashfully. “I already told everyone about it. I, uh… Oh! Hey, that memory thing, can I do it backwards?”

“Backwards?” He looked at her questioningly. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“I looked at your memories. Can you look at mine?”

“Wh…?! Oh! Of course! That’s perfect, actually,” he said quickly. “Was…? It wasn’t too frightening, was it?”

“Oh, no, it wasn’t that bad,” she said. “Hey, do we have a way to see if it worked?”

“How would you even do that?” Asriel wondered.

“Tomorrow,” Sans interjected. He raised his hand as if to stop his father’s inevitable protest. “We’re not the only ones who’re exhausted.”

“He’s right,” Frisk said quickly. “Don’t do any more work today, okay?”

“Well…” His voice warped and he coughed. He smiled sheepishly. “Alright. Fair enough. Now if I may take a look?”

“Yep!” Frisk extended her hand. “There’s a couple Sanses in there! So don’t freak out.”

Gaster would certainly freak out. He’d hide it as best he could, though.

\- - -

Dinner that night was at Asgore’s. Soup, spaghetti, and fresh snail pasties were accompanied by the burgers and fries brought up from Grillby’s. For the third time, Frisk explained what she’d seen, this time crowded by big, concerned monsters, the more Kingly of which needed even more context than usual. He needed to know, though, since Asriel had gone through something as well. Gaster provided it to give the kid more time to eat. 

The old skeleton wasn’t the only one keeping a close eye on the kids, but he noticed that Frisk seemed to be feeling better as the night went on. Asriel was perking right up with a bit of food, too. It was only Sans that was slowing down. Though, he supposed that wasn’t outright unusual.

By the time they went home and bedtime caught up with them, Frisk had gotten some separation between lights and shadows back, and the red in her left eye had faded away. She’d fallen asleep as Sans read to her— in fact, Sans had probably fallen asleep as he read to her, too. The whole house settled in, but Gaster couldn’t. 

He paced the living room until he worried his steps might be too loud. He sat at the table, drumming his pointy fingertips against the wood until he thought that might be disruptive, too. His soul sputtered and warped between his ribs but he couldn’t for the life of his find his phone, so he was stuck with it. He curled up in the corner of the couch, wishing he’d brought a notebook. After a little search of the living room, he found one that had some knock-knock jokes scrawled in just the first few pages. He gave a bit of a buffer before starting his own notes.

He filed away the information from Frisk. To be honest, it frightened him. He’d sensed other places out there— a fragment of himself had even claimed a small one out on the far reaches, outside of everything else— but he’d never expected the girl to consciously run into to someone from beyond their bubble. He wondered if they were from a split off their own world, or a different one entirely. Could even have been a little of both. No way to know, of course, but that didn’t stop it from bothering him. He was glad she’d only run into Sans, though. He knew, at least, she would be able to get on the good side of almost any version she’d find of him.

The grey one worried him more than the blue one, however. The way he spoke was as if he knew Frisk inside and out. Usually that grey was a sign of timelessness— not bound to any timeline, and not usually perceptible by them either. Sort of like he’d been himself. But, Frisk had had no trouble remembering this grey skeleton. Also, how he’d touched her eyes with that light… He wondered if it had something to do with the glow she’d had just afterwards. He jotted it down, and then a plethora of question marks. 

He was so caught up in his worries that he didn’t notice Toriel joining him until her weight jostled the couch. He almost jumped straight upright until she put a hand on his shoulder.

“You are up awfully late, old friend,” she said.

“Ah… I just have a lot on my mind,” he said quietly.

Her brow furrowed slightly. “Your voice doesn’t sound good. Have you been taking those cakes Alphys made you?”

“Ah, right, uh…” He patted down his pockets. “It’s, uh… In my phone… I’ll have to look for it.”

“You didn’t lose it, did you?” she asked.

“I lose everything,” he said sheepishly.

“Perhaps I should have kept that book, then,” she teased.

“Ah!!” His soul plummeted. “I’m sure it’s around somewhere. I’m sure you can find it. I must’ve left it at Grillby’s, I’ll—”

“Take a break. It’s not going anywhere.” Toriel patted his back. She got up and headed for the kitchen. “I’ll make you some tea.”

He jumped upright quickly. “It’s alright, don’t bother yourself with—”

“Sit down, Gaster.”

He sat.

“What’s on your mind?” she asked.

“What was on yours?” he asked worriedly.

“The kids. This… time void thing.”

“Me too,” he said.

“Please, tell me honestly. How dangerous is this?” she said. “If it blinded Frisk—”

“Oh, it didn’t blind Frisk, that was the stabilizer’s doing. It just becomes sensory overload and the eyes usually decide they don’t want to deal with it,” he said. “But then everything heals quickly.”

“Right. Right…” She sighed. A soft flash of light illuminated the kitchen as she blew a quiet breath of flame under the kettle on the stove.

“Honestly. For Frisk it is… not too dangerous,” he said. “There will always be a risk. But that place belongs to her. She just needs to learn how to navigate it.”

“And Asriel?” she asked.

“I’m hoping he’s similar,” he said. “But no monster has ever existed with those powers. It will be a little trial and error, but Frisk can keep him safe. I promise.”

She rejoined him with a cup of tea and gently handed it to him before sitting at his side. He took a quick sip and cracked a smile. The woman folded her arms into the sleeves of her sweater as she sat back.

“So. How can I help?”

“I am not exactly sure,” he said apologetically. “The kids are all exhausted. So, tonight should be a prime setting for their dreams to look into other times. I’ll see what has happened in the morning, and then I’ll try to take some readings of the void and we’ll go from there.”

“Never switch off, do you?” she asked. She smiled at the flustered look on his face. “No, of course you don’t. Never have.”

His cheekbones darkened slightly. “I still have a lot to do. My priority needs to be repairing any damage I might have…” He gritted his teeth; tapped his fingertips together.

“What do you mean by that?” Toriel asked.

“It… It does not escape me that Sans’s issues have gotten worse since I arrived,” he said.

“Come now, it’s only been a few days.” She grimaced. “And he has been declining for months.” She smiled with sadness in her eyes. “Not overall. His outlook has lifted, for sure, but… They’ve tried to keep me out of it. But I notice the dips in his energy, too. So you shouldn’t blame yourself.”

Gaster flinched. He took off his glasses and rubbed his hands over his face. 

Toriel gently took the glasses from between his fingers and then curiously held them up to her eyes. “Ooh. They aren’t very strong, are they? I don’t recall you needing them back when I left.”

“I didn’t, I damaged my eye during an experiment much later,” he said with an embarrassed smile. “That was before I’d had Sans, even. Asgore got me a monocle.”

“Pffff, you’d look like such a villain,” she joked.

“I did make an effort with it, but it certainly gave me an air of unapproachability that didn’t agree with me. I also lost it constantly. I probably went through a dozen of them.” He sipped his tea. It settled some of the jutting spikes of his soul. “Glasses stay on my face a little better. Still lose them, too. I learned to create them myself— it was just more efficient. My eyes have somehow mostly repaired themselves now, though.”

“That sounds useful.” Toriel smiled fondly. She placed her hand on his shoulder. “Would you like to take a walk with me?”

Gaster couldn’t keep the confusion from his face. He nodded. “…Alright.”

Outside was clear and crisp in the quiet night, the town lit by the colourful strings of festive lights dyeing the snow. The fresh air— or, fresher than in the house, anyway— lifted some of the sluggish weight in Gaster’s skull. His eyes lingered on Toriel a little too long as they lazily travelled the main street. He still had trouble with the fact that she wasn’t just a spectre of the past. How long had it been? How many years? He couldn’t seem to recall. He caught himself smiling.

“This is such a nice little town,” Toriel commented.

“It is. Though I recall a lot more dismal of an outlook when we first arrived,” he said. “I’m glad it became what it is.”

“I know. It’s amazing how different everything is now.” She smiled sideways. “Going to have to get used to seasons again. That’ll be interesting.”

“I’ve always liked snow. It’ll be nice to see it out there again. It’ll also be nice to see how the world has changed overall, don’t you think?”

“I expect it’ll be unrecognizable.” She chuckled. “That’s alright.” She cut her eyes at him. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” he said.

The woman hesitated. Tried to gather her thoughts. “Back to what we discussed before… When Frisk said she saw other versions of Sans wherever she was,” she said, “is that… literal? Are they real? From these other worlds?”

“Mostly,” Gaster said.

“Does that mean… there might be others of me? Or you? Or… her?” Her eyes went wide.

“It does. Though other Frisks is sort of a different and more complicated topic,” he said. “But, others of any other person, absolutely. Though I doubt she’d be likely to run into many people she wasn’t familiar with at all. And… to be fair, if we exist, it would mostly be Sans. Or… Or me.” He shuddered at the thought.

Toriel tilted her head, her brow furrowing. “What was that?”

“What was what?” he said quickly.

“Why does that frighten you?” she asked. “Encountering other versions of you?”

“Ah…” He felt a twinge in his soul— it jerked uncomfortably. He grimaced. “It’s… I’m… unpredictable.”

“I don’t follow,” she said.

Gaster folded his arms. He paused to look up at the large, fragrant Gyftmas tree in the middle of the street, letting the lights adorning it blur across his vision. He shot Toriel an apologetic look. “Frisk exists as an entity of her own. So does every other one like her. They all exist in completely separate circumstances, tethered to their own bubble of timelines. So, in many… In probably most of those other places, that Gaster is not the father of that world’s… Frisk, if one exists.”

Toriel’s eyes went wide and round. She stared at him for a long, quiet while. “So… So they might… Oh. I… I see.”

“It’s not a very happy thought,” he agreed. “And for whatever reason, I… I seem to vary drastically between iterations. Almost as much as she does. In fact, in Frisk’s case, it’s somewhat unfair to even lump them together for any reason other than ease of discussing the topic. For me, _Gasters_, on the other hand, I’ve felt more than my share of them. While I was… out there. While I wasn’t entirely me. Many of them broke like I did. Or will at some point. And many of them try to reach out through time. Some not for the greatest of reasons. Honestly, I wouldn’t trust them but I… I hate to say it but I feel like I may have even felt one today.”

“What?! So… So what does that mean?” Toriel asked.

“He might have detected me,” he said. “We often attract each other.”

“Is this a danger? To you? To Frisk?” she demanded.

“Not if she’s sealed us off,” he said. He smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, Tori. I know this all sounds awful and dangerous. And insane, too, to an extent.”

Toriel chuckled softly. She shook her head. “It all feels very… distant. It’s hard to process. Abstract, in a way, if that makes sense? But I understand. Well, as much as I can.” She smiled fondly, her brow bending with sympathy. “You’re shaking.”

“Am I?” He looked at his hands and the trembling in his fingers made his cheekbones flush. “I apologize.”

“Gaster,” she chided. She looked up at the ceiling and snorted— snowflakes, light and slow, had a dizzying affect on the eyes as they floated downwards out of the black. “Getting colder.”

“I don’t suppose that means what I think it does?” he said.

“Maybe it’s good.” She cut her eyes at him and smiled gently. “A chance to stay in and rest tomorrow, hm? We should still have some time…”

“For what?”

“A walk in through Home?” she suggested.

Gaster’s face lit right up. “I haven’t been there in—”

“I know.”

“Honestly,” he said, “I would love that.”

She chuckled. “I know.”

\- - -

The old monsters walked the ruins of a city they’d helped to found, revelling in the strange, personal silence. It was cozy and private, somehow, despite wandering such a large, vacant space, inspecting the skeletons of old buildings and the withered remains of untended parks.

Toriel told him all about her years in the Ruins. About the children who’d come through with their fractured rainbow of souls. It wasn’t easy. It’d been decades for some— longer, for others. Gaster could give her answers. He’d cradled and cared for each soul, even though some of them left him chilled and unnerved. The old friends consolidated their stories. Most of the real information had been secreted away from the general public. Thinking the King himself had defeated each human made the citizens feel safe, secure, and protected, and Asgore bore the full weight and responsibility, no matter what had actually occurred.

The first child that had entered the mountain on his own had been closest to Asgore’s declaration of war. He wasn’t yet a teenager, but he was wiry and strong. The boy had loved Toriel, but wanted to leave the underground at all costs. She reluctantly gave him directions, but not long afterward heard whispers that the first human soul had been claimed. He’d fought, and fought a lot, and lost in the end. He’d only killed one monster, but that was one too many.

The second human was a young girl who’d been lost on the mountain a long while later. Skittish little thing, but patient and willing to learn about monsters and how things worked in their Kingdom. She, too, had wanted to leave, to return to a family above. She was so young, younger even than Frisk had been when Toriel had found her. She couldn’t in good conscious have let her go, but the child snuck out in the night. She hadn’t made it far. Gaster hadn’t even heard there was a human in the underground until her shining, pale blue soul had been brought to him. He’d taken a lot of care with that one. He wasn’t sure why, but it’d felt like such a shame.

The third human had come fairly soon after the second. Toriel noticed he seemed to have arrived with a purpose, but he was gracious of her hospitality and had slipped out without her approval, just as the girl before had done. He’d come seeking revenge. His weapon had been deadly, and his passage through the mountain had been far from victimless. Asgore himself hadn’t reached a healer in time, and still had the scars of ancient bullets under the fur on his chest.

The fourth human arrived after a long gap of nothing. She was a studious tween with big, round glasses and an insatiable curiosity, which was what moved her on her way after living with Toriel for a few weeks. Gaster was happy to talk about this girl, though. She’d lived peacefully, hiding in Waterfall and researching magic for almost two decades, until she succumbed to a medical condition no monster could treat. The old turtle Gerson, in fact, was very well acquainted with her. He still kept many of her filled notebooks in his cupboard, and sometimes offloaded the barely started ones onto strangers that looked liked they’d use them. Gaster himself had known her, if only in passing, and he’d kept her secret at Gerson’s request. He wanted to escape as much as the next monster but, as Gerson had said, they’d waited so long already, what was the lifespan of one human to add to it if still more souls would be needed?

The fifth was also a kind-hearted little tyke, with a weak constitution and an interest in cooking. He’d been injured badly entering the mountain a while before Toriel found and healed what she could. She had taught him a litany of recipes before he decided it might be a good idea to try to return home. He’d helped many monsters on his adventure before he’d gotten lost and almost succumbed to the heat in Hotland. He was brought to Asgore unconscious and unresponsive. The fourth and fifth humans had actually overlapped their stay in the underground, but Gaster didn’t think they had met each other. Their souls were acquired out of order by only two years.

The sixth, though, was the most difficult to speak on. It had only been fifteen years ago. Maybe it was the fact that the last two humans had been truly lovely that had allowed for the events to unfold the way they did, but who could be certain? Waterfall, especially, had been exceptionally friendly before that point. Toriel had noticed nothing wrong, but this strange teenager had killed more monsters than anyone had since the world-changing war centuries ago. She was the reason Undyne only had one eye. Concerning her end, Gaster told Toriel only that the girl had been exceptionally violent and that she’d been trying to kill Papyrus right before she was stopped. He didn’t mention by whom. The look in her eyes suggested that she suspected it was him, and he wasn’t about to correct her. 

He expected her instant ire, but didn’t receive it. In a park of gnarled old vines, they held each other and cried together. Wasn’t the first time they’d done that.

By the time they headed for home, snow had blocked them into the Ruins. Toriel sighed and rolled her eyes. The schedule had said midnight, but they were early again. It wasn’t much trouble, though. Gaster whisked them through a tear in the world and plunked them into the attic. 

The skeleton slipped out of the bedroom as Toriel prepared to go to sleep, feeling drained, exhausted, and elated all at once. The rooms of the house were even darker than usual, the snow pressing in against the windows leaving them in their own, personal cavern. He stuck his hands out until he found the railing and then slowly made his way down to the couch. 

Someone had folded blankets neatly for him at one end, and laid pillows at the other. He was grateful. He only took a moment to disregard his winter clothing before collapsing, his skull heavy as he sank into the squishy, warm, makeshift bed. 

Gaster’s sleep was light and troubled. His wee hours were broken by the shrill sound of a faucet. He got up slowly, rubbing his eye sockets, and leaned around to peer into the dark kitchen. The small shape he picked out in there was probably Frisk.

He got to his feet quietly and walked in to join her. She was putting a glass back up on the counter, standing on her toes to reach. She turned and bumped into his leg with a squeak. 

“Whoops, sorry,” she said groggily.

“My fault.” He knelt down and gently held the kid’s face. “How are you?”

“M’okay…” She blinked hard. She hardly looked like she was awake. 

“Frisky-wisky,” he cooed under his breath. He patted her head gently. “How are your eyes?”

“Not sure,” she said with a sleepy laugh. 

He focused and brought light up into his sockets. She winced and smiled faintly, rubbing the back of her hand across her face.

“Yeah. They’re fine,” she said. 

Gaster blew out a sigh of relief and wrapped the kid in his arms. He felt like his soul might burst. 

He drew back to her looking up at him with shimmering eyes and a faint smile on her face. She grabbed one of his hands in both of hers.

“You didn’t get it too bad out there, did you?” she asked.

“Don’t concern yourself with that,” he said.

“Hey.” She frowned. “C’mon. We’re kinda the same, right? We gotta be like a team. We gotta talk to each other. Right?”

The old skeleton chuckled and patted her head. “Honestly. It’s alright. It must be quite early, hm? Shall I take you back upstairs? You should get some rest.”

“Um. No, I’m okay,” she said, the shadow of a pout on her face. She peeked past him into the main room. “Oh, right. It’s doing one of those magic blizzards, huh?”

“It is,” he said.

“No wonder it’s so dark.” She rubbed her brow and sighed.

“You don’t have a headache, do you?” he asked quickly. “Did you dream tonight?”

She shook her head. “Nnnoo…”

“Then why do you not want to sleep?” He frowned curiously and then got to his feet. The clock on the microwave read just barely past five in the morning. “Ah. I think I have an idea. If you’re willing?”

“What is it?” she asked.

He grinned and flicked on the light with false, magic hands and picked her up to sit her on the counter. “How much do you know about baking?”

“A bit,” she said. “I know a little. And mom taught me some stuff.”

“Good! Good. Fantastic.” He headed for the cupboards, long fingers searching for ingredients. “I always found a certain appeal in making things from scratch. There’s some things that only a master escamancer can replicate without doing so. I find, at least.” He shot her a smile. “We had old family recipes, you know. I learned them when I was quite young. I mentioned my mother was not the best cook, didn’t I? So I became quite proficient, if I do say so myself. If you’d like. I’d love to teach you.”

“Yes please,” she said instantly. 

Gaster beamed.

Nostalgia was the scent of fresh soda bread flavoured lightly with herbs and sweetened with honey. Gaster hadn’t made it in years. He needed gloves to knead, but that didn’t bother him. An early, snowy morning without a place in the world to be was the perfect time to bake. The oven gave the kitchen a toasty warmth.

Frisk watched with quiet, curious attention. He gave her a chance to try it herself. She wasn’t half-bad. Almost like she’d made it before. 

They formed small loaves, sliced the tops, and carefully put them on a tray to bake. The sleepy kid took it upon herself to watch the round, uneven breads’ crusts browning through the oven window. It was long and boring, but she insisted. She dozed off where she sat on the floor, her cheek on her fist. Gaster took off his sweatshirt and put it around her shoulders. She was sure to awaken when the timer went off.

The skeleton leaned up against the counter, sipping a cup of tea with milk and honey. He was struck by an odd, heavy sense of banality that was so comfortable his eyes welled up. He watched Frisk snooze and had to stop himself from scooping her up. To distract himself, he slowly cleaned up, trying to be as quiet as possible. That didn’t take that long, though, and he was left again staring at his daughter, somewhat in awe that he even had a daughter. 

When the oven dinged, Frisk squeaked and fell over herself in surprise. Gaster laughed softly and caught her by the shoulders. He gently moved her to the side and then reached over into the oven, barehanded. He lifted the baking trays out and put them up on top of the stove. Frisk stood up, rubbing her eyes, and then went up on her toes. He grabbed her to sit her up on the counter again and lifted one of loaves. 

“Listen.” He tapped it on the bottom with his fingertip. “How does that sound?”

Frisk scooted a little closer and leaned her ear in. She reached out a hand, but then pulled back sheepishly and shot him a smile. “Sounds good.”

“So, you know if it has a hollow sound—”

“That it’s done? Yup,” she said.

“You have made this before, haven’t you?” he said.

“Not this one,” she said. “I’ve done one with just the honey. Yours smells even better, though, it’s really nice.”

“Isn’t it?” His face lit up. “We’ll let them cool, just a little.”

He brewed more tea and, once that was done, sliced one of the loaves. He buttered the warm bread and they sat together, munching it on the couch. He hoped he wasn’t imagining how thrilled she looked. Even so, his head was buzzing. 

“Frisky? Um. Frisk. Can I… ask you something?” he said quietly.

“Yeah, of course,” she said.

Gaster had to stop himself. His mind was on the void of time, but he shooed it elsewhere. His voice caught, anyway. He coughed quietly behind his fist and then put his other hand on her head gently. “Tell me what you’d like to do. Once we’re out there for good,” he said.

“Oh! Jeez. I dunno,” she said with a laugh. “People keep asking me. I’m not sure.”

“It doesn’t even have to be long term,” he said. “Anything at all.”

“Well…” She looked bashfully down at her plate. “I just… I’m not sure. I’m just happy everyone’s here, y’know? I guess maybe I’d like to work on my magic more. Then I can help more people and maybe not almost pass out every time.”

“It’s always a guessing game, hm?” he said sympathetically. “You are one of a kind. In a way, I am sorry, simply for the fact that we will not know what’s normal for you. However. I’d guess that some of your powers beyond simply travelling backwards are operating at an advanced level. If that is the case, it would be no surprise that they could be exhausting to you.”

“You think so?” she asked, wide-eyed. 

“Some of that is very complex, right?” He patted her hair gently. “Don’t worry. You will grow into it. But, if there’s anything I can do to help you, please tell me.”

Frisk snickered. She looked up at him with big, shiny eyes and she hugged him. Her soul glowed and hummed softly. “This is fine.”

Gaster’s face flushed. His eyes welled up and he wrapped her in his arms. He supposed it was.


	17. WHAT HAVE STAIRS DONE FOR ANYONE RECENTLY

There was something sort of nice about a day stuck at home in the snow. Insulated, quiet, and cozy. The house was warm and smelled of fresh cake and lasagna, as Papyrus spent some time on speakerphone with Bratty and Catty, following along to some old cooking shows.

Boxes shoved to the side and books sorted into stacks, the attic wasn’t quite bedroom-worthy, but it was considerably better than the half-ruined maze and the treadmill sitting around as an under-utilizedprank. With more lights installed and a few pieces of furniture dragged up there, it was starting to feel a little more hospitable. 

Snug in a ramshackle pillow fort, Asriel and Frisk played co-op on a game on their handheld consoles. The games were from the human world— one of the first things Asriel had gravitated to when they’d gone to check out one of the smaller cities in their first month outside. Sans stayed with them, bundled up in a sweatshirt and a blanket. He was groggy and heavy-headed, and hadn’t slept much, but he was pretty content. None of them had dreamt. It was the first night in over a month that they hadn’t.

When Frisk began to doze by accident, Asriel smooched her on the head, dumped her in Sans’s lap, and headed upstairs past the fort to get a game with more high-energy play for them to try. 

Papyrus was posing for a selfie in sunglasses and a big jacket when he got into the bedroom. The skeleton whirled on him with a grin and pulled him in under his arm and took another photo.

“Another great set for the Undernet! I’m sure to get at least two uplikes,” he asserted proudly. He took off the sunglasses and tossed them on top of his computer. “There we go. I’ll tag you, of course, CaptainChaos.”

Asriel laughed. “Sorry to interrupt, I shouldda knocked.”

“It’s not a problem. Obviously.” Papyrus stretched. He smelled like tomato sauce. “How are you doing? Are you here for a nap?”

“Naw.” Asriel paused and looked up at skeleton, tilting his head to the side. “How ‘bout you?”

“I’m perfectly fine! Why?” he asked.

“Well, like… How are you about your dad? I don’t think I really asked you,” he said apologetically.

“Oh!!! Nyeh heh heh! I’m great! Really! It’s so nice to have him back,” he said. “I didn’t really ask you, either, but you obviously know him.”

Asriel nodded. He headed for the bookshelf where they stashed the games and began to skim the titles on the spines. “Yeah. Legit consider him my uncle.” He smiled to himself. “Now that I remember, it’s really obvious that you’re his kid. I almost feel dumb for not realizing except, you know.”

“I do know.” He took off his jacket and hung it up in the closet. “I mean, of course it’s a shame he wasn’t here. But him not being here made Frisk, and I think we can all agree that was worth it. It’s just…” He clenched his long fingers into the cloth for a moment before turning quickly and shutting the door. “Of course I retroactively missed him.”

Asriel nodded. He picked out an action dragon game with big swords on the cover and put it in his pocket. Papyrus cautiously grabbed him by the shoulder. 

“Would…? Would you mind telling me a little about when you knew him?” he asked bashfully. “I mean. It’s sort of odd, isn’t it? We were both tiny kids with him at completely different times.”

Asriel smiled and nodded. He sat on the computer chair and cracked his knuckles. “Sure. I mean, yeah, it’s pretty weird to think about. I knew him my whole life, to be honest. He was good. Always there to teach stuff, and help with magic patterns, and… It was funny, he always said he was no good with kids, but I think maybe he thought that because he didn’t talk to us like babies. He was, ah…” Asriel’s throat tightened for a moment, but he smiled. “He and mom were really the ones who, uh, patched up Chara when she got hurt. And she was pretty… adventurous. So we saw him a ton for that on top of him just being Dad’s best friend. He couldn’t heal, but he was really good at stitches and other human medical stuff.”

“Aah, yes, I see, I see,” Papyrus said.

“I remember him being a great fighter, too,” he said. “Before Chara fell in… I think she was the first kid. She was, like… five, I think? I was four. Grown human warriors actually came into the mountain on purpose. Our parents were the strongest monsters, so they had to deal with it. This was before we moved out of Home. I was super young when it happened, so I only remember a little, but he made these big constructs out of bones, and his patterns were totally nuts.” He smirked to himself. “Now that I think about it… That explains you and Sans, right?”

“Does it?” Papyrus asked, wide-eyed.

“Well, Gaster’s a boss monster,” Asriel said. “Right? So you guys would have to be tough.”

“I guess that’s true. I mean, I am clearly fantastic and extremely tough. Sans, though…”

“He’s strong enough,” the kid said with a grin. “You know I fought him a ton, right? Back when I was a mess. He won a lot.”

Papyrus raised a brow skeptically. “…Was your health incredibly low?”

Asriel barked out a loud laugh. He shook his head. “No, his magic is specifically tuned to wreck jerks like I was. It’s not good against normies, but anyone with LV’s gonna get dunked on, hard. It’s really interesting, actually.”

“I almost can’t believe that, but I know you’re not fibbing,” he said, folding his arms tight. “Frisk told me, too, but I didn’t realize…” He sighed. “Why doesn’t he tell me anything?”

“Man, he just doesn’t want you to worry,” Asriel said.

The skeleton pouted.

Asriel huffed and crossed the room to him, sitting at his side and grabbing his arm. “You’re still not that old, you know.”

“Older than you! And you know way more than me,” he said.

“Not for good reasons, though,” Asriel said. “Listen. Ask Gaster to teach you a little extra. That’s another thing about him, you know? If you ask him about something he knows, he’ll go totally over the top to help you understand.”

“…Yes, that’s true, I remember that,” Papyrus said. He cracked a smile. “I remember definitely a hundred percent not having the patience for that much explanations as a little Papyrus.”

“Same!” Asriel grinned. “Chara ate it up, though. She wouldda smacked me if I called her a nerd but… She was a huge nerd. Mightta been a human thing, now that I think about it. They’re usually way more curious than we are.” 

“Asrieeeelll…!” Papyrus grabbed him into a tight hug and glowed bright and warm.

“Ack! W-What?” the boy croaked.

“You actually mentioned your you-know-who for more than a second, I’m proud!” he said.

“Oh… Hah. Yeah. Guess so,” he said. He let the skeleton snuggle him for a moment. It felt pretty nice. “I guess… You’re the only one without the history, so… It doesn’t feel as bad for about five seconds.”

“Nyeh heh, lack of memories actually comes in handy, for once,” he said with a wink. “So. Little brother. Back when you were… You know. Was I…? I mean. I hope I wasn’t too rough on you.”

“Naw, dude, you were nice. Too nice for your own good, huh?” He smiled up at him sympathetically. “Can I tell you something messed up?”

“Of course!”

“I tried to push you so hard to do something awful to me. Like, get revenge or something? You never did. You were always too good to me.”

“That’s not messed up at all,” Papyrus said. 

Asriel scoffed. He smiled at him fondly and patted him on the back. “I’m… I’m glad I’m with you guys. Didn’t think I’d ever get a shot like this.”

“I’m glad you’re here, too,” the skeleton assured him. “Aaaand. Actually. I’m glad you’re up here as well. You wouldn’t happen to mind helping me cut up some boxes before you go back downstairs, would you?”

“Boxes? What for?” Asriel asked.

“You’ll see!” He grinned smugly and pulled out his small red utility knife. “I’m going to need an unusual amount of cardboard!”

\- - -

At midnight, when the snow drifts receded, the town roared to life with lights, music, and market stalls. It was probably the last time this would happen in Snowdin before monsters began migrating upwards and out, and they were certainly treating it as such.

There didn’t seem to be a single monster from town missing from the festivities. The whole main street from the library onwards was lined with booths, most of them giving away their wears completely for free. Unbeknownst to anyone, even Papyrus had claimed a spot, setting up an elaborate cardboard booth near the great, festive tree, where he left bowls of piping hot spaghetti for anyone to take. Beside that were a stack of hotdogs and buns, along with some condiments. Others gave out hot chocolate, shaved ice desserts, cinnamon bunnies, slices of pie, among a dozen other things. A few older monster ladies were giving out jumbles and crossword puzzles. Big Dog and all their children served bone-shaped biscuits and mysterious dalmatian-spotted porridge.

Kid met Frisk and Asriel near the tree, a big grin on his face. Frisk greeted him with a hug.

“Okay, you totally gotta get shaved ice with me,” he told them. “I already had, like, two, they’re great. My mom said I could go nuts tonight. Since, y’know, it’s probably the last one down here before we go.”

“You’re not wrong,” Asriel said. “I just kinda wanna stuff my face with everything, soooo…”

“Did they used to do this when…? You know, back then?” Kid asked.

“No clue!” he said.

The lizard grinned. “Then totally just follow me, then!” He took off at a run— Asriel caught him before he fell and hurried after him.

Frisk trotted after them, slower but unfazed. She was more than satisfied to watch everyone enjoying themselves under the glow of the lights. She spotted Gaster and Toriel chatting under the volume of the crowd near the bright, festive tree. Toriel was giggling and the skeleton wore an expression of relaxed relief.

The lights flickered, colours shifting and alternating between bulbs. It was so bright for a second that it hurt Frisk’s head, and she was a little surprised nobody reacted once it stopped. She wondered if maybe someone had stepped on the plug or something. 

She caught Papyrus at his booth as he handed out plates of spaghetti to monsters walking by. That human family was still around in the crowd— she noticed them with the rabbits from the inn. 

She was jarred from her wandering as a paw seized her hand. She turned to find Asriel grinning at her. He offered her a dish of shaved ice, covered in pale purple syrup and whipped cream. 

“I have no idea what flavour this is, but it’s real good,” he said. 

Frisk took it and gave it a try. She didn’t know what it was either, but she liked it. “Thanks.”

He smiled fondly at her and then gave her a gentle nudge with his elbow. He levelled a finger across the crowd to see Kid bouncing around near his eldest sister. 

“There is something weird about her,” he said. “Not, like, in a bad way. I think you might be right.” He snickered at the concerned expression on her face. “Hey! It’s a good thing. If there were more missing monsters, stands to reason that they’d be back, now, too. So. One less thing for you to worry about.”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah! You’re right.” She nodded quickly. “I’ll try not to worry so much.”

He pulled her in, smooched her head, and then dashed off again, presumably to get more food. Frisk moved off to the side to eat her dessert out of the way of the crowds. She thought she spied a bit of blue from the corner of her eye. It occurred to her that she had hardly seen Sans all night. She could have sworn…

She wasn’t sure why she thought she’d find him at the river’s edge, but she headed that way anyway. Sure enough, away from the crowds, she found Sans looking out over the water just a bit off main street. The river seemed to glow faintly, casting a bit of blue ripples over the white of his bones. He tilted his head over his shoulder slightly and shot her a tired grin. 

She offered him the remaining half of her shaved ice. He took it gratefully.

“Nice night,” he said.

“Everyone’s having a really good time,” she said, nodding. “Your hotdogs seem to be doing well.”

“Heh. Well. They’re simple but I think there’s a kinda appeal in that, y’know?” He groggily rubbed at his eye sockets. “Kinda late, huh?”

She nodded. He tried the purple dessert and looked pretty happy. “Oh. Taro. Nice.” 

“What’s taro?” she asked.

“No clue. Purple, though,” he said. He munched quietly, and the bowl disappeared into sparkles once he was done.

“Think this’ll be the last one?” she wondered. “Kid seemed to think so.”

“Hm. Probably. Last one with everyone from town still in town, I guess,” he said. “Inn’s movin’ soon. Grillby’s too, probably.” He cut his eyes at her. “You ever figure out was was up with Flora?”

She shook her head. “I think… I think maybe it’s fine.”

Sans shrugged slightly. He turned and stretched his arms above his head, though when Frisk got a good look at his face, she had to hold back a yelp of shock. There was a gash of red broken into his brow ridge and into part of his socket.

“Oh my god, what happened?!” she squeaked, reaching up to grab his cheeks.

Her big brother blinked back at her in confusion. The red was gone. His bones were fine. Frisk’s jaw dropped and she stared at him, a chill rushing down her spine.

“Dude, what?” Sans asked, a hint of concern in his tone.

“Wh…? Um. N… Nothing?” Frisk didn’t know what to say, pulling back awkwardly. “I th-thought… Nothing. Nothing. Never mind.”

Sans grabbed her hands. He raised a brow. The kid winced.

“Somethin’ on my face?” he asked.

“…Not anymore,” she said quietly. 

The skeleton tilted his head slightly. “What do you see?”

“Nothing,” she squeaked.

He rolled his eyes. “What did you think you saw?”

Frisk flinched. She tapped her fingertips together. “…Red on you.”

“Hm.” He drew back slightly and tapped his teeth. “That’s new.”

“S-Sorry, I… I must just be tired,” she said quietly. “I think the tree lights are kinda messing with me a little bit.”

“Yeah, no.” He looked at her knowingly. “Anything bigger than that, you tell me, alright?”

Frisk gulped, but she nodded quickly. “Y-Yeah. Okay. I will. I promise.”

He smiled, relieved, and he ruffled her hair. “C’mon, we gotta be the ones to keep each other sane.”

“You’re right.” She rubbed her eye with the heel of her hand. “I’m sorry. Ugh! I… You’re right. I should know better by now. I just… I just wanted you to be able to take a day off, y’know?”

“Chill.” He nodded his head back towards the bright, exuberant commotion of the main street. “What d’ya say, get more junk?”

Frisk was too on edge to feel hungry, but she had no intentions of letting her brother out of her sight. She followed him back towards the lights.

The night livened up once they’d reunited with the others. Though Frisk couldn’t forget what she’d seen, hanging out with her brothers put her at ease. The energy in the air was sparkling. And, there was a lot of weird foods to try.

\- - -

Even though it was very late when they got home, Frisk spent some extra time with Sans as they read through the final chapters of their third _Trident of Vengeance_ book. A magical clone of Sylph’s own father was the main antagonist of this particular story. Things weren’t resolved by the end, which was a first for the series. Frisk understood now why Kid had been waiting so insistently for the fourth book. Apparently, number five was coming out sometime soon. They just kind of appeared out of nowhere, though, and no one was sure who the author was.

Words were getting more clear to the kid as they went, but she’d take as much time huddled up with a book and her brother as she could get anyway. She hoped he wouldn’t get tired of it. She didn’t think she would.

Sans fell asleep in a heap. Frisk wished she had, too. Everyone else was still awake, though. She could hear Toriel through the walls as she headed upstairs and into the attic. The kid sat and watched Sans for a while, wondering what exactly she’d seen.

An odd bristle of magic from upstairs made the hair on the back of the kid’s neck stand on end. Curiously, she slipped off into into the attic.

Toriel stood there, hands on her hips as she surveyed a new wall that split the room in half. It already almost looked like a comfortable place to sit in, with a lamp and a reading chair. She turned and shot Frisk a smile.

“Hello, my child,” she said. “Trouble sleeping?”

“Um. I guess.” She shrugged. “So you’re setting the rooms up?”

“Yes. I think… I will take this side. Gaster’s such a light sleeper, he would probably prefer to not have someone walking through his room at night, hm?” 

“You’d know better than me,” Frisk said bashfully. 

Toriel smiled fondly. She lifted Frisk up and sat with her on the reading chair. She brushed a thumb under the kid’s tired eyes and cooed softly. “Just look at you. Goodness. To think of all that’s happened the last few days…”

“I know, right?” Frisk said with a tired laugh. 

“Something on your mind?” she asked.

The kid shrugged. She looked up at Toriel and tilted her head slightly. “You?”

“Oh. Honey. So much,” she said with a chuckle. “You, Gaster, the house, the state of things; what you’ve just done…! I feel like the whole world is moving a mile a minute. And I just keep wondering how you’re doing, exactly.”

“Me?” Frisk grimaced. “Aw, mom, c’mon, you don’t have to worry so much, I’ll be okay.”

“Hm. That’s funny,” she said. “You sound just like him when you say that.”

“Oh no, really?!” she yelped. “Ugh, but that’s so frustrating, though!”

Toriel stared at her, wide-eyed for a moment, and then burst out laughing. Frisk rubbed her brow.

“I’m sorry, am I really annoying with that?” she asked worriedly.

“Goodness no,” the woman assured her. “I understand. You’re a very self-sufficient child. And maybe a little too concerned with how others feel about you, hm?”

“I just hate making people worry,” she said with a sigh. “And everyone always worries about me. I love you guys so much, the last thing I want is people to feel like that around me.”

“Replace the word _worry_ in your mind with _care_, sweetie,” Toriel said. She grinned. “And besides. This is what family means, is it not?”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah. I guess so.” She smiled sheepishly. “I… I mean. I guess it all is still kinda new to me sometimes.”

Toriel cuddled the kid. She let out a small sigh. “I sometimes forget it has not actually been that long.”

“Not me,” Frisk said with a quiet laugh.

Toriel smiled sympathetically. She kissed Frisk gently on the head. “The world is a cruel place sometimes. I’m sorry.”

“Nah. S’just how things are,” she said. “I guess maybe I wouldn’t be me without having gone through all that, right?”

Toriel bit her lip. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, sure,” Frisk said.

“This power you have… Did you always have it?”

Frisk looked thoughtful. She folded her arms. “I’m not sure. I… Maybe? But I couldn’t control it until I got underground.”

“That must’ve been a shock,” Toriel said.

“Oh man, was it ever,” Frisk said. “I’m just really glad. Knowing everything I know now and stuff.” She shrugged. “It feels weird to be, like… the person, I guess. But, I mean, Sans knows the most about it and he thinks I’m good at it, so that makes me feel pretty okay. I sometimes kinda think that it’s not great for one person to actually even have this power but I’m gonna try my best.”

“Why do you think that, may I ask?” her mother said gently. “Most people don’t even recall.”

“Well, like… For the people that do, it’s weird,” she said. “And I sometimes get kinda ex… existential about it.”

“That’s a good word,” Toriel said.

“Thanks! I just learned it like a week ago,” Frisk said. “But, like, what if something big and bad happens somewhere in the world. I can turn it back, but only to a save, and then even if that’s kinda enough time, how do I help those people all the way wherever? Or like, what if someone got turned to dust in town but I just saved and there’s no time to… I dunno. If I could chose, I’d help everyone, but I don’t… I mean. I can’t know everything, right?”

“Sweetie. That is a lot to think about,” Toriel said. “Do you worry about that often?”

“Oh, jeez, all the dang time,” Frisk said.

“Would learning to… I’m not sure this is possible. Maybe ask your father. But, would it helped if you focused more into learning to operate without these save things so much?” she wondered.

“Dunno! Not sure if I even can,” she said. “Sans said they’re important. They’re like, um… What did he call them? A… A p-preservation adaptation?”

“And he… went through the same thing, did he?” she asked. “And Asriel, as well.”

Frisk nodded. “Yup! I mean. It wasn’t very good at the time, I think, especially when Az had it, but I’m kinda glad they did just ‘cause then I’m not alone with it, y’know? Even if that’s a little selfish.”

Toriel shook her head. She snuggled the kid close again and frowned off at nothing. There were more questions on the tip of her tongue, but she neglected to ask them. Frisk was starting to doze off. There were still so many heavy thoughts in her head. Still a lot of work to do, Toriel mused.

Footsteps broke her thought pattern, and Gaster cautiously emerged into the attic. He was about to greet her, but he didn’t as his eyes caught on Frisk. He slipped over quietly and clasped his hands together, staring at the kid. He looked at Toriel questioningly. She smiled weakly.

Frisk stirred. She blinked and yawned. “Oof. Um. Sorry. Guess I should go to bed.” As she straightened up, she froze at the sight of Gaster. Her eyes glistened.

“Oh!” He bent and gently held her face. “Kiddo, what’s wrong?”

She sniffled and grinned, quickly wiping her eyes on the back of her arm. She grabbed his hand, and then looked up at Toriel. Her cheeks flushed. “Sorry! It’s just, I… I actually have parents, it’s weird! It’s so nice.”

As Toriel cooed softly, Gaster’s eyes flickered. He held the kid’s face in both hands and bumped his brow on hers, mumbling something softly in his own language. He pulled back and smiled at her fondly. 

“You will always have us,” he said.

She smiled sheepishly and tented her fingers. “Thanks, you guys, for… y’know, for taking me.”

“I was about to say the same to you,” Toriel said. 

Frisk looked up at her with big eyes. Her mother grinned. 

“For as long as I live, I’ll never forget the first time you called me _mom_.” 

The kid smiled sheepishly. She brushed her eyes with her knuckles again. She sat up to smooch her mom on the cheek and slipped down onto the floor. She gave Gaster a hug and then stretched sleepily. “Guess I’ll go.”

“Would you like someone to tuck you in?” Toriel asked. 

“Ah, nah, it’s okay,” she said. “Good night.”

She slipped off and the monsters could hear Papyrus greet her enthusiastically downstairs. Gaster straightened up, a fond smile on his face, his arms folded tight to his chest. 

“Something’s bothering her.” Toriel stood up from her cozy chair and she put a hand on the skeleton’s shoulder. “Maybe you could help her.”

“Do you think so?” he asked, surprised. “What’s bothering her, exactly?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “But… Something I suspect might help would be a little more practice with her powers. I’m not sure that that’s the source of any of her troubles, but anything to make her more confident might settle her mind a little. What do you think, old friend?”

“Anything to help,” he said. His eyes seemed to sparkle. “Oh! Perhaps I can try to re-inject her with the HAARM-blocker, and if I could test her ability to move things backwards, perhaps we could work on strengthening it so it has less lasting effects on her. Do you think that might be useful?”

“Ah. Probably?” She smiled sideways. “But what on earth is a harm-blocker?”

“Oh! Sorry. It’s an acronym. Hazardous Attack And Resonating Magic blocker. It’s a shield, basically.” He rubbed his hand across the top of his skull. “I hope I can help.”

“I’m sure you can,” Toriel said.

He tapped his teeth. His eyes lit up and he grinned. “Ah! I know!” He turned towards the light but then retracted his hand and put it on Toriel’s shoulder. “I’ll be out for a while.”

“Do what you have to do,” she assured him. 

He bolted. Toriel snorted and shook her head with a fond smile on her face. With a small tug of magic and a wave of her hand, she pulled shelves straight from the wood of the wall. Just a little more.

\- - -

A nervous tapping of bone on wood roused Frisk, who stared blearily through the dark of the bedroom. A little light was glowing past the skull of a tall someone at the computer desk. Papyrus’s gentle, _nyeh_ing snores from somewhere said it wasn’t him. 

She snuck out from under Asriel’s arm and slid up beside the skeleton on the computer. As she reached up to tug on his sleeve, the colour of the room shifted. The form of the skeleton vanished. Frisk recoiled, blinked, and rubbed her eyes. The screen still glowed, low brightness still enough to make her squint. She turned and nervously surveyed the room. 

Slipping out, she ran into Gaster as he marched quickly up the stairs. 

“Ah! Good morning, Frisky, how did you…?” He paused, his brow furrowing. He knelt and put his hand to her cheek. “You looked spooked, _a stór. _Are you alright?”

“I, uh… I’m okay. Weird dream,” she said quietly. “Um. Isn’t it pretty early?” 

“I suppose so. But, actually, I was coming to get you.” He grinned bashfully. “I was preparing something for you with Alphys. Would you like to come to the lab with me?”

Anything to get out of the house. Frisk nodded. Before he could straighten up, she grabbed him around his shoulders and pressed in close. He made a small noise in surprise, but was more than happy to hug her.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“Not anymore, don’t worry about it,” she said.

\- - -

Undyne greeted Frisk with a crushing hug inside the lab. “Hey, squirt, heard you guys were kinda having a bad time,” the big monster said.

“It’s been super weird,” Frisk said. 

“Wanna come with me and drag Sans to Waterfall tomorrow?” she asked.

“That would be so great.”

“If you can get him to participate,” Gaster said.

“I bet I can,” Frisk said as Undyne let her down onto the tiles.

Alphys emerged from behind some out of place filing cabinets and gave Frisk a quick, warm hug too. “Hey!! I’m s-so glad you came!” She grabbed her shoulders. “We s-set up something p-pretty cool for you, I think!”

“What for?” she asked.

“Well, it’s just, everyone was kinda thinkin’ maybe you’d feel better after all that weird stuff if you could get a little stronger before we all head up, y’know?” Undyne said. “Come on, it’s downstairs.”

They took the puzzled kid down a few levels to the room that had once been used to facilitate determination transfers. Some new walls had been put up, separating the large, skull-like apparatus from what was inside. 

Beyond a repurposed office door was a room that was mostly white, but with a few splashes of colour in the large, plush sections of the wall. The floor was soft, too, and there was another small chamber in a corner with clear outer walls and room enough for two chairs and a bunch of metallic computer panels built in. There was also a tear in time glowing in the opposite corner, though the colour was pale.

Frisk looked around in confusion, and then back at the monsters. “What is this?”

“It’s a safe place for you to practice t-time reversal,” Alphys said, grinning. “See? If y-you were to train with Undyne or something, turning b-back an attack, the walls and floor are all soft so nobody w-would get hurt! Nice, right?”

“I would really like to train with you, by the way,” Undyne said. “I figured, like, you could do kinda like a blue magic grab, right? Except you use red and just chuck me backwards. I mean, if you can figure that out.”

“Chuck you backwards?” Frisk repeated, brows raised.

“Yeah! Like, if you can freeze an attack and make it go backwards, and if you can turn someone back to heal ‘em, if someone were jumping right at you, I bet you can grab ‘em and throw ‘em backwards,” she explained. 

“A-And! If you like this, we’ll d-definitely build you another, even better room on the surface,” Alphys said with a big smile. “Okay?”

The kid looked between the cheerful monsters. Her father was smiling hopefully. She laughed and rubbed her eye with her knuckle. 

“You guys stayed up all night on this?” she asked.

“It o-only took a couple hours, honestly,” Alphys said quickly. “Um. Is th-there something wrong w-with it?”

“No! No. It’s pretty cool! Thank you guys,” Frisk said. “I just… Undyne, I’ve never tried something like that.”

“Well, duh. That’s the whole point of this, right?” she asked with a wide grin. 

The big monster plopped down onto the floor and patted the spot in front of her. Curiously, Frisk sat and Undyne beamed. 

“Listen! I was thinkin’. From what these nerds said. You’d probably be less nervous and more confident with stronger magic, right?” she said.

Frisk peered over Undyne’s shoulder at Gaster and Alphys. “Was that what this is about?”

“Well, ah…” The skeleton’s face flushed. “Your mother thought that perhaps—”

“But you do wanna build some confidence, right?” Undyne pushed.

“I…” Frisk gulped. She clenched her little fists. “I just wanna protect Sans.”

Alphys cooed and snuck in on the floor and pulled Frisk into a hug. “Y-You’re so g-good, you know that?”

“Come on, kid, let’s brainstorm,” Undyne insisted. “Time travel is one thing. But you can affect little space pockets, too, yeah? So. Like. What else might you be able to do that with? We can test all kinds of weird crap, right?”

“I… I guess so?” she said. “Um. Dad probably knows more than I do.”

“Uh. Not exactly,” he admitted. “Though. What I would like to know is, what are your perceptions of what you can do? Remind us?” He had a notebook out and ready, carried by his magic hands.

“That’s a good start,” Undyne said with a laugh.

Frisk looked puzzled. She folded her arms. Alphys quickly pulled out her phone to take notes, too.

“Well, um. I guess. I can’t die? I mean. I can. But I don’t stay that way. I do the jump backwards thing, so that’s… something. I can… travel through rips. And, um, do that memory sharing thing and the super hugs, which are kinda similar I guess? I can… Um.Do glowing bubbles. I can turn someone else backwards to fix something that’s hurt, and I can turn back magic that gets shot at me.”

“You’ve missed something,” Gaster said. “…Perhaps you’ve never used it?”

The kid merely stared back at him blankly. He pointed to the tear in time off in the corner before he took a seat on the floor with the rest of them. He held her hand and, gently, pulled it through the air in the same shape. A pale yellow along with her usual red began to spark from her fingertips. 

“What the heck?!” she squeaked.

“You can open a rift, and close them as well,” he said.

“Since when?!”

“Since always,” he said with a laugh.

“W-Wow, Frisk, that’s really u-useful!!” Alphys said. She grinned at her. “Aw! Y-You look so shocked.”

“I had no idea.” She pulled her hand back and looked at it intently. “Dang, if I had known that…” Her eyes darted up to focus on Gaster’s. “How did you know?”

“_A stór, _anything I can do, you can do,” he said. “In regards to time, anyway.”

“O-Oh.” She smiled sheepishly, only to giggle when Undyne roughly mussed up her hair.

“Jeez, look at you. You’re doin’ great,” she said. “Okay, what else you got?”

Frisk could only shrug in reply. 

“Don’t forget,” Gaster said gently, “you were able to sense the past of a few objects with a strong magical imprint on them.”

“O-Oh! Yeah. Right, that’s a thing,” Frisk said. “I… Yeah. That was super weird.”

Alphys tapped her chin. Her eyes brightened and she fished around in her pocket. She passed Frisk a phone case with cartoon sushi on it and a big crack down the side. “I-If you can do things with o-objects, maybe you could repair something s-simple, like this? I just broke it y-yesterday and I didn’t g-get to patching it up yet.”

“Oh! Um. Maybe?” She rested her fingers around the crack and set her fingers ablaze. A sense of vertigo warped her mind and she thought she could see the case compress and then break, and then shift colours and fuse itself back together. She was nauseous. She grimaced and rubbed her eyes quickly, but when she looked up, all the monsters were beaming at her. The phone case in her hand was fixed.

“AAAH YEAH!! That’s GREAT!!” Undyne grabbed her shoulders and shook her enthusiastically; the phone case clattered onto the floor.“Do you know what this means?!”

“N-No?” Frisk said.

“You can just fix stuff! Oh w-wow! That’s so useful!” Alphys beamed. She grabbed the plastic case and flipped it over in her hands. “Amazing.”

“Yeah, sure, but that’s not even the best part!” Undyne grinned her huge fangs.

“What is?” the kid asked, puzzled.

“You can do on all kinds of stuff, then, I bet! I mean, that phone case, Alph got it from a human market, it’s not even magic yet!”

“Oh… Oh!” Frisk’s eyes went wide. “O-Okay! Wow. That’s… That is something. Wait, so…” She frowned slightly and tilted her head. She drummed her fingers together as the possibilities rushed through her head. Turning even objects backwards… There was something more than just repair that that might work for. “Hey, um. Do you think I could, um…?” She pointed at the door. “Does that door lock?”

“Only from the inside,” Gaster said. He stared her down inquisitively before a little spark of light lit in his eyes. “Ah! I think I see what… Come.”

He ushered her back outside of the room and then quickly shut the door. She could hear the click of a lock on the other side and Undyne’s confused exclamation. Frisk rubbed her fingers together. If she could just get this… She reached out with a spark of red and touched the doorknob. It was only a few seconds ago. She became starkly aware of the coolness of the metal; the little turning pieces inside. She heard it click and her heart jumped. This one didn’t even hurt her head.

Eagerly, she pushed the door open. The monsters were at the other end of the room, and Gaster had a hand on a shoulder each of the others. He began to beam with pride and Frisk breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hey, wait, uh, wasn’t that locked?” Undyne said.

“O-Oh! Oh my g-gosh!!” Alphys scampered over to Frisk and wrapped her in a tight hug. “Ahh!! That’s so useful!! Look a-at you!!” 

Frisk grinned bashfully and Undyne seemed to finally catch on.

“WHOA! Wait. WAIT. So! Jeez, kid!!” Undyne rubbed her fingers through her hair. “Could you always do that?!” She turned to Gaster. “Could she always do that?”

“Possibly, that ability is probably a relatively simple one, in fact.” He smiled at Frisk. “That’s a nice reassurance, don’t you think?”

“Can’t get locked in anything, I guess,” the kid joked.

Alphys giggled and snuggled her, grinning proudly. “I b-bet that makes you feel a little better, right? Would you, um, like t-to practice with Undyne or me for some turning backwards?”

“With you?” Frisk’s eyes went wide and she beamed. “Yes!”

“Too early?” Undyne joked.

“I’ve never heard her battle song,” the kid said excitedly.

The big monster guffawed. “Fair enough!”

“Wait, m-my…?!” Alphys went red. “W-We’re not doing THAT, are we?!”

“Could we? Please,” Frisk’s eyes seemed to glitter.

Alphys bit her lip. Undyne grinned wide and stuck both thumbs up. The lizard sighed and, though her hand trembled, she rolled her sleeves up.

“O-Okay. But, um, g-go easy on me, okay?” she said.

“Aaaah, thank you!!” Frisk squeaked, grabbing the blushing scientist into a tight hug. 

Frisk got up and dragged her to her feet, and then bounded across the room. Undyne and Gaster both stepped back towards the wall. Frisk braced herself. Alphys drew in a deep, shaking breath. She shook out her hands, yellow sparks shimmering through her fingers.

“I-I haven’t done this in a l-long time,” she said.

The air carried a whiff of static. Her soul lit up lemon yellow and a sharp electronic beat picked up. Frisk grinned and let her soul brighten up right along with it, the music shaping itself into something bright and new. Alphys grinned nervously. Frisk beckoned to her and she pointed to herself.

“M-Me first?” Alphys squeaked.

“Always,” Frisk said with a grin. “Let’s go!”

\- - -

Sans kept falling down stairs in his dream. An endless series of tumbling down a staircase that didn’t make sense. Didn’t hurt that bad, though, but even when he woke, kind of sweaty in the dark, his ribs felt a little bruised. 

He wanted something. He wasn’t sure what. He felt strangely alone and heavy. He saw a red light in the room and he sat up on his elbow curiously. “Kid?”

“Hm?” It was Asriel’s voice. Not the kid he meant, but that wasn’t really a problem. “You okay?”

He stuck a thumb up. Asriel came a bit closer and plunked himself onto the mattress where he could see him a little better. He grabbed the skeleton’s shoulders with strong paws, tilting his head, his brow furrowed. 

“You don’t look good,” he said.

“S’alright,” Sans said.

The kid hugged him tightly. He was a little surprised, but he appreciated it. He slumped and returned the favour. 

“You should see Paps,” Asriel said. “I’d, uh… heal you, but…”

“I know. ‘Preciate the thought,” he said.

He nodded and pulled away. “I’m going to see my dad again today, you need anything from New Home?”

“Nah.” Sans rubbed the back of his skull. “Where’s, uh…?”

“She’s with Gaster at the lab,” he said. “They left really early.”

Sans wasn’t sure why, but that worried him. He nodded. Before he’d even asked, Asriel passed him his phone. He stuck his thumb up and headed out of the room with a backpack over one shoulder. A thin stream of light made everything a bit easier to see.

Sans stared at his phone for a second. He sighed and flopped onto his back, then dialled his sister. When she answered, she sounded a little out of breath.

“Wow, you’re actually calling me? Good morning!” she said brightly.

He smiled. “Hey. Uh. What’s goin’ on?”

“Totally battled Alphys,” she said. She had to have been beaming. “It was fun! I’ve never heard her song like that before! ”

“Huh. So. Whatcha doin’ there?”

“Oh, uh… Just had a rough night. Dad and Alphys and Undyne, they all kinda set me up this, like, soft battle room in the basement? Of the lab, I mean. Not our basement. So I can practice my time magic stuff,” she said. “It’s pretty cool. They thought it would make me feel better. Kinda does! Wanna see it?”

“Bit later,” he said. 

“Kay. And I practiced turning some stuff back. I did some short times. Alphys had a really old broken Mew Mew though and I got dizzy trying that one, so I guess maybe I have a time limit? Dad thinks I’ll be able to push it more as I get older.”

“Mhm.”

“Um! Dad also said he wanted to, um, take some of my blood soon?” She lowered her voice. “That’s okay, right? That’s not a terrible idea, is it?”

Sans rubbed his eye sockets. “He say what he wanted it for?” 

“Yeah, something like the timeline should have my magic, um, signature or something? And that having a sample should make it easier to study or something like that,” she said. “Is that okay?”

“You don’t have to ask me,” he said.

“…But I wanna ask you,” she said quietly.

“Kid, c’mon, it’s not like you need my say so.”

“But you know more about this stuff than me,” she said. “And I trust you.”

He flinched. His bones flushed. Something muddled his mind so thoroughly that his skull ached. 

“Sans? Are, um…? Are you still there? Are you okay?” Frisk asked sheepishly.

“Sure,” he said. “Blood thing’s probably fine.”

“Okay,” she said. “I, um… Bye. I love you.”

“Pff. Love you, too, kiddo.”

He dozed off, clutching the phone loosely against his chest. When he awoke again, he was on the couch downstairs. He didn’t remember going there. He stared up at the ceiling with mild puzzlement, ignoring a faint clamour around him. Before long, Papyrus was in his field of view, glowering down at him. He grinned fondly.

“Hey, bro,” he said groggily. 

“Are you going to just sleep all day?” Papyrus asked.

“Sounds great,” Sans said.

“Nyeh!! That’s not… UGH. Fine. Do you want breakfast?”

The short skeleton stuck his thumb down and then folded his arms behind his head. Papyrus huffed out a sigh.

“That’s not like you. You should eat anyway,” he said.

He bounced away to the kitchen, sneaking around a very groggy Toriel. She was at the side table, holding a mug of coffee and staring off into it like it contained a story. He patted her gently on the shoulder and peeked into the fridge. He pouted. It was pretty empty except the cinnamon bunnies. 

“I gueeesss I’ll just have to go to the store,” Papyrus said. “Ugh, I wish we had a big grocery place, like in the city. Do you think I should go to Waterfall?”

“Wherever you like.” Toriel smiled tepidly. She stirred her coffee slowly. 

Papyrus bounced over to her and hugged her around the shoulders, a flicker of gold in his fingertips. “Okay! I. Will. Be. Back! Do you want anything specifically or…?”

“Whatever you think is best,” she said.

“Are you quite tired?” he asked.

“Stayed up a little too late, I’m afraid,” she said with a laugh. 

“You are not the only one!” He cut his eyes at the couch and put his hands on his hips. “And maybe a certain someone should know better.”

In a heap on the couch, Sans smiled sideways and shrugged weakly. Papyrus loomed over him and narrowed his eyes.

“Brother, you look exceptionally lump-like today,” he said. “You should come with me. It’d be good for you to get out of the house, don’t you think? I think so!”

“Probably just slow you down,” he said with an apologetic smile.

“Nyeh! As if!” he said. He tapped on his teeth. “Though. I guess the whole source of whatever that is, is that you stayed out too long last night.”

“Guess so,” he said.

“Okay! I have decided! You should stay home,” he announced.

“Good idea, bro,” Sans said. 

“I know! Nyeh heh heh!” 

Papyrus raced outside as if somehow it was urgent.The air hung quiet and calm behind him. The gentle ting of Toriel’s spoon against the side of her mug was the only sound for a while. Eventually, she raised up and stretched, and then turned back to look at the pile of bones on the couch.

“You don’t look well, sweetie,” she said.

“What else is new?” Sans asked with a hoarse chuckle. 

She sighed quietly and made her way to the couch. She sat gently beside him and, carefully, scooped him up in her arms and held him close. He scoffed but, if he were honest, the warmth of her soul humming nearby was welcome. He felt a shiver coming on. 

“I can make you some breakfast,” she suggested. “Some tea?”

“Tea,” he agreed.

She kissed his head and sat him back down where he’d been. Stretching again, she stood and headed for the kitchen. “Would you do me a favour and go get the mail? When you’re ready,” she suggested. “A little air might do you good.”

“Sure,” he said.

He didn’t get up for a long while anyway. The bones in his ribcage hurt. When he managed to force his eyes open, he was met with blinding orange. He wasn’t sure if it was a dream or not, but the stark heat and the thrum of magic in the air made him think not. He took a deep breath and stumbled, grasping to the hot metal console in front of a streaming pillar of energy. His eyes hurt. Didn’t make sense. Gaster was back. So why was he here? 

\- - - 

The Tem Village deep in the heart of Waterfall was almost empty, now. The cat-and-doglike Tems had mostly fled for the surface as soon as the barrier had fallen, but a handful had stuck around, mostly for shopping and tourists. The shop had a lot of interesting things now— the little creatures were fascinated with bartering for whatever was in someone’s pockets. 

Papyrus was excited with what he’d found. Many were foods he’d never even heard of, and there was some fruit, for Frisk. It struck him, as he was perusing, that he wasn’t exactly sure what his father liked, aside from greasy burgers and coffee. Pasta, surely? He found something called a tortellini that he’d never seen before, but it seemed to be a pasta, so he was eager to cook it for everyone.

Despite the good haul, the skeleton had a weird sense of anxiety perked inside him. Maybe because he hadn’t seen his sister today. Maybe because he hadn’t done any training with Undyne.

He’d almost reached home when he noticed an odd heap of something on the front steps of the house. He squinted through the falling snow and his soul, for some reason, did an uncomfortable flip. He walked faster. Sans was slumped awkwardly down the stairs, his body limp. That was exceptionally odd.

“Um. Brother?” Papyrus leaned over him. “This is no place for a nap, you know.” He grabbed him to lift him up, but red caught his eye and he froze. A pained squeak came out of him and, groceries long since forgotten, he flipped Sans over in his arms. 

The short skeleton’s eyes were closed, his cheekbone cracked, and the ridge above one of his eyes chipped, where red magic oozed from him. Papyrus opened and closed his mouth silently for a moment, shock freezing him into the centre of his bones.

“S-S-Sans?” he croaked. “SANS?! Sans!! What are you doing?! Wake up!!” He clapped his hand to his brother’s face, magic glowing bright. “Come on. Don’t fool around like this, this is a terrible joke, even for you!”

The oozing began to slow, but apart from that, nothing changed. Not even the edges of the cracks would stitch. Papyrus felt sick. 

“This isn’t funny, Sans,” he said. “You have to get up now.”

Still nothing. Not even a flicker. He ran his finger through the magic and looked at the red on the tip of his finger. He drew it up towards his nasal cavity just to be sure it wasn’t ketchup. It was not.

Hefting Sans up into his arms, he barged into the house and raced up the stairs. By the time he was gently laying his brother down in a bed, Toriel had followed him up. She took one look at the scene and then grabbed Papyrus into a tight hug. He wilted and hid himself against her for only a moment before turning back to Sans and putting his hand against his forehead.

“Do you know what happened?” she asked quietly.

“N-No. No I… I don’t know,” he said. “He was on the steps. It’s s-so weird, it feels like healing isn’t working. So. Um. I… I don’t know what to do. But I’m sure I can figure it out! S-Somehow! Nyeh heh… heh.”

“I’ll c—” Toriel looked up as something clunked above them. “Oh, thank goodness.”

Within seconds, the door was flung open and Frisk barrelled in, breathing hard, a thin stream of blood flowing down her arm. Her eyes went wide.“Oh my god.” She got on the bed and grasped her brother’s shoulders. “No. No no no no, he can’t…” She put her hand over the cracks in his skull. “Oh my god, bro.”

“Sweetheart, do you have any idea what happened?” Toriel asked, putting her hand on her back.

“I d-don’t know, I just felt… I felt…” She put a hand to her soul spot and choked. “No, Sans, you can’t…”

“He didn’t fall, did he?” Papyrus asked shrilly. “He… I thought he couldn’t. After everything, I mean, he’s had a horrible time, you’d think he would have done it sooner if he was going to fall down at all, right? Things are going well now, aren’t they?”

“I… I dunno, I’m not sure, but maybe I can…” Frisk rolled up her sleeves. Her hands flared with red magic and she put one to his temple and the other on his chest. 

Something was desperately wrong with her brother. His soul was there. It didn’t feel like the hollow sound of a fallen monster, but it still felt wrong. Cold. Burnt out. The remnants of a small bonfire left to turn to ash, long since abandoned and frozen to the touch. She tried to pull him back, but she saw only blackness in reply. Then, starlight, in little pinpricks. She felt the echo of his soul, the song and the abrupt stop, over and over again until it made her head hurt. 

She fell back away from him, watery and wide-eyed, and stared. Her hands shook and she put them to her head. Toriel and Papyrus looked at her, their expressions questioning, concerned, and confused. She gulped. She felt like there was sand in her throat. Then, Sans stirred. Everyone zeroed in on him and he opened one eye. Frisk beamed and grabbed his hand.

“Oh, thank god,” Papyrus said.

“Sans!! How you feeling?” Frisk demanded.

“Oof. Uh. Awful.” He grinned sideways. “I… Uh. Oh. I’m, uh… Think I’m gonna faint.”

“What?! No, no no no, wait, hang on,” Frisk insisted, eyes wide. She cupped his face. “Wait, please, try to stay just a little longer. What’s wrong with you?”

“What isn’t wrong with me?” His voice was weakening. “Hey. You look real worried, huh? …Don’t, uh… Don’t worry.”

“But Sans?!” Papyrus insisted. “You’re not allowed to fall!! You can’t.”

“Not fallin’.” He closed his eyes again as Papyrus grabbed his hand. “Heh. Sorry for spookin’ you guys…Head kinda hurts, though. Think I need a nap.” He was gone again.

Before Frisk could say another word, Gaster arrived. Toriel grabbed his shoulder. He looked like he might faint himself.

“But… He can’t fall,” he said hoarsely.

“I thought so! I really thought so,” Papyrus said. “What’s going on? Frisk?”

She gulped and put her hand to his chest again. Her magic thrummed through him and she began to sweat. It couldn’t latch and turn— he was locked up. She dropped back with ice in her stomach and a horrified shiver overtaking her small frame. 

“I c-can’t turn him backwards right, i-it didn’t work,” she said. “It… It feels like…” She gulped. “Feels like he just… shut down or something.” Tears began to run down her cheeks and she looked up at the others, her heart sinking. “I… I didn’t do it good enough. I couldn’t fix it.”

“What are you talking about?” Toriel bent in to hold the girl gently. “This isn’t your fault.”

“No, no, it…” Her voice went tight and she choked. She buckled and her shoulders shook as her chest heaved, sucking air, unable to catch her breath or force a word out. 

Toriel pulled Frisk in close, cooing and rocking her back and forth gently. “Honey! Honey, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

Papyrus and Gaster shared a heartbroken look and the younger skeleton slipped in close to Toriel. He reached in for his sobbing sister held her head, lighting gentle magic up in his palm.

“Come on, sister. Breathe. Deep breaths. In and out. You can do it,” he said quietly.

She tried. Her heart was pounding and her jaw hurt. Her vision blurred and a dry, hot headache set in fast. Toriel kissed her brow softly.

“Is that better?” she asked. “My child, try to calm down. We will help him. You know that.”

She shook her head vehemently. “The universe, I… I didn’t close it enough, maybe? He wasn’t feeling good and we saw all these weird things and I was supposed to shut it and I couldn’t shut it and I thought it was good enough but it wasn’t and—”

“Frisk! Frisk, stop!” Gaster reached in and put a hand on her head, drawing her in, eyes glowing. “Kiddo, it’s not your fault, you can’t just—”

“I d-don’t understand why it didn’t work, I… I gotta go back, I gotta go back,” she mumbled.

“Wait. Wait, wait wait.” He cupped her face and pulled her up to lock eyes with her. “Okay? Please. We need some time.”

“I c-can’t leave him like this!” she said shrilly. 

“I know. I know. But this… This isn’t normal. Alright? He just fainted again, didn’t he? If you reverse it, it’ll just happen again.”

Frisk looked aghast. She put her face in her hands and choked. Papyrus shoved himself between the adults and scooped her up, holding her tight. She whimpered and clung to him. 

Gaster sighed and rubbed a hand over his skull. He got up and paced. “We’ll take him to the lab. Run some tests,” he said quietly.

“I… I need to… I need to talk to him, though,” Frisk squeaked. “I… Oh my god.”

“Okay. Okay. Breathe, honey. Breathe,” Toriel said softly. “It’s okay. We will figure this out together.”

“I screwed up.” Her voice was barely even a whisper. “I gotta fix him. I…”

“Why do you keep saying this was you?” Papyrus asked worriedly. “You didn’t do this.”

“I w-was supposed to close everything outside of here but I… I didn’t do it right. I saw there were other v-versions of everything and… And I thought—”

“You have to stop,” Gaster said, his voice stern. “It’s not your fault. I was there. You repaired what you could. Nothing you did will have caused this to happen to him, or else you and Asriel would be feeling the effects as well, don’t you think?”

Frisk was at a loss. She gulped and tried to find her words. “B-B-But there were so many other lights out there, I—”

“There always will be,” Gaster said. “I believe it’s a separate issue. It may be true that something made him sick, but we will need to examine him. There is a way to heal him, I’m certain.”

Toriel’s brow furrowed and she gently kissed the girl on the head. “He’s right,” she said quietly. “Please, my child, calm yourself. Think of what your brother would say.”

Frisk pouted. She rubbed her eyes. She breathed deep despite the snag in her throat. 

“O-Okay. You’re right.” She wiped her eyes again. “We should take him to the lab. We’ll… We’ll do some tests and… Does anyone know when he fainted?” 

“He’d just stepped out to check the mail,” Toriel said. “So, I suppose, not too long ago.”

Frisk flinched. “I just s-saved like ten minutes ago. So… That might be…” She was nauseous. She’d accidentally bottled the consciousness of her brother into only a couple minutes. She tried to push that away for now. “Okay. L-Let’s… Let’s test his energy a bit with Dad’s stuff and then… Then I’ll jump back and… and we’ll try to grab him before he faints. Then at least he won’t, um, b-break his face. Does, um…? Does that work for everyone?”

“That’s perfect,” Gaster said. He gently scooped Sans up into his arms. “I’ll meet you there.”

He was gone in an instant. Frisk curled up on herself and folded her arms tight. Her brother cuddled her gently and blew out a rough sigh. Toriel held them and gently kissed each of their heads. 

“Don’t worry,” she said. “Frisk. Your plan is good. I know you’ll figure it out. What can I do?”

The kid flinched. She thought hard about it. What would Sans say? He’d probably find all this panic and crying a waste of energy. She took a deep breath.

“Dunno. Come with me to the lab? We’ll get Alphys and we’ll get some stuff ready.”

“I’m not sure we can get ahead of your father,” she said.

“Oh. Hah… I got it covered.” She forced herself to her feet. “Follow me.”

\- - -

It was pretty obvious that something was wrong when the two monsters and the human kid plopped into the second lower floor of the lab in Hotland with Frisk in particular looking red and puffy. The most simple of explanations sent Alphys into a tizzy. Luckily, Undyne was there to help lift and gather the arcane equipment they might need, most of which was quite large. They set up a bed close to the tear in time in the largest basement room on the first level below and waited. 

When Gaster arrived, the lab became a whirlwind of electronics and cables. They took Sans’s shirt off but the wires attached to his arms and then inside of his ribcage soon made up for it. 

Frisk felt like the world around her was going too fast, and she was sluggish and stiff. Their father was operating like a robot, calculated and efficient in every move he made. Computers and medical monitors were set up like a protective fortress. Extra hands in blue and black magic flitted around like helpful birds, but they just made the kid dizzy.

She didn’t move from her spot until she was grabbed by soft paws with strong fingers around her shoulders. She jerked to the side to find herself looking into Asriel’s pale green eyes. She pulled him into a tight hug and he held her close.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he said.

“It’s bad though. I-It’s bad,” she said softly.

“Mom told me,” he said. “He’s gonna be okay. We’ll fix him.”

“Right. Right right…” Her posture went slack. She let him cradle her as she tried not to let a ragged, heavy breath get caught in her throat. “I… I don’t know what I did to him.”

“I don’t think you did anything,” he said.

“Then why…?” She hid against him and her voice went high and weak. “Why?”

“Don’t know yet,” he said.

“It’s not fair,” she said. “I-It’s just not fair. He’s been through so much and he did so much good but no matter what I do, the bad stuff still all happens to him!”

“I know. It’s garbage,” he said gently. “But. I mean. On the bright side. At least while he’s out he won’t be hurtin’ or dreaming anything stupid, probably. Right?”

Frisk drew back, wiping her eyes. She nodded stiffly, drew in a timid sniffle, and sighed heavily. Papyrus’s long, boney hand rested on her back as he sat beside her with a heavy sigh. She jerked upright, her eyes glistening.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“What for?” he asked. “Look! Dad and Alphys both know nerdy science stuff, and they’re both working very hard! So. Don’t worry.”

She grimaced. Asriel held her hand. 

“Did you feel it?” she asked.

“Felt you,” he said. 

Frisk put a hand to her brow and she tried to catch her breath again. She stood up on wobbly legs and grabbed onto Papyrus. “I’m sorry.”

“Nyeh! Frisk.” He held her. “Please. Don’t. Okay?”

Her voice was barely a whisper. “I took him away from you.”

“Hm? What? Frisk, come on,” he insisted gently.

“I screwed up,” she said.

“Nyeeehhh, little sister, please.” He held her face and then lit his fingers up against her temples. “Relax. Reeeelax. You couldn’t have known this would happen.”

Frisk flinched. She gritted her teeth, then kissed his cheek and ran from the room.

“Frisk?! Frisk, hey…!” Papyrus’s voice faltered and he got to his feet. “Oh no.”

“Wh-Where’s she going?” Alphys asked worriedly. 

The skeleton was on his way out before she’d even finished her question. Asriel picked up and went, too.

Frisk wasn’t in the hall ahead of them, nor was she near either elevator or in the room, or anywhere else in the lab, in fact. 

“How is she so fast?!” Papyrus demanded. 

Asriel bit his lip. He paced the hall until the sight of light near the large elevator that went downwards caught his attention. His soul warbled. “I think I know.” He grabbed Papyrus. “Look, uh. I’ll find her.”

“Did I… say something bad?” he wondered. “I didn’t, did I? I hope not.”

“No. No, it’s not you,” Asriel said swiftly. “It’s… Don’t worry. I think I know where she might have gone.”

With a lump in his throat, the boy touched the light. His mind swam. It ached deep cold all through him, and he thought, maybe the flower patch. The first place she’d seen here. He dropped out onto crunchy leaves and had to take a moment to reorient himself. 

A headache heavy in his head, he rushed through the Ruins and down deeper into the mountain. However, the field of glittering gold flowers was vacant. The smell turned his stomach. He raced back to try again.

She wasn’t on the mountain top, nor Grillby’s, nor back home. When he finally found her, she was sitting in the dark, feet dangling into the bioluminescent streams of water right near Undyne’s house. 

“Hey. I was looking for you,” he said quietly. 

The air in the cave was still and cool, and her sniffles echoed with the dripping of water. 

“Sorry,” she said.

He took a seat with her, dunking his paws into the pleasantly cool stream. “Needed some air?”

“I’m so mad,” she said.

“That’s new,” he said. 

“Not really.” She curled up on herself and hugged her knee. “…I’m a mess. I… I can’t believe I—”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said.

“They’re not supposed to be apart. I broke it. I broke them. This isn’t supposed to happen.” Her eyes looked glazed. The tears on her cheeks reflected that same blue light from below them. “How could I? It’s like, I’m just a mess, I’m just evil; I made them love me and then just destroyed… everything.”

“Whoa. Dude, that’s not… That doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

“If I’m a time god, I’m one who… Who just… ruins things,” she said. “I gotta be bad. I just break time and my b-brother and… everything.”

Asriel bit his lip. His ears drooped bashfully. “…You fixed me,” he said.

Frisk jerked back, wide-eyed, and stared at him like he’d dumped ice on her. She quickly pulled him into her arms and choked. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I know… I know I— Oh my god, I’m so s-selfish, I can’t believe I… I should just shut up, I’m so stupid, you’re so important a-and I—”

“Frisk. Frisk, stop. Breathe.” He held her and kissed her forehead. He looked at her sturdily in the eyes. “Never say that about yourself again. Any of that.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize to me, either,” he said, laughing weakly. “Jeez, what happened to you?”

She wilted into him. “I feel like I’m gonna die,” she hiccuped.

“You’re not gonna die,” he said. “You’re gonna be fine. And so is he. Just give your dad and Alphys a bit of time. And then, well… if that’s not gonna work, it’ll be up to you and me. And that’s okay.” He held out his hand to her, offering her his pinkie. “We’re a team. Forever. Like, literally. Okay?”

The kid gulped. She hiccuped again and wiped her eyes, and then locked her pinkie with his. “Okay. Y-Yeah. Team.”

“The most OP team you ever seen,” he said, grinning his fangs. “And. Listen. You can’t be evil, okay? That’s my job.”

“You’re not,” she scolded. She sniffled and ran her fingers through her bangs. “You don’t think… So if I’m some weird time god and I break something and it just puts someone— anyone— out on their butt, like…isn’t that…?”

“Kinda wish he never put that in your head,” Asriel said. “I mean. Don’t get me wrong. It’s true. But that word implies stuff that isn’t true for you. If that’s what you are, you’re still a human, too. You’re still only ten—”

“Eleven.”

“Ten and a half.” He winked. “You don’t have a ton of experience or even just… the mental tools to deal with stuff, if that makes sense? You’re putting way too much pressure on yourself.” He patted her hand. “Even if we pretend it’s all your fault and you just did a crap job, you didn’t do anything we can’t fix. And you didn’t do anything to hurt anyone on purpose. It’s new territory. Sans would never blame you in a million years.”

“But… we don’t know that we can fix it,” she said quietly.

“Of course we can,” he assured her. “Look, you can’t lose it on me, alright? Isn’t determination your thing?”

“I guess so,” she said.

“You already did the impossible.” He winked. “Now’s just time for the difficult. Right?”

“Uhhhh. Am I interuptin’ something?” Undyne had somehow crept up behind them. Judging by the bundle of grass and the box in her arms, she’d come from her house. “Whoa. Uh. You guys okay?”

“Not really,” Asriel said, though he cut his eyes at Frisk.

Undyne put her stuff on the ground and she plopped down heavily beside Frisk and wrapped her arm around her. “Hey. S’okay. He’s gonna be just fine. He always is.”

The kid nodded. She leaned up against the big monster. “I just hate this.”

“I know.” She ruffled the kid’s hair, though her shoulders sagged. “…Ah, I shouldda made him come here sooner.”

“There was no way to know,” Frisk assured her swiftly.

“See?!” Asriel said.

Frisk blushed. He smiled sympathetically.

Undyne raised her brows. After a moment, a light of understanding flickered in her eye. She groaned, smacked her forehead, and laughed tiredly. “Aw, jeez, kid!” She pulled her up into her arms and hugged her close. “C’mon. Jeez. Don’t gimme that.”

“I d-didn’t even whine yet, though,” she squeaked.

“You don’t have to!” Undyne said. She got up and plunked Frisk onto her feet. “C’mon, let’s go the long way back, huh? You could use a breather, I can tell.”

“I dunno,” Frisk said sheepishly, “shouldn’t I—?”

“Hey. There’s no _should_ right now, alright?” Undyne said. She clenched her fist and grinned bright, striking a defiant pose.“Kiddo. Listen. Every time you think that stuff, just think of me PUNCHIN’ IT RIGHT INTO SPACE!! Okay?” 

“O-Okay,” she said. 

Normally the sounds of Waterfall, bubbling and flowing and the white noise of distant, falling water was calming— allowed the mind to drift along. Undyne wasn’t having it. She didn’t stop talking the whole way back to the lab. Frisk had trouble focusing, but if one thing was certain, she couldn’t focus on the troubled thoughts whirling in her skull either. 

Papyrus was pacing downstairs, waiting, when the three of them returned. He crushed Frisk into a hug, soul sparking.

“Sorry,” she said softly.

“No, don’t be,” he said.

“Can I help with anything?” she asked.

“You can keep me company!” he said. “And I can keep you company! Good, right? I think so!”

Frisk had to force her eyes away from the tangle of wires and stacks of cold equipment behind him. She nodded and gritted her teeth. Wanted to apologize over and over anyway.

Darting around the room, Gaster was quiet and quick, working on ten things at once. The sharp sound of his bones clacking against a keyboard was inescapable. As Papyrus took a spot beside Sans’s bed again, Frisk hung back nervously. Asriel thumped her heavily on the shoulder and joined the skeleton, staring down into the mess of blankets on the bed. 

Female voices murmured on the other side of the room, pulling Frisk away for only a second. Toriel had come to join them, bearing a tray of hot drinks, and Undyne huddled close to her, arms folded tight. They whispered in concerned urgency. A sneak of the eye and a glance her way filled with pity put a pit in Frisk’s stomach. She made a beeline for one of the monitors hooked up to her brother.

The waveform of Sans’s soul was running blue over a black background, though it was displayed next to an older version. The intensity had clearly decreased. She felt a pressure behind her eyes and she huffed quietly. Maybe Gaster was right.

“What do I do, what do I do?” she muttered. 

The sound of feet sent a shiver up her spine and she darted out of the way as Gaster stormed in towards a computer that was hooked up to the monitor. His eyes were so cold and determined that all Frisk could do was try to stay out of his way. He summoned data to the screen that rushed by so quickly she couldn’t understand a word of it, but he nodded to himself, jotted something down on his own arm bone with a felt-tip marker, and was leaving without another word.

“D-Dad, um—?” She felt awkward even talking to him. “Dad?”

He stopped dead and looked at her blankly.

“Can I, um…? Can I help?” she asked.

“Hm? Oh. I doubt it,” he said.

Frisk gulped and nodded. He hated her, she bet. Had to. “A-Are you sure?”

“Very.” He cracked a weak smile. “I have everything under control. Why don’t you get off your feet for a little while? I’m sure Papyrus would appreciate the company.”

She nodded again, and he went right back to work. 

Stiff and nervous, Frisk curled up with Papyrus and Asriel against Sans’s bed. Someone had wrapped bandages around his broken brow and eye socket. There was metal curled around his wrist, tethered to more cables. In her mind, his voice echoed with a playful tone: _lookin’ kinda like a cyborg, huh?_ She grabbed his cold hand, sighed, and slumped forward onto the covers. 

She tried to think of what he would do. Where would he look for answers? He’d have to wait for test results, she guessed. And Alphys and Gaster were already doing those. She had nothing to reach for.


	18. NOT THIS AGAIN

Monsters came and went. The usual suspects. Asgore passed through with words of encouragement and more of his special tea blend, which they mixed with liquid energy magic in a capsule hooked up to drip-feed into Sans’s soul. They talked, but Frisk didn’t hear them. Bratty and Catty came for Papyrus with starfaits and gossip to kill an hour or two, and some supportive words. Time seemed to stop and race at the same time. It was morning the next day before the kid knew it. She hadn’t slept a wink.

She could hear monster voices around the room, but what they were saying didn’t process in her mind. She finally straightened up when Papyrus put a hand on her head. She looked at him with confusion. She hadn’t realized he was there for some reason. Asriel was long gone.

“Did you hear what I said?” he asked.

She stiffly shook her head. He gestured to his side, to a small folding table she hadn’t noticed. It was laden with plates and cups, all filled with food, carefully placed and pristine.

“You didn’t touch any of your dinner, or breakfast, or drinks or anything at all, really,” he said. “Do you want something else? Spaghetti? Anything.”

“Um… N-Not really,” she said quietly. “I guess I’m not that hungry.”

Papyrus frowned slightly. He sighed. “Me neither.” He scooped her into a hug. “Do you want to take a nap? It’s been a long night.”

“No, I’m okay,” she said. “Um. What time is it?”

“Early. Late?” He laughed. “Sorry, little sister, I think it’s somewhere in between breakfast and lunch.”

She looked up at him. It hadn’t struck her how dazed he looked; how grey around the eye sockets. She puffed out a quiet sigh. Her magic sputtered, but she reached up and held his face anyway. His shoulders slumped and he snuggled her.

“Feeling a little rough, bro?” she asked.

“Well, I’ve definitely felt better!” He chuckled hoarsely, and his gaze shifted behind her. “It’s sort of funny, isn’t it? He’s always been so weak but I don’t think he’s ever gotten as sick as this before.”

“It sucks,” she grumbled.

He snickered and nodded. “Yes, it does! A lot.” He looked at Sans and sighed. “I just wish I… I mean. Can you keep a really really big secret for me?”

“Yeah,” she said.

“I know that I, the great Papyrus, should really be rather on top of this,” he said, “but I actually… still don’t know what to do. I thought a lot about it, you know! But still.” He looked at his hand. “My healing isn’t working, and yours isn’t, and it’s very confusing and I just feel like it shouldn’t be very confusing.”

Frisk nodded. “Do, um…? Do you know if dad or Alphys came up with anything yet? S-Sorry, I, um, wasn’t really paying attention.”

“Weeellll, I think I heard them say that his health rating fell quite a bit,” he said. “Maybe it was that?”

“What’s he at?” Frisk asked worriedly. 

“I want to say around two and a half,” Papyrus said cautiously.

Frisk looked down at Sans and puffed out a sigh. She flopped forward, folding her arms on the blankets and pouting. “Bro, c’mon, what the heck.” She couldn’t help a grimace. She’d seen that crack the night before it’d happened. She couldn’t get it out of her mind. Why hadn’t she done something more? Why couldn’t she have even thought of something more to do?

Papyrus put his hand on her back. “You must be stiff, I bet. Why don’t you take a little walk around?”

“I dunno…” she said quietly. 

“If I made you something, would you eat it?” he asked. “Some nice tasty spaghetti?”

“Don’t worry about me,” she said. “I’m not hungry anyway.”

“Nyeh… What about something to drink, would you at least have that?” he asked hopefully.

The kid relented. She nodded and Papyrus grinned with relief. He ruffled her hair gently and hopped upright, leaving her line of sight quickly.

Frisk simply slumped farther. She lifted Sans’s closest hand in both of hers and gently squeezed him. She hoped for him to squeeze back but, of course, he didn’t. 

Papyrus came back with a freshly brewed cup of Asgore’s tea, sweetened with honey, and gave it to the kid. She took a cautious sip, but didn’t feel well enough to have much more. That didn’t make sense, though— it was supposed to make her feel better, wasn’t it? She sighed quietly as Papyrus sat down beside her again.

“What do you normally do when you’re waiting for him to wake up?” she asked.

“Pick him up and get going with my day,” he said with a smile. “Patrol doesn’t wait for a lazybones, after all.”

Frisk forced down another gulp of tea and finally let her eyes drift outside of her five-foot bubble. There was a little table set up farther down the room with some food and drinks on it, and Alphys’s fridge and computer from upstairs had been moved nearby. The lizard was half-kneeling on her chair, typing furiously. Toriel was near her, in a chair propped up against the wall, arms folded and chin dropped down onto her chest as she dozed. Asriel lay at her feet, a blanket draped over him, facedown on a book he’d fallen asleep reading. Trudging footsteps announced Undyne who, ear fins drooped and hair disheveled, slumped towards Alphys with a mug of coffee in each hand. She placed one down on the desk, smooched the lizard on the head, and then wandered away and out of sight.

“Hey, um,” Frisk said at a whisper, “h-have you, um, seen dad?”

“Not much,” Papyrus said, “but I have to admit, I’ve been paying a bit more attention to Sans.”

“Right…” She sighed. “I just wish I knew what to do. I… I should know, right?”

“Why should you know?” Papyrus asked.

Frisk shrugged weakly. “He’s… I mean. I know all about him. Right? And I… I do the time stuff, so…”

“Aw, little sister, relax!” Papyrus said. “If something comes to you, fantastic! If not, that’s alright, too. Sans may be an enigma, but we have two great scientists working on him! Plus, Dad’s not just a scientist, you know! He’s also a proper health doctor! And an engineer! And a librarian! He’s really very old, so he had a lot of jobs. And Alphys is so smart and good at soul things, I’m sure it’ll be fine!”

Frisk nodded. She chewed her cheek. Her heart thumped uncomfortably. She put her tea aside and slumped back in her spot.

\- - -

Day two dragged past and no one could get Frisk to budge. She was still awake come the third morning as well, staring at nothing. She was almost as catatonic as her brother was. She didn’t even notice the monsters conspiring at the other end of the large room. They’d sent Papyrus out for more coffee grounds. He wasn’t much better than Frisk was, though, but at least he was moving around.

Undyne huddled up with Asriel and Toriel, her face set in a grimace, trying not to let her eye dart off too much towards the kid. “I say we just drag her outta here.”

“She’s gonna start to sob if you do that,” Asriel said.

“So?! Maybe she needs it, y’know?” She growled quietly, ears drooping. “Anyone got a better idea?”

“This must be so hard,” Toriel said softly. “When’s the last time they were apart for this long?”

“After she had to reset this timeline ‘cause I killed everyone,” Asriel said bitterly.

“Asriel,” his mother chided gently.

“Ah, shit, doesn’t make this easier, though, does it?” Undyne grumbled. “Where’s Gaster, he got any bright ideas?”

“I haven’t seen him,” Toriel admitted. “I’m sure he’s working very hard.”

“Yeah, sure, but one of his kids might just knock herself the hell out,” Undyne said, exasperated. “And what about Papyrus?! Has he been eating, at least? Did anyone notice?”

“I saw him cook spaghetti but not actually eat any,” Asriel volunteered. “He’s drinking, though, which is more than we can say for…” He turned to look back and Frisk and frowned. “Screw it.”

He stormed over the fridge and grabbed a soda and a straw, and then stomped over to her, sitting down heavily on the chair Papyrus had been using. The other monsters leaned in, watching intently.

“Hey,” he said sharply.

Frisk didn’t move. He grabbed her shoulder tight and shook her. She looked up slowly.

“Oh. Hey,” she said, her voice soft. “Sorry. You been there for long?”

“No. Here.” He shoved the cool can into her hands, popped the tab, and plunked the straw into it. “Drink that.”

“Oh. Um. I’m not really thirsty,” she said.

“I don’t care,” he said. “I really couldn’t give less of a damn if you’re thirsty or not, you are gonna pass out if you don’t put something in your face.”

She stared blankly at the soda can and then looked up at him quizzically. “You really think so?” 

“Yes.”

“Oh.” She hesitantly sipped the drink. After a few seconds, she took another. 

The monsters let out a collective sigh of relief. Asriel patted her back reassuringly and then drew her over to smooch the side of her head.

“S’gonna be okay,” he said.

“I hope so,” she said. She looked around cautiously. “I-Is…? Is dad here?”

“I think he’s still working? I dunno,” Asriel said. “Why?”

“Oh. Um… Nothing. It’s okay,” she said. 

“…He’d hate this, y’know.” He pointed at Sans. “He’d tell you sleep is important.”

“I know. I can’t,” she said. “Head won’t let me. Papyrus is the same.”

“And you’re both nuts,” he said. “You can still pull us back, you know.”

“He’ll still faint,” she grumbled. “Gotta wait for… f-for dad. A-And Alphys. We need a plan and then…” She sniffled and her eyes welled up. “I keep thinking for a sec that his hand moves but it’s just m-me moving the blankets.”

Asriel frowned deeply. He held her shoulders tight. “Dude, c’mon, you’re a mess, you gotta sleep.” 

“I… I can’t. Not while he’s…” She ground her fingers into her hair. “I d-don’t… I don’t know what to do without him, I… I feel like I can’t even think.”

“You’re not helpless,” he said. “You lived, what? Ten years without him? Without anyone but yourself and a weird ghost dad that was barely there and you made it. Right?”

Frisk gulped. She took a deep breath, but the air felt ragged going into her lungs. It hurt. Asriel huffed and he pulled her into his arms. 

“I’m sorry,” he said.

She gritted her teeth. Her fingers gripped tight into his sweatshirt and she shook her head. “Tell me what to do.”

“Go to sleep,” he said.

“No, not… I mean…” She hid her face against his shoulder. “He told me to stay here and I… I don’t know what I mean.”

Asriel peeked over her and saw Undyne and Toriel watching intently. Their mother, especially, looked shaken and worried. He sighed and kissed Frisk’s head. 

“Hey. Listen. Okay? You’re smart,” he said. “Plus you got, like… all of Sans’s memories and stuff in you, right? He knows science. And Alph and your dad, they been hiding away for days working and I dunno what the hell is going on. So, I mean, if you need something to do…”

Frisk drew back and looked at him with wide eyes. “I should… do science? I dunno if I’m smart enough for—”

“You are. I mean. Yeah, you don’t know, but that’s just ‘cause you didn’t study it or whatever, but Sans did, right?” he insisted.

“But I’m…I m-mean, I can still barely read and I’m just a dumb—”

“You’re not dumb,” Asriel scolded. “I know I called you an idiot sometimes, but you’re actually kinda smart.”

Frisk gulped, though her eyes shimmered with hope. “S-So you think I… I could maybe do something?”

Asriel nodded. “The last I heard, they’re looking at weird magic around his soul. There’s an issue, though, ‘cause I heard that besides being super weak, there’s not all that much wrong,” he said. “But they’ve been looking at it without sleeping for almost as long as you been here, so they couldda missed something, maybe? It would give you something to do. Don’t you think? Because, um, between you and me? They haven’t made any headway since yesterday, as far as I can tell, and they need a break as much as you do.”

Frisk frowned. Did that stuff about Sans even make sense? All words were starting to sound a little like gibberish to her, to be fair. She guessed it wouldn’t hurt to take a look. “Y-You’ll watch him, right?”

“If you promise to drink that whole can, I’ll do literally whatever you want,” Asriel said.

Frisk tossed the straw out of her drink and then tipped back the entire thing. She held in a hiccup and chucked the can away. “Thanks a million.”

She stood up on stiff legs, stared down at Sans with a cool, steady gaze, and wiped her eyes. Asriel was right. But, she wasn’t entirely without her brother, was she? And she’d never met someone smarter. All she needed— maybe— was a good memory and quick fingers. Asriel’s brow furrowed quizzically.

“You have an idea?” he asked.

Her fingers were a little shaky, but she pulled out her phone. Alphys had something called the MochiBox up on the app download centre of the UnderNet. It was where she stored backups of all her work applications, and it was locked behind a password. Luckily, Frisk knew that it was _MewMewXyQT1, _which let her download the SOULSCN app. 

She booted it up and pressed her phone to Sans’s chest. After a few seconds, she pulled it back to look and labeled the weak, blue soul in the list after the tutorial Alphys soul with his name. His health rating was exactly where Papyrus had thought. She flinched worriedly. Asriel stood up and peered over her shoulder.

“That’s his soul? Is that useful?” he asked.

She nodded. “If I can see what it’s like now, I can maybe look back on the computers and see what changed better.”

“Uh, but if you’re resetting—”

“Don’t ask me why, but parts of my phone don’t sometimes if I have it with me. I… I think it should be okay?”

She headed to the computer where she’d seen the recordings of her brother’s energy. This didn’t actually require much but scrolling backwards through numbers, checking hourly readings. She matched up the numbers with what she saw on SOULSCN and found them identical. She nodded to herself and hurried out of the room.

Alphys had to have a few dozen computers in the whole of the lab, and some of the ones that weren’t focused on Sans had been shoved off into a room that once held only a TV and some VHS tapes, out of the way. It wasn’t cramped for Frisk, though, despite the lack of empty floor space. They were all still running— had to be. Their power cables trailed like vines from the room and down the hallway.

She scooted into the nearest seat and turned the computer’s monitor on. There had to be something she could do to fix everything, right?

It was easy enough to find her way into the recent data. All the computers were connected to each other in a way that made accessing everything really easy. Sans’s design, actually, so he didn’t have to get up to check other work stations most of the time. She found the data on him that Alphys and Gaster must have been compiling.

Beside the faded, digital image of a white and blue heart, there was a long list of energy points beside corresponding times. There was nothing changing, nothing even unusual about it. She cycled through panels, but all of them seemed to say the same thing: Sans was exhausted and his health rating was lower than his last health check but, aside from that, nothing was actually wrong with him. She checked what she’d brought on SOULSCN and it was the same. Frisk bit her lip. No wonder Gaster was at a loss. But, then again, that was working on the assumption that her brother was just sick, maybe from what had already happened to him. Frisk still couldn’t shake the thought that she was to blame. Maybe it was something to do with the time tears that had to be making him sick?

She checked through other panels of data, drawing on Sans’s memories to guide her. A screen that referenced back to the Dark Model didn’t show anything significant that she could see but, then again, it would be easy to miss. Lists of numbers and times and coordinates mapped in algebraic formulas. But, Sans did have a weird connection to time. Maybe there was something related in there somewhere.

She searched for recent entries and read through them quickly. One stood out instantly because it was the only one that was a flat zero. Selecting it showed, however, it hadn’t always been. Backing up, it had been showing numbers regularly for as long as this program had been running, which had to have been years. Frisk didn’t know what the numbers meant, exactly, but she did know that it had increased over time. Maybe it was the point she’d closed? The date seemed to line up. Were all these others points that were open? 

She gulped, her chest getting tight. She quickly wiped her eyes and went back to look at more numbers. Sans hadn’t worked on this part. His memories were more focused on the predictive timeline division, not these weird readings from some mysterious, untouchable in-between. He knew, though, that the data came from something Gaster had called a NOCTURNE, a key made of determination that was permanently hooked into the CORE. It was able to reach out into the void and gather back information, though it was anchored outside so it didn’t fall into the trap of becoming timeless like what happened to almost everything else that went in there. That determination, in fact, had mostly come from within Sans’s own bones.

Frisk tried to find more with a difference until, in the list, she came upon one where the location coordinates were solid, without any placeholder values. Curiously, she checked it out. The data about it was more complete than the first one she’d looked at. In fact, there was a thumbnail of a picture under the the heading of H-008. The picture, blown up, was a greyscale photograph of a tear in time somewhere along a tiny sliver of rock overlooking the flowing magma below.

Frisk nodded to herself. She was starting to get the picture. She sorted by time. There were a lot that were recent. Small. Benign numbers. Except two months ago. A number connected to something unseen was a monolith compared to the rest. Frisk gulped heavily. She wrote the date and number in her phone and kept looking for more.

\- - -

When Papyrus returned with the coffee, Undyne immediately set to brewing some for everyone. The skeleton was pulled away by a warm, comforting hug from his mother and he allowed himself a very, very quick moment to rest in her arms before turning back to Sans. 

Asriel was beside the bed, playing around on his phone while keeping one eye on the unconscious skeleton, but Frisk was gone. Papyrus worriedly straightened up and stiffened, like a dog trying to catch a scent. Sans was safe with their brother, he was sure, but Frisk… He headed out into the halls to look for her. It didn’t take long.

At her computer spot inside the small room, the kid looked rather determined as she read through screens of stuff. Curiously, Papyrus snuck in beside her.

“Sister, what are you up to?” he asked.

“Research I think?” she said tepidly. “Um. Yeah, just… I, um… Y’know, I still have his memories, so I kinda know my way around. Trying to see if anything makes sense to me.”

“Oh! Does it?” he asked.

“Maybe? Um. I think… I think something that happened with the time tears is maybe what made Sans sick,” she said.

“Nyeh!? What, like an allergy?” Papyrus asked. “Was he allergic to time stuff this whole time?!”

“No. I mean. I don’t know.” She put her head in her hands. “It’s just like… he started going down a few months ago, right? And… And there’s a big time burst around the same time, so maybe it’s related? A-And… I dunno… C-Can, um…? C-Could I maybe have a hug?”

Papyrus gladly scooped her into his arms. She slumped against him, breathing out a heavy sigh and clinging close. 

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Please stop saying that,” he said. “It makes it sound like you still think this is your fault. Which it isn’t. And you know that. Right?”

Frisk gritted her teeth. Her soul stuttered— getting it to glow was an effort. His fingers tingled with the warmth of his magic and she felt a little better. Didn’t change her mind, though. 

“W-Will you do me a small favour?” she asked.

“Anything!” he assured her.

“When you go back with Sans, can you try healing him again? I know it probably won’t wake him up, but I wanna see if any of the numbers switch.”

“Oh! Yes, alright! I can go do that now, if you like?” His brow furrowed. “Though… Nyeh! I wish all this was in the other room! I don’t want to leave either of you.”

“I know,” she said with a tired laugh. “Don’t worry about me. Go sit with him for a bit, I’ll be back, like, soonish. I just need a bit of quiet, I guess.”

“I see, I see. Okay! That’s no problem at all for the great Papyrus!” he said brightly. He bumped his brow on hers before gently plunking her back into her seat. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“Me too,” she said.

Papyrus ran into Alphys on the way back to the big room. She walked like a zombie, supporting her weight against the wall with one hand while rubbing her eyes under her glasses with the other. 

“Hello, Doctor!” he said, scooping her up.

She squeaked with surprise. “P-P-Papyrus?!” 

“Sorry to startle you! You just looked so tired. Let me get you off your feet,” he said. “Where are you headed?”

“The, um… Where S-Sans is,” she said.

“Oh, what a nice coincidence, me too!” he said, carrying her along with him.

She looked up at him with big eyes. “Y-You, um… You seem t-to be in high spirits.”

“You’re all working very hard,” he said. “I’m sure, between the three of you and your weird science, you’ll cure Sans very soon.”

“Th-Three…? Uh.” She squeaked when the skeleton kicked in the door to the large room, and swiftly found herself plopped into a chair. She hadn’t been truly off her feet in— she wasn’t sure, actually. She slumped, deflating as a sigh wheezed out of her. 

Undyne greeted them, bending to quickly give Alphys a smooch before straightening up to pat Papyrus on the shoulder. “How you guys holdin’ up? Alph, jeez, have you slept?”

“M-Maybe a few minutes here and there,” she said sheepishly. “What about you, Papyrus?”

“Nope! Not a wink!” he said. “I…! Well. I just can’t, really. It’s alright. I tried to make Frisk sleep, too, but she takes after me in this way, I think. Not that I blame her, really.”

“Yeah, she’s just as stubborn,” Undyne said.

“I prefer _persistent and determined,_” he said.

“Don’t melt,” Undyne joked. 

“As if I would ever!” Papyrus said. 

“Honestly, I don’t mean to sound judgy or whatever,” she said, crossing her arms, “but the way you skeletons and the kid function— how you’re all so crazy attached to each other— I’m startin’ to get more worried about you and her than Sans. At least he gets a nap outta it.”

“And th-there’s the literal soulbonding thing, t-too, that doesn’t make it easier,” Alphys mumbled.

“The what?” Papyrus asked curiously.

Alphys looked back at him quizzically for a moment before a lightbulb went off in her head. “Oh! R-Right, um, sorry, Papyrus, I keep forgetting you w-were just a little kid when we did all those tests on you and Sans,” she said. “B-Because of the way, um, y-your dad made you? Y-You, especially, really. B-But you and Sans— I mean, I’m sure you know— but y-you have an extrasensory awareness of each other’s souls, right?”

“Is it not like that for all siblings?” he asked, wide-eyed.

“N-Not really. You and Sans are pretty, um, unique,” she said. “Frisk… d-doesn’t have that, as far as we know, but—”

“Oh! I think she does,” Papyrus said. “And Asriel, too. They can feel when something’s wrong with Sans, at least, and Frisk can pull him out of bad dreams like I can. I… Hm. Don’t know if they have it with me, exactly…” He cupped his hand over his soul spot and looked troubled for a moment before a big, bashful grin spread over his face. “Oh! Nyeh heh heh! Because I haven’t been sick or in trouble since I met either of them, actually!” 

He leaned around Undyne to look across the room to where Asriel was: still sitting with Sans, asleep with his head on his arms. Undyne turned to follow his gaze and smiled faintly. 

“At least someone’s getting some rest,” she said. “You guys are really spooking your mom, you know that?”

“I can imagine,” Papyrus said apologetically. “Is she…? Oh! I don’t see her here.”

“She went to get more comfy stuff. Think she might try forcing Frisk to lie down for a bit. Might be a good idea?” She shrugged wide. 

“I guess… e-everyone’s trying t-to help, in their own ways,” Alphys said softly. “It’s hard to just sit around when stuff like this is g-going on. But s-sometimes that’s all there is to do.”

Papyrus looked thoughtful. He darted over to the bed and put his hand on Asriel to lift him, but the boy’s pale green eyes cracked open instead. He shot Papyrus a groggy smile.

“Oh! Sorry, I was just going to put you somewhere more comfy!” the skeleton said.

“That’s alright.” He leaned back and stretched. “No dreams.”

“Huh?” Undyne said blankly.

“These other dorks can’t sleep,” Asriel rubbed his eyes. “Can’t check Sans’s dreams. I can.”

“Oh!! That’s a fantastic idea!” Papyrus said eagerly. “What did you find?!”

“Nothing. He’s not dreaming,” Asriel said. “Which is… good and bad.”

“Is it?!” the skeleton demanded.

“Well. Yeah.” The boy scratched his head. “If he were, we could talk to him. But it’d also mean he was stuck all in his head. He’s not, so he’s not gonna be hurting at all, but…” He folded his arms and leaned back in his seat. “It’s a lot like what happened to Frisk. You know, in the CORE.”

Alphys put her face in her hands and groaned. Undyne looked back at her worriedly.

“So… I mean. Have you guys figured anything out?” she asked. 

“K-Kind of? It’s…” She sighed. “It’s complicated.”

Papyrus looked at her hopefully, but when she volunteered nothing more, he wilted. Undyne’s ears drooped and she growled to herself. She opened her arms.

“Hey! C’mere and give your big sister a hug, you dork,” she ordered.

Papyrus gladly obliged and she crushed him to her chest. The tall skeleton still looked small beside her, more so as he wilted against her. She rubbed the top of his skull and pouted, frustrated. 

“I gotcha, man,” she said. “We’ll get this.”

“Thanks,” he said quietly. Swiftly, he perked up, eyes wide, and he spun back towards Sans. “Ah!! Hang on! I told Frisk I’d test something for her!”

He dashed back to his brother and sat down, putting his hands against his chest. His hands and eyes lit up with amber as he focussed a bright, warm healing through Sans’s bones. The others watched him curiously. Alphys sat up, checking her phone. She looked between the skeleton and her screen with a little light sparking in her eyes. 

“O-Oh… Ooh. Can you k-keep that up for a little?” Alphys asked.

“Absolutely I can,” he said.

The lizard stumbled to her feet, nodding, and then, eyes still locked on her phone, rushed out of the room. Undyne followed her.

“Didn’t we already try that?” Asriel asked.

“Yes, but Frisk said she might find something if I do this,” he said. “So! That’s just what I’ll do!”

Asriel sighed. He got up and paced, only deviating from his track when Gaster stormed in with a cold look on his face. The boy bristled and ducked out of the way. None of them had seen the skeleton in over a day and he didn’t look particularly eager to engage. His sleeves were rolled up and there was marker all over his arm bones.

When he got closer to Sans and Papyrus, though, he slowed. His expression softened. He sat on the extra chair at the foot of the bed and folded his hands. “Doing alright?” he asked.

“Oh! You know. All things considered,” Papyrus said. “Not exactly, um, as great as I would like.”

Gaster nodded. He stood again and circled the bed, eyes fixed on Sans. He patted Papyrus reassuringly on the shoulder. “He’ll be fine.”

“I know! Eventually he will,” Papyrus said quickly, nodding. “How are you doing?”

“Don’t concern yourself with me,” Gaster said.

“Oh.” Papyrus sounded a little disappointed. “Well. Why don’t you go see Frisk?”

“Hm?” Gaster looked baffled. His eyes darted around the room. “…She’s not here.”

“Well, obviously not,” he said. “She’s trying to figure out some science stuff with Sans’s memories. She’s in one of the computer rooms.”

The old skeleton felt a chill through his bones. He got to his feet and then froze, unsure of where to even begin looking. Papyrus levelled a finger at the nearest hallway. Gaster hurried off.

He found Frisk farther down into the lab, hunched over a computer desk that made her look tiny. She rested her head in her hands. Gaster slid up a chair and snuck in beside her. He put a hand on her shoulder. She jolted and looked up, her eyes sunken in and her cheeks darkened with a tint of red. 

“Oh. H-Hey.” She wiped her eyes quickly on her sleeve. “What’s, umm…? What’s up?”

“How are you holding up?” he asked.

The kid bit her lip, her mouth forming an _F_ sound for just an instant before her gaze dropped to the table. She grimaced. “Pretty bad, honestly. I keep trying to follow his trail but I j-just keep getting lost. I miss him so much I’m…” She shook her head. “Sorry. P-Pretty dumb, huh?”

“It’s not dumb,” he said quietly.

Frisk puffed out a sigh and clasped her hands together, her eyes fixed firmly on the floor that her feet didn’t even touch from where she sat. “You had a plan for me, right? I goofed up, I guess.”

“What? Kiddo, what do you mean by plan, exactly?” 

“When you were guiding me around and stuff. Getting me those powers and everything. You had a plan, right?” She looked up at him with big eyes. “What do I do? What were you doing? What was the plan, ‘cause… ‘cause I’m super lost.”

Gaster pressed the heel of his hand to his brow. “You may not want to hear this. But there was no plan. Not really.” He folded his arms to his chest. “You wanted to be stronger, to protect the others, didn’t you? All I was trying to do was lead you towards was your potential.”

“That’s…? That’s it?” Her voice warbled. “But g-giving me those powers—”

“I gave you nothing except the shield,” he said. “Everything else was yours. I just accelerated its development.”

“B-But it just seemed so much like you were… leading me somewhere? Guiding me to something? There wasn’t anything?” she asked shrilly.

Gaster flinched. It took him a moment to vocalize anything at all. His soul’s sound grated too loudly and he put his hand against his chest. “It was fully a selfish endeavour.”

“What?” Frisk asked blankly.

“Your strength allowed you to keep fragments of me,” he said. “In turn, I began to remember myself. And all I wanted was to cling to your power and be dragged out of the void. I… couldn’t help myself. I’m so sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” She looked baffled. “Jeez, dad, I… Dang… I thought… I thought maybe there was something else you wanted me to do. Something else I was missing. I dunno.” She clenched her fingers and ran them over her thumbs, a little shimmer of red magic tingling under her skin. “Did you know I would be like this?”

“Not exactly,” he said.

“Sorry I’m such a—”

“Frisk, stop.” Gaster held both her hands, pulling her attention onto him. He gently held her cheek. “You’ve done nothing wrong. You haven’t missed a beat.”

“But Sans is—”

“Sans will be fine,” he assured her. “It will take a lot of work. And maybe… Maybe more time than we’d like. But I will fix him. Alphys and I can figure it out. I’m certain of it.”

“So…” She sniffled. “So you don’t hate me?”

Gaster stared at her blankly. “What?” His voice came out like a creak. “Why would you say that?”

“I-It’s just… I… I know it’s my fault he’s like this and… a-and I dunno, I just… I know he’s like, your first kid and he’s also kinda gotta be one of your best friends, right? A-And I didn’t see you for a few days and I thought maybe if I could just fix—”

Gaster yanked the kid right off her seat and into his arms, holding her as close as he could; glowing as bright as his discordant soul would allow. He sighed and his face fell as he looked down at her. He brushed her hair from her face with cool, gentle fingertips. “It’s nothing you did or didn’t do, sweetheart. I swear to you. You fixed what was wrong.”

“Th-Then why so soon after, did he just—?”

“It could be any number of things. But that is not one of them,” he said. 

He sighed. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

“N-No it’s not,” she said shrilly. 

He shook his head. “I… neglected you for days.”

“F-Finding out how to help Sans is more important than I am,” she said, wide-eyed.

Gaster shook his head again, grimacing. He cupped her face. “You are so young. This is far too much. I should have been there for you. I’m sorry.”

It would have been a lie to say Frisk didn’t appreciate his words, or when he hugged her again. That didn’t matter, though. Her brother was still unconscious. She clung to him and sighed.

“I’m sorry, too,” she said.

“Why?” he asked.

“…I couldda come to see you,” she muttered. “I thought I should stay outta your way. Sorry.”

“You take on too much responsibility,” he said gently.

“I have to, I’m a time god.” She said it in jest, but the words were heavy. 

“That may be. But you’re not alone in this world.” Gaster stroked her hair. “It will be alright. Can I ask something of you?”

“Yeah,” she said.

“Take a little time for yourself,” he said. He smiled at her when she looked up at him skeptically. “And I am already aware that I am a massive hypocrite.”

“As long as you know,” she joked.

He grinned fondly and bumped his brow on hers. “Love you, kiddo. Always. Alright?”

“Th-Thanks,” she squeaked.

Gaster cuddled her a little longer before reluctantly getting back to work, leaving her alone with her computers. She could see Alphys making notes about the lack of significant fluctuations due to Papyrus’s magic in one of the windows she had open. She sighed. Maybe she did need a little break.

She delved down farther into the lab, into that room that had been built for her. It was dark, and she didn’t know where the lights were. She sat in the glow of her cellphone, listening to a CD that used to belong to Undyne under the big earphones that, somehow, made her feel cozy, even though all she could do was replay endless numbers in her mind.

Two disks later, she almost missed her phone ringing through the music. She picked it up and mumbled a greeting.

“Frisk?! Oh, thank goodness,” Toriel said. “Where are you?!”

“Um. Downstairs, why?” she asked.

“D…? Oh. What a relief…” She took a deep breath. “You should come back here this instant.”

“Nah,” Frisk said.

“_Nah? _Young lady, you cannot keep going like this. I forbid it,” Toriel said. “I’m coming to get you.” She sighed softly. “Sweetheart. I’m worried about you.”

“I know. Sorry,” Frisk said. 

“Why don’t you wish to come back upstairs?” she asked.

“I dunno. It’s… dark down here,” she said. “I just need to think.”

“…I’m coming,” Toriel said.

Frisk didn’t have to wait long for her mother to sniff her out. The huge monster slipped into the room and sat down by the kid’s side, putting her hand on her head to gently rub her hair. Frisk wilted and slid in closer. Even now, she still smelled a little like cinnamon.

“What is this place?” she wondered.

“Training room,” Frisk said, shrugging. “It’s quiet.”

“Why don’t you come get some dinner?” Toriel suggested softly.

“Not hungry,” Frisk said.

Toriel grimaced. “Even so, you should keep up your strength.”

“I’m okay.”

The woman frowned. She folded her arms. “Your brother is going to be fine, you know.”

“He better be,” she joked weakly. “I’m a mess.” She leaned her head back with tired resignation all over her face. “I screwed up. I… I shouldda stopped this.”

Toriel sighed and put her arm warmly around the kid. “Did you consider going to the Wishing Rooms? To speak with the Echo Flowers?” 

She looked up at her, puzzled. “No, not really. Why? Do you think it would help?”

“It’s just, sometimes, it can help your psyche to… unload. Ask the universe for help. Even if it’s just through a flower that repeats phrases. To take some of that weight off and cast it to something outside yourself.”

“…Outside myself?” Frisk folded her arms. She’d never spoken a wish into an Echo Flower before. No, she’d only ever pretended to pass that weight into her brother’s skull with a bonk of her forehead. “I just… talked with Sans, mostly.”

Toriel’s face fell. “Oh, honey…”

Frisk gulped. “But… I’ve heard some stuff other people have said there. Did you ever go there?”

Toriel chuckled. “Not in a very long time. Though, the flowers down where you came to us were good listeners as well. And long, long before that, we would wish on the stars, or the sun.” She pulled her a little closer. “You know, our Delta Rune used to be more than a symbol of the Royal Family, and of prophecy. The earliest form had no wings and represented the sun. It was supposed to help us through hard times. Monsters would speak to it, and give it a name. We laid our strongest hopes on it.”

“And was that helpful?” Frisk asked.

“It was, in a way,” she said. “You know the prophecy of the Delta Rune, do you not?”

“About the angel of… uh… salvation or death and all that stuff? Yeah,” she said.

“Putting our faith in that as well… I think it may have saved many monsters, if only by giving them something to cling to, after we were torn away from the sun,” Toriel said.

“And that part actually happened, so that’s good,” Frisk said.

Toriel shot her a confused look. Frisk shrugged.

“Asriel,” she said. “It was him. The guy that saves stuff. I mean, he had big wings and everything. His super determination body with all the souls in him basically looked just like it in shapes and suff. He did a really good job even though he freaked the heck out.”

Toriel stared at her silently for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. She put her paws to her face and grinned wide, her fangs showing. She shook her head and took a deep breath. “Goodness, I hadn’t put that together.”

“Oh! Sorry,” Frisk said. “I guess you missed that part.”

“It’s alright.” She smiled at her fondly. “Sweetheart. I guess what I’m saying is… What am I saying?” She rubbed her brows. “I know you. I know you don’t want to lay whatever burdens you onto us. If you are this… time god, as Sans would say? Even still, venting to something beyond your own scope, perhaps that may help you? Even if… Even if it’s just talking into a void. Does that make sense? It could even be something as simple as your diary. But, I know you’re fond of those Wishing Rooms, so perhaps… If you want, later we could go there? If you wish for a short change of scenery.”

Frisk considered it. Beyond her own scope? Something outside of herself? Talking into the void? She retraced her steps in her mind, seeing that endless expanse of stars. Would just shouting out there do it? No, probably not, but her mind set to wandering. Sans was linked to it, too. For a second, she wondered if that was a way to reach him. Abruptly, all the numbers she’d looked at, tracking those stars, matching the times to them, clunked heavily into place. Her eyes went wide. “Oh dang.”

“Hm?” Toriel asked.

She jumped to her feet and wrapped her mom in a tight hug. “Thanks! That’s perfect!”

“Uh, honey…?” Toriel held her gently. “What is?”

“Outside! It’s… Not that. I mean. Yeah. Thanks. Venting is good, but…! It’s gotta be outside,” she said in a hurry. “I got it. I gotta go back in time.”

“What? I… I’m not sure I follow. To when?” 

“To before Sans breaks his face open,” Frisk said. “I’m gonna go tell dad! See you back home!”

Frisk booked it back upstairs. She just wanted to check once more. Papyrus was in the main room, plucking up empty cans to put in a trash bag, and humming quietly to himself. He perked up upon seeing the kid and rushed over. He brushed a hand through her bangs and then cupped her face, lighting warm, amber magic against her skin.

“You look SO tired,” he said. 

“I’m gonna go back soon,” she said.

“Hm? Back where?” He tilted his head.

“To before he fainted,” she said. “Just thought you should know.”

“Nyeh! Okay! When, do you know?” he asked.

Frisk pointed up at the counter. Papyrus helped her up and she immediately honed in on the computer, skimming through screens of data with quick, sharp eyes.

“So. Um. Little sister?” Papyrus said. 

“Hm?” She tilted her head towards him.

He pressed his fingertips together. “When are you going back? Now?”

“In a few minutes,” she said. “Are you busy? Could you tell the others? I’m gonna tell dad.”

“Oh! Sure, no trouble at all for the great Papyrus,” he assured her swiftly. “But. Frisk. You will take a rest, won’t you?”

“Oh. Um. Yeah, of course,” she said. “See you back home?”

“Mmmhm!” He slung his trash bag over his shoulder and stuck his thumb up. “Just give me a few minutes and we will be good to go!”

As he left, Frisk turned back to the computer. She read numbers again quickly, just to be sure. Sans wasn’t changing at all. What was changing were those points representing tears in time. Some had to be out there, right? In the void. Beyond their scope. She didn’t know why she hadn’t seen it.

She raced from the room to find her father. He had collapsed onto the table he was working at in the eastern wing of the lab, surrounded by notes in unreadable script and a battered old laptop connected to a big machine with cables that almost touched the ground. She felt bad having to wake him.

“Dad?” She shook his shoulder gently until his dark eyes opened a sliver. “Hey. Um. So, I’m going back now, okay?”

“Hm? Alright. I’ll meet you back home eventually,” he said groggily.

“Um. Not home,” she said apologetically. “Back in time.”

Suddenly, Gaster looked considerably more conscious. He said up and looked at her with worry all over his face. “What? But I have so much more work to do, so much to memorize, I—”

“Dad, the readings haven’t moved at all since the first one you guys did on him,” she said. “We were looking in the wrong spot. Whatever’s wrong isn’t inside him. I wanna go back; ask him how he feels. If I catch him, at least he won’t have broken his skull open. And you’re exhausted, how are you even gonna work more like this?”

Gaster gritted his teeth. “I… suppose I can’t stop you.”

“Do you want to stop me?” she asked, tilting her head.

The skeleton opened his mouth, but then reconsidered. He rubbed his palm over the back of his skull. His eyes darted back towards the doorway. He let out a low, tired sigh. “I suppose I don’t.” 

She reached out and grabbed his hand in both of hers. “I’m gonna figure it out.”

“It’s not up to you to,” he said.

Her brow furrowed. “I can’t just leave it alone. Sorry.”

Gaster cracked a tired, fond smile. He lifted her into his arms and sat her on his knee. “We are very stubborn in this family, aren’t we?” His expression faltered. “I… don’t suppose… it will be particularly unpleasant to go back?”

“W…? Oh! Right, you’ve never done it. Don’t worry,” she said. “Actually, you might even feel better since you won’t have not slept for a few days.” She smiled sideways. “I’m, um, actually really good at this, it’s super smooth as long as you aren’t in the middle of moving.”

“Fair enough.” There was a glint in his eyes when he looked at her and he dipped his head. “Whenever you’re ready. Shall I… stay here? Afterwards, I mean.”

“Mom’ll bring Sans back,” she said. “I wanna check something out first. Can you have those notes on the time tear things open? Those shouldn’t have changed at all, right, since they’re mostly outside?”

“Oh. Of course,” he said. “…You have a plan?”

“Maybe.” She kissed his cheek. “Okay! Let’s go?” She pulled out her phone and texted everyone as she said it. “Ready? Three, two, one.”

The clock wound back instantly. They stood in the largest room of the lab, where Frisk had locked the timeline days ago. It had been right before a blood test that her father had wanted to do. Gaster blinked. He looked at his hands. Some of the shaking had subsided. Or, more accurately, hadn’t occurred yet. He looked down at her with wide eyes.

Frisk smiled up at him sympathetically. She gave him a quick hug and then reached for the light. “I’m gonna figure this out,” she said. 

The kid thumped unceremoniously into the attic and then barrelled down the stairs. Though she was sure her mom called something after her, she didn’t stop to listen. 

There was no one out front, but footprints in the snow hinted at a short skeleton that had ambled away recently. Frisk booked it down main street, but a bit of blue flashed in her mind’s eye. Behind her. She whirled and sprinted back to the house, where her brother’s blue jacket stood out even from far away. He was near the mailbox. 

Frisk felt a hit of relief, shock, and heartbreak all at once. Her throat went tight and her breath snagged. Her heart was pounding. It didn’t take much to catch up with him.

“Sans?!” She grabbed him tightly by the arm.

Her brother turned and shot her a tired smile. He smelled toasty, somehow. “Hey, kiddo. What’s the rush?” He looked so normal.

“You don’t remember? No, no, of course you…” She took a deep breath. “D-Don’t panic. Um. You’re gonna faint.”

“Maybe don’t panic yourself.” His brow furrowed, more with concern than anything. “What happened?”

“You’re not gonna remember; you fainted and… And. I th-think you went into a coma,” she said, her voice cracking. “We couldn’t get you up. I tried to reverse you and you j-just passed out again and… And it’s not good.”

“Oh. That’s… soon, then?” he said. “Welp. Guess that kinda explains a lot. Hey.” He poked her in the middle of her forehead. “Jeez, kid, don’t cry about that.”

“B-But Sans—!”

“Look. It’s okay. Don’t worry,” he said. “S’good thing you told me, actually. Probably hit my head last time, huh?”

“Yeah, it c-cracked open and everything,” she said softly.

He snorted and laughed, and rubbed the back of his head. “Figures.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “Ah. Yeah. Feelin’ a little dizzy, actually. Okay. Guess I’ll lie down.”

“Okay, b-but… But. I… I’m gonna save you,” she said. “I’m gonna fix you.”

“Course you will.” He shot her a grin. 

Her eyes welled up and she wrapped her arms around him, her voice breaking and chest getting tight. “I missed you so much. I… I don’t know when I’ll see you again,” she whimpered.

“Aw, jeez, kiddo.” He rubbed her head gently. “Knowin’ you, it’ll be soon. Hey. You can drag me back a little if you really gotta, okay? But you’ll figure it out.”

“I love you,” she said. 

“I know. Love you, too.” His voice was getting a little low. “How… uh… How many days—?”

“J-Just, um… Just three so far,” she said. “It feels like forever.”

“Hah. Spooked me for a second there,” he said. “Hey, I slept more than that only havin’ a cold, okay? Chill out a bit. ” He chuckled. “Okay. Yeah. Vision’s startin’ to go. Can’t _see_ this goin’ well. Heh.”

“D-Do you have any idea what’s wrong with you, though?” she insisted. “How do you feel?”

“Like there’s, uh… a pressure. In my skull, I guess.” He shrugged. “Sorry I can’t be more help, kiddo.” He tilted his head. “You gonna be alright?”

“Me?! What about you?!” she yelped.

“Welp. I’m in good hands. Not really worried.” He raised his brows. “Take care of yourself, hm?”

“Ah… I… O-Okay. I’ll t-try,” she said.

He grinned. “Okay. I’ll be in bed. Hey. See you when I see you.” He pulled back just enough to gently bump his brow on hers, stuck his thumbs up, and then he was gone.


	19. GOING OUT FOR A BIT

Frisk shook down into her bones. Couldn’t stop. She slumped forward with her face in her hands, a cold pit in her stomach. She could have sobbed; collapsed into the snow or fainted away herself. A numbness caught in her chest. She took a moment to force herself to take a few deep, steadying breaths.

She straightened up, blowing out a sigh and running her hands through her hair. She couldn’t fall apart, she told herself, despite the tears warming the corners of her eyes. Her family needed her for this.

On the wind, a melody brushed her ears, one that she couldn’t mistake for anything else. Quickly, she perked up and whipped around, eyes skimming the snow.

“Sans?” she asked, wide-eyed. No, that didn’t make sense. She sighed and rubbed her head. Couldn’t lose it now. “Okay. Okay okay. Get it together. Jeez.” She took another deep breath. “Okay, okay, stop crying, stop freaking out. Oh my god.” She wiped her eyes and then sat down heavily on the steps. “He’s fine. He’s gonna be fine. It’s gonna be okay.” She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles again.

She thought she heard snow crunching. She jerked her head up and peered down the road. Asriel was booking it towards her down the main street. He skidded to a halt and flopped down beside her, rubbing his hands over his face.

“I missed him, huh?” he said. “Sorry. It takes me a bit to get through one of the rips.”

“That’s okay,” she said.

“Did he say anything?” he asked.

“Not much,” she said. “He said his head felt kinda heavy, I guess? And he didn’t want us to, um, worry too much.”

“Typical.” He rubbed his hands over his head and puffed heavily. “So… what now?” He cut his eyes at her. “Got a plan yet?”

Frisk folded her arms and gritted her teeth. She tapped her foot in the snow. “I… I guess I wanna check on him first and then maybe check the outside of time stuff? See if there’s anything more I can do there. I dunno.”

“Anything your dad came up with give you any clues?” he asked.

“Just that I don’t think Sans is _sick_ sick, know what I mean?” She tapped her fingertips together and bit her lip thoughtfully. “What do you think we should do?”

“I think you need to eat something before we do anything else,” he said.

“Oh! N-No, I’m okay, I’m not hungry,” she said quickly.

Asriel folded his arms and stared her down dryly. “I don’t care. I’m gonna make you a sandwich and you’re gonna freakin’ eat it.”

Frisk smiled awkwardly. She rubbed the back of her head. “Aw. Jeez. You’re worried, huh? Sorry. Okay.” She grinned. “But only if you eat something too, okay?” 

“Deal,” he said.

Their mother greeted them with a hug when they came inside. “He’s here,” she said gently. “I’ve tucked him in upstairs. Is there anything else I need to do?”

“Not yet, just keep him comfy,” Frisk said.

“I should not take him back to the lab?” she asked worriedly. 

“I think Gaster probably already saw any info that would actually help. Uh. Not that we’re actually sure what that is,” Asriel said.

“If you could take him back soon, that would be good, but I’d kinda like to check some stuff out first,” she said.

“And eat,” he insisted.

“Okay. Sandwiches. Then we… I dunno. We talk it out,” Frisk said. “There’s gotta be something in there, right?”

“Gotta be,” he agreed. “Okay. You go chill out, I’ll cook.”

As her brother headed into the kitchen, Frisk took the moment to sneak in on Sans. He was cozied up in the spare bed in their room. He looked a lot better without his face smashed open. She sat on the side and grabbed his limp hand in hers. It bore a strange weight in it. She smiled sideways. 

“You’re such a mess,” she said softly.

She leaned over to look him in the face and held his head in both hands. Her fingers lit gently and she focussed in on his energy. It felt so stiff. She let out a small, contemplative sound and drew back, folding her arms. It was a little different than before. She closed her eyes and tried to puzzle through it. If it was different now than it had been before she turned things back, that meant the problem absolutely had to be out in the abstraction of time that was through the rips. Something connected to him was moving forward out there and messing him up for whatever reason.

She knew the dreams had been getting worse for months. This was probably the culmination of that, somehow. Something she’d done out there… She’d messed it up. She’d stopped the visions while he was awake, true, but this was far worse. It couldn’t be a coincidence, right? She tried not to let the guilt freeze her. He wouldn’t be mad, even if she was furious with herself.

She leaned forward, resting her cheek on her hand, and stared at him intently. She turned on the SOULSCN again and clunked her phone against his chest, stealing another snapshot of his soul. When she looked at it, however, the number of his health rating seemed wrong. It was just barely above one. That was a far cry from two and a half.

She pouted. The second she turned her eyes back on her brother, something looked a little off. She sat up and scooted closer. There was a pitch black tear dribbling down the left side of his face. The kid shot up and grabbed him gently. 

“Bro? Bro, are you okay? Are you awake in there?” she demanded.

No reply. She gently touched the liquid on his face. It only left a trail on his bones for a second, and on her finger, it vanished quickly. Her eyes went wide. She ran her thumb along what one could loosely call his eyelid, where bone met bone to shut his eye. She came away with more of the dark something on her skin before it was gone. Hurriedly, she forced his eye open and, wincing, reached her fingers into his eye socket. Just inside, she was met with ice water. She yanked back and saw that same black sludge evaporate into the air. 

“What the heck…?” She couldn’t stop her voice from coming out loud and shrill. 

Unnerved; trembling a little, Frisk dipped her fingers into her brother’s eye socket again. The cold was so intense that her stomach turned. She reached in farther and got her whole hand in. It just got colder. She’d had to reach into Sans’s head before, to get out a stray object or two, but she could eventually find the back of his skull. Now, it seemed like there was no such thing.

“Whaaaat?” she said. “Oh man, Sans, what’re you doin’?” She pulled her hand up and it was coated in a black so deep it bewildered her eyes before it vanished.

Maybe this was the problem they hadn’t seen. Maybe his head hurt because it was filled with this freezing sludge. Frisk cast around the room hurriedly for something— maybe a cup or a wayward spoon— to bail out his head. 

“Hey!!” she called. “Can someone get me like, a…?” Maybe she could just sit him up and pour him out, she thought. “Maybe like a bucket or a box or something?”

She heard Papyrus make a noise of affirmation somewhere downstairs. He joined her with an empty garbage can in his hands. Asriel followed him, carrying some plates of sandwich precariously.

“I got you this, I hope it’s alright,” Papyrus said.

“Perfect,” she said. She pointed to the floor beside the bed and he put it there. “Okay. Now…” She tried to get her arm under Sans, but he was a lot heavier than she expected. She grunted. “Jeez, there’s something really wrong, he weighs a ton.”

“That’s weird, he shouldn’t…” Papyrus grabbed his shoulders and started to pry him up. “Wowie! My gosh, yes, you’re very right. Um.” 

She pointed towards the trash. 

“You’re not actually putting him in there, are you?” Asriel joked.

“N-No! No.” She laughed. “No, just, um, lean his head over it. Careful.”

As soon as Papyrus tipped him, black goo shot like a torrent out of his eye and poured soundlessly into the into the can.

“SHIT!!” Asriel yelped.

Papyrus gawked. Even Frisk couldn’t contain her shock. She leaned over and watched as the waterfall of tar poured from her brother and vanished after sloshing for only an instant at the bottom of the can.

“What the hell is that?!” Asriel said. “And why is it so quiet? Holy shit that is weird.”

“I uhhhhhhh.” Papyrus just stared. “Oh. Wow. It’s, uh… It’s still going. I don’t think his skull actually holds this much goo. Um. What is…? Oh! I know what this is.” Papyrus shot Frisk a worried look. “This… is bad, right?”

“I mean… I think so. But ummm.” She watched the black liquid pour with absolutely no sign of abating. She couldn’t help a giggle. She rubbed her head. “Gosh. Okay. That’s… Oh. No, this is bad to say, but this is getting kinda funny. Um. Okay. I think it is probably actually bad that it’s in there but I think it’s good that we know, now.”

“Okay. But.” Papyrus frowned. “Would it come out faster if I shake him?”

“Pffff!!! I doubt that’ll help, dude,” Asriel said. 

Frisk folded her arms. She tilted her head to the side. “He… He said… that it felt like there was a lot of pressure in his head. So maybe it’s this.”

“So, what? Is the timeline place, like, leaking straight into him?” Asriel said.

The kid’s eyes went wide. “I… You know, I think that might be exactly what’s happening.” She put a hand against her soul. “M-Maybe that’s… what happened to me, too. I kept puking out that same stuff.”

“Oh, now that you mention it, dad, too,” Papyrus said.

“Az, any out of you?” she asked.

“Um…” He stared at her blankly for a few seconds. “Actually… I think some came out my nose. When I sneezed. I thought it was weird but I didn’t realize…”

“Okay. Okay! So. Actually. This is good,” Frisk said, her eyes lighting up. “This means it’s…” She started to laugh. She gently put a hand on Sans’s shoulder and began to tip him back towards the pillows. “Guess it’s just gonna keep going, huh?”

“Looks like it,” Papyrus said, worry snagging his voice. He gently laid Sans back and any of the sludge that had spilled onto him or the blankets disappeared. “Honestly, this is one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen. Seriously, even when he is in a coma, Sans makes a ridiculous mess. At least I don’t have to mop it up, though.” He tucked him in and patted his head gently. He used his thumb to close his brother’s eye. “Ooh, hey, Frisk? Good job getting to him quite quickly, by the way, now he won’t have a cracked face!”

“Yeah, bet he’d appreciate that,” Asriel said. “So now what?”

“Now, I gotta go out there and… I dunno, drain his poor head?” Frisk suggested.

“Drain it to where? If the whole out there is just that stuff, where does it go?” he wondered.

“I have no clue, but I gotta try, right?” she said.

“We gotta try,” he said, raising his brows.

“Oh! You’re going, too? Can you do that? Can I come?” Papyrus asked.

“You should stay with Sans, just in case you can’t and it does something bad to you, too,” Frisk said. “But, Az—”

“Nope. Nah. Not hearin’ it,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m going with you.”

“Perfect,” she assured him.

Papyrus let out a loud cooing sound and he yanked them both into his long arms and pulled them close for a hug. “Nyeh! You better be careful out there!”

“It’ll be fine, Frisk was born for this,” Asriel said with a wink. “But she gotta eat that sandwich.”

“Okay okay I’m gonna,” she said.

“Kids?” Toriel slipped into the room and looked at them, her brow furrowed. “I… couldn’t help but overhear. What are you doing?”

“Um. We were gonna try to help Sans out,” Asriel said.

“By… going out into… where Frisk was the other day?” Toriel frowned deeply. “You cannot.”

“Have to,” Frisk said.

“It’s too dangerous,” she said.

“No one else can do it,” the kid said.

“I cannot allow you to—”

“You can’t stop me.” Frisk flinched at her own words. “Sorry.”

Toriel stared down at her with wide eyes. Asriel grimaced, trying his best to hold in a loud laugh. He grasped her shoulder and looked up at their mother, raising his brows. 

“I-I realized where I had to look because of you,” Frisk said. Her voice had a warble to it, but her posture was sturdy and confident. “Outside of our time. I’m sure that’s where we have to go to fix Sans.”

“Frisk.” Toriel folded her arms. “I forbid it.” A twitch of a smile crossed her lips. “Until you’ve eaten a proper breakfast.”

“Wh…? What? Really?” Frisk asked, wide-eyed.

“You’re saying yes?!” Papyrus asked excitedly.

“Saying no would just leave us back exactly where we were, would it not?” she asked. “Frisk. Asriel. Papyrus. You are my children. So is Sans. It’s unthinkable to have one of you hurt for the other. So, you had better be very careful. Promise me?”

Asriel shrugged and Frisk nudged him with her elbow. He laughed, eyes lighting up. “We promise.”

“Thank you so much!” Frisk whirled and grabbed Papyrus’s hands. “You too, okay?”

“What?! But I’m not…” He sighed and laughed. “Nyeeeh, you’re right, I can’t be a hypocrite now, right?!”

“Right!!” Frisk said.

As the kid and the skeleton gathered up the sandwiches and brought them downstairs, Toriel grabbed Asriel and stopped him. 

“What’s up?” he asked.

“You… must go. Is that right?” she asked. 

“Well, yeah, not letting her go alone,” he said.

“But, you are a monster,” she said worriedly. “The nature of these time powers is expressed through determination.”

“Oh. Yeah.” He cupped his hand over his soul spot and let the red glow through his fingers. He smirked. “Souls are weird, aren’t they? Remember when it was pink?”

“Of course.” She smiled fondly. “Inspiration. It suits you.”

“Determination suits me more, now, I think,” he said. “Mom, to be honest, I’m not sure what I am, really? This much, especially for my size, should be turning me to pudding. But it doesn’t. It’s mine. It’s comfortable. So I’m pretty sure I’ll be okay. And if I’m not, Frisk will fix me, too. It’s not a big deal.”

Toriel sighed, but she tilted her head and smiled at him. “Oh, sweetheart. Be careful. And take care of each other.”

“Yeah, of course,” he said.

Downstairs, Papyrus had the food out on plates and he beckoned Toriel and Asriel to come sit with them. Frisk was staring at her phone screen as she, very slowly, munched on the corner of her sandwich. 

“Paps?” she asked. “I forgot to check. Do you know when Sans fainted exactly?” 

“I believe it was around ten o’clock,” he said. “Maybe… Fourteen minutes after?”

Frisk nodded. She checked the time now— it was just a little later than that. He was probably right. She curled up in her corner of the sofa and called her dad as Papyrus huddled in close with her. The phone didn’t answer. She tilted her head and called Alphys instead.

“F-Frisk?” she squeaked. “Are you okay?! What’s going on?”

“We’re okay. Seems like Sans is having some weird time leak thing happening to him,” she said.

“Wh… What?!” she squeaked. “…Oh. Oh, maybe that’d explain those n-numbers not…? Oh! You want to talk to your dad, right? H-He’s right here.”

“Yeah, thanks,” she said. “Hey. Alphys? Thank you so much. For, like, everything ever.”

“O-Oh!” The lizard’s voice went shrill. She laughed shyly. “Y-You’re welcome. Of course. Here he is. Don’t worry too much, okay? W-We’ll all figure this out.”

The phone passed into clattering, boney hands. “Frisk? Thank goodness, I was starting to worry,” Gaster said.

“Oh! Sorry! Everything’s going okay, except, you know, the obvious thing,” she said. “So. Um. Sans’s head is filled with black goo.”

“…What?” he said blankly.

“Yeah, I know, right?” she said. “It’s time goo I think. Your blood, um… a-analogy? Maybe like, kinda more literal?”

“There was nothing inside his skull before,” he said, his voice cracking. “So despite time moving in reverse, his illness still progresses… Sounds like your hypothesis may be a good one, kiddo.”

“Um, something else,” she said cautiously. “I’m, um, pretty worried about this part? His HP didn’t go back up from turning time back. It’s lower, even.”

“What’s the number?” 

“It was, like… one point nine five nine nine eight, and then it just keeps going,” she said.

“Ah.” Gaster sighed quietly. “Alright. He’ll be alright. We’ll just need to keep a very close eye on him. Don’t worry.”

“Okay,” Frisk said sheepishly. “Um. Can you check something for me? In the numbers of the time tears and stuff?”

“Hm. Let’s take a look, shall we?” He was clicking on something. “…This? You were…? Was this because you shut one to cure his visions?”

“Yeah,” she said.

“Sweetheart, I don’t think…” He chuckled softly. “Ah. Forgive me. It’s here looking me in the face. What were you thinking?” 

Frisk’s cheeks flushed and she couldn’t help a small, proud smile. “Um! Well. Could you tell me if there’s any recent time things opening? Even if it’s not bigger than normal.”

“Ah… Hmmm…” Gaster clicked around some more before dead air was all that settled on the end of the line.

“Dad?” Frisk asked. “You okay?”

“Ten thirteen forty-seven,” he said softly. “This doesn’t make sense.”

“What?” she asked. 

“…This burst was smaller last time I saw it, but it’s grown. Quite a bit,” he said.

“And that was just a few minutes ago, right?” she insisted.

“It is. Why? You don’t think—?”

“That’s exactly what I think,” Frisk said.

“…Ah. I see. I see! It was similar to the ones on either side of it before, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah!” she said.

He clicked around more. “Oh. God. It was right here,” he said.

“Yeah?!” Frisk asked excitedly.

“This is a snapshot,” he said. “It was just… the number it was opened with. It’s been growing exponentially.”

“Expo…? That’s a lot, right?” she asked.

“Quite a lot,” he agreed. “It… only started to slow a moment ago. If this is it, no wonder.”

“So I just need to find it?!” Frisk asked excitedly.

“I… I think so,” he said. “I mean… Stands to reason that if there was one that was disrupting all of your vision, maybe this newer one happened in a way that more directly affected him? I can’t be sure. Of all my years of research, I’ve still only scratched the surface of what may be possible. Just… Be careful, alright?”

“Thanks a million,” she said brightly. “Can you send me screenshots?”

“Absolutely. It’ll come from Alphys’s number,” he said. “Be careful.”

“Thank you!! See you later, love you!”

As she hung up, Papyrus hugged her tight, resting his chin on her head and puffing out a long, high-pitched sigh.

“Do you think you can explain that again? Think I missed it,” Asriel joked.

“Basically, I think… Sans is connected into the whole time thing, right? And something out there, it opened with a really big burst of, I dunno, time energy or something, and it affected him pretty bad. But it’s out there; outside of our time and stuff, right? So it’s still moving on its own and making him worse, even though we went back in time,” she said. “Does that… make sense?”

“Oh. Okay. Yeah,” Asriel said.

“We were focussed on his bones being messed up,” she said. “On his magic; his soul and stuff. But it wasn’t that, it was… this dang time stuff again. So… So!” She put on a brave face. “Hopefully we can help stop whatever’s going crazy.”

“Do you think you’re going to be gone for very long?” Papyrus asked.

“Probably not for you guys,” Frisk said. “Time moves weird in there.”

“But it could be long for you?” he insisted worriedly.

“It just usually doesn’t match up, is all,” she said. “I’m sure it won’t be that long.”

“Eh, either way, it’ll be fine,” Asriel said dismissively. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Kids? Can I have your phones, please?” Toriel called. 

They looked at each other, puzzled. Asriel took his sister’s and headed for the kitchen. There was a huge loaf of bread laid out on the counter in slices, some cans of sea tea, and a lot of jars of jellies and peanut butter. 

“Mom?” Asriel asked.

“Ah! Well, I just thought…” She turned and smiled at him somewhat bashfully. “You two should have some food with you. If you don’t know how long you’ll be.”

“Mom…” He smiled and gave her a hug. “You’re the best.”

She held him, and then took the phones and put them up on the counter. “Just a few minutes.”

Frisk took the time to change her clothes. Some time ago, they’d merged her favourite blue and pink striped shirt and the sweatshirt Undyne had given her into a lightweight, zip-up hoodie with the Delta Rune in white on the back and little horn-points on the hood. She gladly grabbed that to wear over top of her t-shirt that bore the same mark she and Sans had when they’d shared souls. She folded up her scarf and stashed it in an inner pocket of her jacket, and also took a small notepad and her red pen. She grabbed a cipher for the old skeleton script that Sans had made for her a while back, though it had been crumpled in Papyrus’s desk.

“Whatcha doin’?” Asriel asked from the doorway.

“Just. Um. Grabbing some stuff,” she said. “I dunno what we might need out there.”

“I know what you need!” Papyrus slunk in through the doorway with a bashful smile. “Now, I know you’re not into weapons of any kind whatsoever, buuuuut it also has a screwdriver and a little flashlight and a can opener built right in!” He reached into the front of his shirt and pulled out his little utility knife and held it out to her. “I’d really like for you to borrow it.”

“Paps… Thanks,” she said. She slipped it in with her scarf.

“Think a screwdriver’ll help close the rips?” Asriel joked as he headed for the closest himself.

“You never know!” the skeleton insisted. “Asriel, do you need a scarf?!”

“Think I’ll be okay,” he said with a laugh. He grabbed a blurple hoodie and put it on over his plain white t-shirt. “Okay. Um. Ready?”

“Think so?” Frisk said.

Papyrus gathered the kids into a hug and pouted. “I wish I could come with you.”

“Me too,” Frisk said.

“I’m going to miss you,” he said.

“Don’t worry, we won’t be long,” Asriel said with a wink. “You won’t even notice we’re gone.”

\- - -

After a hug from Toriel, a text to tell the others about their plans, and one final snuggle from Papyrus, Frisk and Asriel braced themselves at the starlight in the attic. The kid held tight to her brother’s paw and she took a deep breath.

“When I went in with dad the first time, he got pulled away from me,” she said quietly. “So, hold on tight, okay?”

“No problem,” Asriel assured her. “Let’s go?”

“Y-Yeah.” She braced herself and reached out to touch the light. 

The entire expanse that opened up before them was a pitch black night sky, spattered with stars. Asriel gulped hard and clung to Frisk’s arm with both hands.

“Holy shit,” he said.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Y-Yeah.” He breathed out a deep sigh. “Whew. Never thought I’d be back here.” He shot her a bashful look. “It’s where we fought, right? Or… a lot like it?”

“Yeah, kinda,” she agreed. “I think that might’ve been your own pocket dimension or something?”

“Ugh, this is a mess,” he said. He cautiously pulled back and floated effortlessly on his own and then let out a breath of relief. “Okay. So. How do we find this thing?”

“Um, I’m not totally sure,” she admitted. “The last one I just sorta… sensed it? And I brought myself there just by thinking about wanting to.”

“Soooo you wanna try that again?” he asked. “Or is there something else we can do that’s more… certain?”

“I wish I knew,” she said sheepishly. “Okay, um, hold on to—”

A note of music pulled her attention. It played strong in the back of her mind.

“Do you hear that?” she asked.

“What?” he said. 

She hummed along for a moment before realizing very quickly what it was. “Papyrus?”

“Where?!” Asriel asked.

She grabbed him as tight as she could, closed her eyes, and focussed hard on the sound. She willed them to move towards it. Asriel yelped with surprised and grabbed onto her fully, clinging to her shoulders. 

“Holy shit,” he barked.

When Frisk looked again, they had moved, and there was a disembodied skeleton arm hanging starkly white against the blackness of the void.

“Oh jeez!” Frisk yelped. “Is that—?! How?!”

“Don’t ask me, dude,” Asriel said shrilly. “He didn’t try to come in, did he?!”

Frisk gulped heavily. Her fingers shaking, she reached for the arm. It was holding a piece of paper. Cautiously, she took it and almost instantly the hand perked up and waved excitedly. Asriel recoiled. Frisk hurriedly turned her eyes on the message.

_“HELLO FRISK AND ASRIEL IF YOU FIND THIS! I HOPE SO! SORRY IT TOOK ME A FEW MINUTES TO THINK OF THIS BUT I FIGURED OUT THAT SANS’S HEAD DOESN’T HAVE AN END ON THE INSIDE FOR SOME REASON SO I THOUGHT MAYBE I COULD FIND YOU AND LET YOU KNOW MAYBE WHERE THE LEAK IS!!! HOPE THIS WORKS!!” _There were some hearts drawn on the note too. 

“Oh!! Oh thank god.” Frisk laughed at herself and she passed the note to Asriel. She grabbed the skeleton’s hand and held it tight. “You big goofy genius.”

He clung back in reply, a glitter of amber flaring between his bones. 

“Oooh, that’s kinda cool,” Asriel said. “Hah, guess he just shoved his whole arm in, huh?”

“Maybe we can close this point, then?” Frisk wondered. 

She pulled out her pen and began to write a message below his on the back of the note. For some reason, though her fingers formed the usual alphabet, what came out on the page was the old skeleton script. She frowned at it skeptically, but decided to put it aside for now. Papyrus could read it anyway.

_“Hi Paps thanks for the note!”_ she was pretty sure she wrote. _“Its a big help! Can you give me a minute to look at the hole?” _She slipped the paper into his fingers and tapped the top of his hand.

Papyrus’s arm slid back into nothingness, leaving black where it had been. Frisk was a little surprised. She’d been expecting maybe one of the time tears in that star shape, or maybe a large, rounded rupture like she’d seen in one of Gaster’s old memories. Instead, what she saw was the silvery outline of an imperfect, smooth, circular shape. 

“What the heck?” she asked. She cautiously touched it and felt a familiar coolness around it.

“What is that?” Asriel scooted in to look. “Oh. Weird.”

Time pulsed gently around the spot, and there was the faint tug of something, like the current of a stream. Asriel looked up at Frisk, who seemed thoroughly puzzled.

“So you don’t know what it is, either?” he asked.

“I haven’t seen one like this, but the shape is… kinda familiar?” She folded her arms. “I… um. Oh. Wait a second. You don’t think…?” She shook her head.

“What?” Asriel insisted.

She traced the edge of the hole. “It’s… uh… Maybe this’ll sound crazy? But, um, I think it’s kinda the same shape as Sans’s eye sockets?” She shot Asriel a questioning look.

His eyes went wide. “Have you ever heard of a third eye?”

“Third eye? No,” Frisk said.

“It’s kinda a common phrase about, like, psychic stuff? Or a sixth sense, I guess?” he said. “Like, a special awareness. And Sans kinda has that, doesn’t he?”

“Oh dang.” Frisk rubbed her head. “So… So maybe this isn’t the point to close off, then. He needs this. It doesn’t look like any other hole thing I’ve ever seen, y’know?”

“Yeah, uh… Yeah. I wouldn’t touch that,” he said. “So now what?” He jolted and recoiled as the disembodied hand of their brother slipped back into the darkness with a cheery wave. He laughed at himself. “Jeez.”

Frisk grabbed Papyrus’s hand gently in both of hers, and he offered her the paper again, his message continued below hers.

“_DID YOU FIND WHAT YOU NEEDED? WAS IT HELPFUL? ALSO I’M VERY VERY GLAD YOU TWO ARE OK!!! DO YOU HAVE A PLAN?”_

Frisk wrote on the back of this one. “_We think this part here is normal and the problem is somewhere else. We’re gonna have to keep looking but there’s sorta a current or something so I think I know where to start! Thanks for everything big bro! Anything else?” _She returned it to him.

He retreated again and came back quickly with a new message. _“NOTHING ELSE! EXCEPT! I LOVE YOU AND GOOD LUCK!”_

Frisk smiled fondly and tucked the paper away to keep. She tore a page out of her notepad. _“Love you too. See you soon!” _She turned to Asriel. “Want to say anything to him before we go?”

“I’m sure you got it covered,” he said. 

She drew a few hearts on the page and then slipped it into her brother’s hand. Before he could withdraw, she glowed gentle red through her fingers and pressed it into him until their energies flared orange. Her eyes welled up and she smiled to herself. She let him go and, the note clenched in his fist, he stuck his thumb up. She laughed. The long bony arm disappeared into the blackness.

“Come on,” she said, turning back to Asriel and wiping a hand over her eyes. “Let’s get going before I start to sob like a dumb baby.”

He scoffed and then pulled her into a hug. “You’re doin’ good.”

“You’re holding up pretty okay for not really having been in here before,” she said with a smile.

“Yeah, well…” He shrugged and looked around. “Probably would hate it if I were on my own, but together I think we’re good.”

“I really love you, Az, you know that?” she mumbled.

“Yeah, yeah. I love you, too,” he said. “Relax, we’re okay.”

Pulling away, Frisk extended her hand into the space before the almost invisible hole. Somehow, the nothingness didn’t feel like nothing. It was flowing. Breeze still wasn’t right. She’d thought of a current before, and that was still as close of a word as she could get to what she felt.

“So, for some reason,” she said, “something’s using Sans’s head as an out for, like… extra energy or something. It’s confusing.”

“Can you follow it?” Asriel asked. 

Frisk drifted along, tracing the feeling with her fingers. She nodded. It was too bad it was invisible, though. Her brow furrowed. Maybe it didn’t have to be. If what her father had said was true, then…

She allowed her fingertips to glow with red sparks and, though the magic was tentative, it sparkled along the edge of a line. A glittering, red thread unspooled itself through the blackness. 

“Whoa jeez, how’d you do that?” Asriel asked.

“I, um… I dunno, dad said this whole thing was mine, so I thought it might be okay to change a little bit of colour,” she said sheepishly. She followed the line until it disappeared with sheer distance. She could see it drifting ever so slightly. “…It’s moving?”

“Could it have been closer when it opened, maybe that’s why…?” Asriel wondered, tapping his chin. “Ah, shit, what does it matter, we gotta close it, right?”

“At least gotta make it stop doing this,” she said. “So, um…?” She held out her hand. “Guess we follow it backwards, right?”

“Right.”

She held tight to his hand and floated along effortlessly, but the red line seemed to go on forever. 

“Think we can speed this up?” he wondered.

“I kinda gotta sense where to go,” she said apologetically. 

He looked pensive for a moment, but then flashed her a grin. “Hey, so. I got a red soul too, right? Seems like I can navigate alright, so…?” He tightened his grip on her hand and then sped forward as if he were flying.

Frisk squeaked with surprise as stars blurred in her eyes. Asriel grinned his fangs, his ears whipping back, and he held her tight. 

“Aaah, why didn’t I think of this?!” she demanded.

“You’re still actin’ like you’re just a weak little kid!” he said. “Remember, if it’s yours, then do what you want!”

She looked up at him, wide-eyed. She thought, what if I wanted to go faster? The world around them pulsed and they shot forward like a bullet. The rushing was too much— Frisk closed her eyes, but her brother laughed.

They stopped almost abruptly as they had started. Frisk tentatively opened her eyes. Space still stretched out endlessly all around them but there was an area of strangeness right before them. The black was slightly less deep, just hardly enough to catch their attention. The red line ran through it, but didn’t continue behind. When Frisk cautiously reached out her hand with a flare of magic, edges like cracked ice sparkled with red.

“That’s it,” Asriel said excitedly. “Gotta be, right?”

“Y-Yeah,” Frisk said.

She leaned in closer, squinting into the blackness. She could just barely make out shapes beyond where the red line disappeared, like a too-dark greyscale photograph behind foggy glass. She gulped.

“That’s another place there,” she said hoarsely. 

“What? Seriously?” Asriel asked. “They can just show up like that?”

“Well, I mean, you saw the edges, right? It looks all busted in,” she said. “…Maybe this is like what the CORE did? Just blasted through stuff.”

“That’s what your dad was doing, right? Fixing where the CORE was just blowing holes in stuff?” 

“Sorta,” she said with a nod. She reached up and let her hand glow against the fractured edges of space. She heard the buzz of music in the back of her head, and she suddenly felt like she was trying to lift a mountain, and an uncomfortable roiling shot through her gut. She grimaced and backed off, taking a deep, shaking breath.

“Well?” Asriel asked. “That didn’t look good.”

She shook her head. “I… I think maybe…? Could the flow be too strong?” 

“Too strong for you?” he asked, wide-eyed.

“I… I dunno, I just… felt sick trying to close it like that,” she said. “Maybe it’s the wrong way? Maybe it’s bad for that place over there for it to close like that? I… I wouldn’t want to mess them up to save us, that… that wouldn’t be fair, right?”

“So what do you think we should do then?” he asked. 

“Well, um…” She peeked into the darkness again. Something about the place looked a little familiar to her. “Maybe… I mean. If this is a blowout from another world, then maybe we gotta… go over there to fix it?”

“What?!” Asriel grimaced. “Jeez. Okay.” He grabbed her shoulders. “It’s gonna be fine.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “Y-Yeah. I mean. I did it before. A-And I made it back and everything and it was fine so—”

“It’ll be just fine,” he said again.

“Okay.” She nodded quickly. “We should go?”

“Yeah. You first.” He nodded his head at the other place. “Might take me a minute. I got lag.”

“Right,” she said. “Okay. See you over there.” She reached out and, as she did, a white star glittered at her fingertips. Her vision flashed over red and her ears filled with so much music she couldn’t pull out one melody on its own.

Frisk blinked heavily, finding herself on her knees in a room that was dark and grey, lit only by the white starlight behind her. It wasn’t quite enough. She got to her feet and held up her phone, the cool light of the screen settling over some cabinets, desks, monitors lined up near the walls, and a large, cushy desk chair. Around the starlike tear itself was a weird empty, metal gate that framed it like a doorway.

Frisk felt a cold, heavy beat in her heart. Another universe. She’d never imagined being this utterly far from home before. 

She didn’t know how long to wait for Asriel, so she gave the room a cursory look. She would have sworn it was the lab in Hotland. Maybe it was? 

She snuck around, peeking at desks. There wasn’t much in terms of personal effects. There was a blank, open notepad on one, but nothing to write with. A bit behind that, there was a wooden rack filled with over a dozen tubes of shining red, though it didn’t cast a glow. There was an ashtray with just the pretzel ends of pocky sticks in it beside one of the computers.

She grabbed the chair and wheeled it over to the computer. She figured stuff beside it meant it was probably used most recently. She scrambled up and settled herself. Her heart was thumping. The keyboard looked a little different— it was augmented with some characters from the old skeleton script. Probably still in the underground, then, unless this place was way different from home. She wiggled the mouse and the screen lit up bright with the desktop background of a photograph of a postcard of a simple, grassy plain with a blue sky and the sun overhead. 

She felt a little awkward about it, but she skimmed through the file directory. It was actually set up in a pretty similar way to what she’d just been looking at in the lab workspace back home. It had a sharing system almost identical to the one she knew Sans had made. Her heart stuttered. Did that mean he was here?

There was a folder in there labeled _FF(PRIVATE!!!!)_. Frisk had a sneaking suspicion. She opened it and the melodramatic titles on the documents immediately answered her. She cracked a smile and closed it. Definitely an Alphys here. That was a relief. And, hopefully, this place wouldn’t be too different from home. In that case, actually, maybe this world’s Sans could help them. 

Her heart stuttered. That would be surreal. He wouldn’t know her. He wouldn’t be the same guy, even. She had to be sure not to start crying on him. That would be weird. Maybe she should have thought this through better. She rested her cheek on her fist and huffed. More info would help, right? Date and time, even?

Easy enough to bring up on the computer. Early afternoon, but the year was totally off. If it had been her world, she wouldn’t even be born yet. That was weird. 

“Ah jeez what did I do?” She peeked back at the white light and drummed her fingers on the table. Couldn’t be their world, right? Hopefully she wasn’t just messing with the past. Either way, it was before the CORE had burst. So what was that hole?

She went back into the file directory to snoop around. There was a recent text document that caught her eye because the name was highlighted in red, and also because it was called _NOTES - DO NOT READ_. When she clicked it, she was treated to a list of someone’s personal logs, dated like journal entries. That felt sort of familiar. The most recent one was from two days ago.

_Still working nights. This would be much easier with more competent help, but the boy will not return no matter what I say. It is very frustrating that he refuses to understand what I am trying to do. Alphys can only do so much, and I do not trust her with this yet. The determination is stronger than she can handle, obviously. The ebb and flow are seemingly normal, though the recent anomaly, as much as I detest to record it, still rattles me. I opened a way to follow it, but it slipped through my grasp. I will try again tomorrow. More determination is required._

“Spooky,” Frisk muttered to herself. 

This seemed to be something resembling what she was looking for. There was that word, _anomaly_. She’d only heard it when Sans described the time kids that way. She assumed this had to be from this world’s Gaster. Had he detected her somehow? Or another one? And he’d opened a way after whatever he’d followed? How? Did the Gaster of this world simply brute-force his way into the void of time? She gulped and tapped the mouse nervously. Could someone from another world track her magic or something? Was that the cause of all this? She had no idea how to stop it if that was the case, aside from maybe asking politely.

A tingle in the back of Frisk’s mind made her hair stand on end. She slid from the chair just as the door to the room opened. There was a skeleton there, the frown on his brow highlighted by the phone he was glowering at in his hand.

“Damn it, why won’t you…?” he grumbled, resting his fingertips lightly a light switch on the wall. He sounded like Gaster, but was missing the accent. He sighed and looked up, the light making his glasses gleam. He stopped in his tracks and went rigid.

Frisk froze. He stared at her, his jaw falling open. He dropped his phone from shaking fingers. She put a hand up cautiously.

“…Gaster?” she asked tentatively.

Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to do, because utter panic flashed over the man’s face. He recoiled and threw a hand up, and Frisk saw the glitter of magic. Even so, she wasn’t expecting the swiftness of the bones that formed in the air and shot at her, nor the cold clenching of blue on her soul flinging her back, pinning her to the wall simultaneously. She grunted as the back of her head clunked against it.

The skeleton had his hand out, holding the bones in place. She was sure she felt one pierce her shoulder. She was afraid to take her eyes from him, but she cautioned a look. It wasn’t bleeding, though a pointed femur pinned through it into the wall. It was distinctly cold and uncomfortable. She wasn’t really very fond of the feeling.

“How did you get in here, human?!” he demanded. He sounded frightened. He tried quickly to regain himself. “No. Don’t bother. There is no point.”

“Okay, uh…” She recoiled as much as she could as he came in close. “C-Can we just wait a second? Maybe, um, talk about this?”

“There is nothing to discuss.” His eyes flashed and he levelled a sharpened bone straight at her throat, the needle tip pricking her skin. “You are a human, therefore you must go to the King.” He tried to keep his voice steady, but there was a tremor at the end of his words. “I don’t know how you got here, or how you know my name, but I will not l—”

He never got to finish as a stark white monster, about six feet tall with blazing green eyes and long, pointed horns that had started to curl, slammed into him, sending him skidding across the room. The bones fizzled away and Frisk dropped to the floor, putting a hand to her shoulder. It had to have been Asriel, despite her slack-jawed surprise. 

Snarling, he crushed an oncoming bone in his hand and then braced his feet solidly on the tiles. They cracked under his claws and, dragging his fingers through the air, and wall of flame followed them upwards between them and the skeleton. It flared his hoodie out like a cloak.

“You picked on the wrong kid.” His voice had dropped and he snarled with large, shiny fangs. “Who the hell do you think you are?!”

The skeleton heaved himself up onto his knees. His eyes shone, both bright, acrid green. His jaw dropped. “P-P-Prince…? No, it… It can’t…! Prince D-Dreemurr?!”

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay outta our way.” He snorted and flames overtook the room in a roar. 

Frisk flinched and shielded her eyes, but before she could regain herself, she was grabbed tightly and dragged out of the room.

She stumbled into the hallway, blinking in the light. Asriel yanked a cabinet off the wall and shoved it against the door, blocking most of it.

“Ah!! Jeez, is he gonna be okay?!” Frisk yelped.

“He was gonna kill you, y’know,” Asriel said. He grabbed a heavy, potted plant and put that on top of the cabinet. He cut his eyes at her. “Yeah. Fire was just to blind him for a minute. Won’t hurt him.”

The kid blew out a sigh of relief, only to be gripped by the monster again and whisked away. 

When they skidded out into a large, open room with a small hallway at the other end, it was clear that they were in the lab the same as they knew, at least to a point. Asriel rushed them to the elevator and told it to shoot them upwards with a smash of the buttons. 

The doors closed and the floor rumbled. Frisk let out a long sigh and collapsed, rubbing her head. Asriel slid down to sit with her and she hugged onto him tightly. He wrapped her in his arms snugly, pulling her onto his lap. She melted.

“Be more careful.” He huffed quietly. “Uh… You okay? Kinda looked like one of those bones was going through you?”

“Yeah. Um…” She cautiously checked her shoulder, which was quite sore. Her jacket wasn’t even torn. She peeked down the front of her shirt. Her skin did look a bit darker. “Feels bruised I guess.”

“Hah! Hit you with the wrong frequency. Good,” he said. “Because, uh… Actually, we might be sorta far from help, here.”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah. You’re right. I’ll be more careful,” she said. She blew out a deep sigh. “You weren’t in there for long, were you?”

“Nah, not really,” he said. “Feels like just a second on my end. Long time out here?”

“Few minutes.” She sat back and grabbed his fluffy cheeks gently. “You supposed to be this big?”

“Think some of my, uh, extra timeline years kinda caught up with me on the way out.” He grinned slyly. “S’not the worst. Hopefully it reverses when we get home, though. Not real eager to explain it.”

Frisk nodded. “Thanks for the help,” she said quietly, running her fingers through her bangs. “Oof. That was so weird seeing… him.”

“Totally not Uncle G,” he said, nodding. “Oh, uh… Sorry. That… can’t be easy.”

“Y-Yeah. I, um… I guess.” She folded her arms. “I looked at his notes. I think he was definitely looking into the time and space stuff. He might have seen me? He used the _anomaly _word. I’m not sure.”

“Might’ve been helpful,” he grumbled. “Too bad he’s a jerk.”

“H-He might not be. I kinda think I just scared the heck outta him,” Frisk said.

The elevator began to slow and Asriel got up. He held out a paw to stop Frisk when the doors opened, and he peeked out quickly. Once he was satisfied, they slipped out.

It was just the lab. Not identical to the one they knew, but still clearly the same place. Frisk had to take a moment to catch her breath. Her hands were shaking badly.

“Can’t stay here,” Asriel said. “Which way?” He looked at Frisk, his brow furrowed. “You alright?”

“N-No, not really,” she said weakly, eyes wide. “It’s… It’s nuts, right?! I mean. Crap! I… I brought us to another world. We’re… I mean. My dad who’s totally not my dad just super tried to kill me and if we m-meet Sans and Paps they totally won’t be our brothers and what if Sans tries to—?!”

“Hey. Hey. Relax.” Asriel knelt down and held her shoulders. 

“I d-don’t know if I can take that,” she said.

“You won’t have to. Hey. It’s gonna be fine. We’re together. Right?”

“R-Right,” she said. 

“And this place, it’s not totally crazy, right? Looks kinda normal. We’re not on the moon or something weird,” he said.

“Right.” She took a deep breath and nodded. “Right. You’re right. And we’re together. Thanks. We can do this.”

“Sure we can.” He grinned his big fangs at her. “So. Got any ideas?”

“I, um… I’m not sure. Maybe Sans or Alphys can help us,” she suggested.

“Here.” He handed her a cellphone. “Give it a try, maybe he’s in there.”

Frisk frowned at the device. “Where’d you get this?”

“It was that Gaster’s. He dropped it,” he said.

“Oh.” She turned on the home screen and then swiped through his contacts— not many, but Sans was there. She pressed on his number and put the phone to her ear.

The phone rang for a while. Frisk was starting to get nervous. She began to edge towards the door at the other end of the building. Finally, someone picked up.

“No, I’m not comin’ back, stop askin’,” said Sans. Then, he hung up.

Frisk pouted and frowned. She looked up at Asriel. “Think he doesn’t like this guy very much.”

“That’s annoying,” he said. “Go see him anyway? Or is that, uh, too hard?”

“If Gaster won’t even hear us out, he might be our best shot,” Frisk said. She put a hand over her soul spot. “I… I’m sure I can convince Sans that we’re friends.”

“Okay. Hopefully everything’s in the same place,” Asriel said. He stretched his arms up and cracked his knuckles. “Stay close. We don’t know the last time a human went through this place, so there’s no telling who might recognize what you are.”

“Right, um…” She pulled up her hood and the little points on it stuck up like tiny horns. “Well. I guess if anyone asks I’m uh… a dog or something.”


	20. If I don’t cry 20 times today I’ll consider that a win

Waterfall didn’t so much as have a stone out of place. The only difference seemed to be a distinct lack of tears in time. The only one, so far, was the one deep inside the lab. 

Frisk was extra alert. There were some monsters about— some that she recognized, others she didn’t. She was certain she spotted Gerson in the shadows, sitting on a bench near the water and smoking a bubble pipe.

“This is so weird,” she muttered.

“Which part?” Asriel asked with a laugh. He lead the way through dark paths lit by glowing crystals and cast a look back over his shoulder at her.

“That this… I dunno. It’s not a dream,” she said quietly. “I can’t get over it.”

“Yeah, we have to be careful here,” he said. “Do you know how close this is to ours? I mean… is it a variation or ours or—”

“I don’t think so,” she said. “I think this is farther. And dad’s… Um. I mean, Gaster, his eyes were green, so that’s pretty different. His accent was different, too. And it’s back in time like, eleven years, I think? Oh, man, I hope I don’t run into another me or some other time kid, I’ll just frickin’ faint I bet.”

“Don’t think you will, I haven’t noticed any of those save things, really,” he said. He grinned. “I’m not worried about me, I’m dead.”

“Jeez, dude,” Frisk said.

He laughed. “It’s true though.”

She rubbed her brow and groaned. “I’m gonna go nuts.”

“Just… y’know, take it as it comes,” Asriel suggested.

Water from torrents gushing downwards flooded parts of the path, and Asriel scooped Frisk up to easily bypass it.

“Helps to have tall friends, huh?” he said.

“I know, right? I love it,” she said. 

He paused after gently placing her back on her feet, his eyes fixed on the water. Frisk shot him a puzzled look before she realized why. He went down on one knee and leaned over the shimmering stream to stare at his own reflection. He brushed his ears back and tilted his head down to look at his horns. They were not quite the horns of an adult, but they were certainly longer. They had begun to curl in a very similar way to how he’d looked when he’d absorbed all those human souls.

“Huh. How, uh…? How do I look?”

“Good,” Frisk said. “You okay?”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah. I think so,” he said. He grinned sideways. “Better than the gorilla arms, I guess. Kinda looks weirdly normal.” He ran his fingers over the stripes on his cheeks that were a little more defined than before. “Hm. Could you check my back?”

“Sure, if you want,” she said.

He turned his back to her and pulled up his shirts to show the striping there. Frisk hadn’t seen the lines very often, but they looked darker now, and a little thicker. A little more shaped, as if they’d been painted on.

“Hm. Kinda weird,” she admitted. “They just look a little more like… I dunno, wings? Than last time, anyway.”

“Weird.” He straightened up and readjusted his clothes, and then ran a hand through the tussled fur on his head. “…Crap.”

“Seriously, are you okay?” Frisk pushed.

He nodded. She hugged him anyway. He wilted and pulled her into his arms. 

“I think it just hit me,” he admitted.

“I know, it’s super messed up,” she said. “But, um… I’m really glad you came with me. Like. So glad. For real.”

“Or you might still be skewered right now,” he joked, though his tone was weak. 

“A _Frisk-kabob_?” she asked.

“Pffffff. Just be more careful, okay?”

“Yeah… Y-Yeah. I know. We… We can only really count on us here.”

She perked up at a sound out of place, disrupting the constant rush of the water with a steady thumping noise. “You hear that?”

“Yeah.” His ears lifted slightly. He put her down and gently nudged her closer to the wall as he stood up. “Careful.”

A figure began to loom from the gloom and the clunking noise got louder. Frisk would know it anywhere. She stayed close to Asriel’s leg as they went, holding her breath as a big, armoured form with intimidating, glittering eyes approached. Asriel walked like normal and passed by without a second look and, hurriedly, Frisk darted around in front of him to stay out of the way. However, the big metal guard stopped in her tracks and whirled on Asriel quickly. Eyes flashed golden from behind the heavy helmet.

“HEY!” she said loudly, her voice caught in a hollow, metallic reverberation. 

The fur on the back of his neck stood on end and he turned to face her, positioning himself between her and Frisk. “Yeah?”

Undyne was still taller than he was. She folded her arms and looked him up and down, eyes shining yellow out through the eye holes in her helmet. “You new around here? You gotta be. I know everything and everyone in Waterfall.”

“From New Home,” he said, dipping his head in a nod.

“Oh. You, uh…?” She leaned closer. “You wouldn’t happen to be related to the King or something?”

“Hmm? Oh, no, no no no, no way,” he said.

“Oh. Weird. You kinda look like him. What’s your name?” she asked, tilting her head.

“Uhhh… Goaty?” he suggested. “The… goat. I guess. Yeah.” 

Frisk put her face in her palms. 

His lips pulled back into a nervous, fangy grin. “You, uh, must be Undyne. Right?” he asked.

“Lieutenant Undyne!” she said, jabbing her thumb into her own chest. “You heard of me?” She sounded excited.

“Oh yeah, sure,” he said quickly. “Heard you were doing a really good job.”

She puffed up with pride. “Hey thanks, man, I been trainin’ a lot! Uh…” She looked down.

Frisk did her best not to withdraw as Undyne’s eyes caught on her. She sheepishly raised her hand.

“Uh! Oh! Hey, short-stuff! Jeez, that was rude of me, totally ignorin’ you.” She stiffened. “Uh… Hey, what kinda monster are you?”

“Dog,” she said swiftly. 

“A… dog?” she asked.

“Oh, yep, she’s a dog alright,” Asriel said, gently nudging her down the road. “She just, uh, has a real quiet bark, but she’s real excited to dig some holes in Snowdin, right?”

“Yeah. Um. Wow! I love digging,” she said. “You smell like a friend, so it’s nice to meet you. That’s exciting.”

“Real exciting,” he agreed, hurrying the kid away. “Um! See you later, Lieutenant, keep up the good work!”

“Wait!” Undyne shouted.

Frisk got the cold sweats. Asriel winced and turned back to the monster with feigned innocence on his face. 

“Yeah?” he said.

“How’s the armour look?” she asked.

“Oh! It looks really cool!” Frisk said. 

“Yeah, it’s great.” Asriel nodded.

“Yeah?! Awesome! Thanks. It’s new. Just got it fitted,” Undyne said. She thumped her fist over her chest. It made the sound of a metal drum. “As you were, citizens!” She stomped off towards the twin waterfalls down the road, and soon became dim in the darkness.

Frisk blew out a sigh and Asriel deflated. He grabbed her up in his arms so they could move faster. She shot him a wide, amused grin.

“Goaty?” she said.

“Shut it,” he said. “I suck at names, okay?”

“I know.” She grinned at him slyly and raised her brows.

He scoffed and waved her off.

\- - -

The wind was howling outside the cavern entrance of Waterfall, buffeting the kids with snow as they trudged out into the deep cold before them. Frisk shivered. The bluster of white flakes was a shroud before them.

“So,” Asriel said, “we go to the house?”

“Y-Yeah, guess s-so,” she said, sniffling. “Hope he’s there. Hope the house is there, actually.”

“We’ll find him,” he said. 

All they had to do was make their way up the road until a shape to their right loomed out of the whirling blizzard, dotted with little, colourful lights around the windowsills. Frisk sniffed and wiped her frosty nose, and edged up towards the steps. She reached out for the door handle, but then drew back. She looked at Asriel over her shoulder.

“Knock,” he said.

She gulped and then rapped her knuckles against the wood. 

It was only a second before the door was flung open and she came face to face with a skeleton. He was just barely taller than she was and very skinny, in an orange t-shirt and blue shorts. She knew who it was. Wasn’t really any other option. She was shocked anyhow. Asriel covered his mouth and snorted.

“Hello!!” he said brightly. “You aren’t a skeleton, are you?”

“N… No…?” she said cautiously.

“Oh good! My brother said not to open the doors for any other skeletons, but if you’re not one that must be fine!” He grinned and put a hand to his chest. “I’m Papyrus! Who are you and what are you doing at my house?” 

Asriel burst out laughing, doubled over, and had to hold his knees. “Oh my god, dude.”

Papyrus gasped loudly before she could say a word and put his hands to his cheeks. “Oh! You’re from out of town! You must be frozen, right?! Don’t worry, it won’t last too long, but come inside!” He grabbed her arm and yanked her through the threshold before waving to Asriel. “You too, Mister Goat!” 

“Mister Goat’s my dad, call me Az,” he said with a grin. “Thanks, Papyrus.” He had to grit his teeth not to laugh.

Papyrus grinned brightly and closed the door, and then grabbed Frisk by the hands and inspected her curiously. She tried not to look too shell-shocked. He was tiny. Another world’s version of her own brother. Her eyes sparkled. It was really hard not to just grab him and squish him.

“Oh, wow, I’ve never seen someone like you before!” he said. “Can I touch your hair? I always wanted hair.”

“Um! Sure?” she said.

He snickered and put a boney hand on either side of her head. “Oh! It’s smooth and soft! Neat!” 

“So, uh, Papyrus. I gotta know. How old are you?” Asriel asked as he prowled around the room, eyes skimming over the familiar set-up.

“Seven,” he said proudly.

Frisk almost choked and she grabbed his face in both hands. “You’re seven?!”

“Y-Yes?” he said.

“How am I older than you?! And you’re so cute!!” she squeaked.

“Oh!! Nyeh heh heh! Thank you!” he said, grinning proudly and blushing orange.

Asriel lost it again, laughing so hard he was panting. Frisk tried not to join him, but her eyes lit right up and she put a hand to her chest.

“I’m Frisk,” she said. 

“Frisk! That’s an interesting name. Is it because you talk in _Benguiat Frisky_?” he asked.

“Uh, what?” She stared blankly.

He giggled and waved his hands. “Never mind! Just a skeleton thing.” 

“Speakin’ of,” Asriel said, “why doesn’t your brother want you letting any other skeletons in?”

“Oh! Well. It’s just…” Papyrus scratched the back of his head bashfully. “There was this old skeleton back where my big brother used to work and he… um… wasn’t very nice sometimes. Um. Mostly to me. So my brother quit and brought me here and made me promise not to tell him where we went, no many how many times he phones!”

“What? Why would he be mean to you?” Frisk asked, baffled. 

“Well. I mean. He would call me stupid.” His eyes got big and he clenched his fists. “But I’m really not! I promise! A-And he kept wanting me to go in a weird experiment pod, but my brother found out and then we left.”

Frisk gawked. She was filled with a hot, uncomfortable feeling and she quickly pulled the little skeleton into her arms. He squeaked.

“You’re not stupid. You’re so not stupid, Papyrus, oh my god.”

“I-I know,” he said quietly. He clung to her with strong fingers and slumped against her shoulder. “Nyeh… You’re pretty nice.”

“Listen.” Frisk cupped his face. “Just ‘cause maybe you see stuff different from that other guy, that doesn’t make you stupid. Never ever. And that’s super mean and not cool of him to say that.”

Papyrus blushed. His eye sockets flared with a warm, golden glow. “My brother said that, too. That other guy’s not a very nice skeleton sometimes. Do you know him?”

“We met for like a second,” Frisk said. “He, um, didn’t like me very much.”

“He seems to not like very many people very much,” he said, pouting. “Maybe just the King. But everyone likes the King.”

“Jeez, what’s with that?” Asriel snorted. “What kinda dad is that?”

“Dad?” Papyrus looked confused. “He’s not my dad.”

“He isn’t?” Frisk asked, startled.

“No. I mean. He made me and my brother,” he said. “But I called Gaster my dad one time and he got really mad at me. S-So he’s definitely not my dad. My brother and the King took care of me.”

Asriel sighed, folding his arms. He cut his eyes at Frisk. “No wonder he hung up on you.”

Papyrus looked confused. Frisk held out the phone they’d snatched.

“We, um, took this from Gaster,” she said. “It’s a long story, but, um, we kinda needed some science help and we thought he might be able to do something, but he sorta attacked me right away. We figured your brother might be able to help us out but when I called, he must’ve thought I was him.”

“Wait, a-attacked? But why?!” Papyrus stared at her blankly as she stashed the phone in her hoodie again. “But your soul is…! I mean! You’re really nice, I can tell!”

“I guess I sorta took him off guard,” she said sheepishly. “Thanks for thinking I’m nice.”

Asriel scoffed. Frisk’s face flushed. Papyrus squinted at her and tilted his head one way, and then the other. A little spark lit in his eyes.

“Hang on one second! Please sit down wherever you like and I’ll be right back!” He quickly scampered up the stairs and ducked into the first room on the second level.

Asriel shot a confused look at the kid. She shrugged.

Papyrus came bounding back down the stairs, a proud smile on his face and a big, heavy book clutched in both hands. He bounced over to Frisk. “Are you a this?!” He opened it to a drawing of some humans doing some farm work and shoved it towards her. “You are, right?!”

Asriel snorted and put his hands on his face, barely hiding his mirth.  “Sorry,” he said.

“Aah. Um… Y-Yeah, guess you got me there, Paps,” Frisk said with a nervous grin on her face.

“AH! Wowie! I knew there was something weird about you!” he said, puffing out his chest. “I just knew it! So you’re called a human then, right?!”

“She is. But can you keep it a secret?” Asriel asked quickly. “She’s not here to make any trouble.”

“Wowie! Um!” Papyrus grinned bashfully. “I know that. I mean. I know we just met but your soul felt way too nice to be mean! But. Um. Nyehhh, I have to tell my brother, though. He always told me I should never keep secrets from him. Especially if someone asks me to, then I should definitely tell him right away.”

Asriel laughed. “Okay. Fair enough, that’s a good rule. We were gonna tell him anyway.”

“If, um, you wouldn’t mind keeping it quiet from other monsters, would that be okay?” Frisk asked.

“Oh! Yes! We keep secrets from other monsters all the time, that’s okay.” Papyrus nodded quickly. “Just not from my brother.”

“That’s perfect,” Asriel said. “Hey. Uh. Where is he?”

“Probably Grillby’s, if they have one,” Frisk said.

“Oh! Wowie, that’s a great guess,” Papyrus said. “That’s exactly where he went! I think it’s a bit gross, but he really likes it.”

Frisk and Asriel shared a look. He put his hands up. 

“I’ll just freak him out,” he said.

“I will, too,” she said.

“Yeah, but you got more of a shot,” he insisted.

“But I’m still a human,” she said sheepishly. “And, um, an anomaly kinda human.”

“And that’s why you should talk to him, nobody knows this stuff better than him,” he said.

“But if he knows about that stuff even a little don’t you think I’d super freak him out?” she asked. “A-And what if we’re too early and he doesn’t know any of it?”

He folded his arms. “You just worried about cryin’ all over him?”

“What?! N-No.” She sighed. “Yes. But it’s not just that!”

“You’ll be fine,” Asriel assured her.

“Sorry, I don’t understand,” Papyrus said.

“Oh! Um. Sorry,” Frisk said hurriedly. “It’s just… Okay. Um…”

“You’re not gonna tell him, are you?” Asriel asked, wide-eyed. 

“Why not? It’s Papyrus,” Frisk said.

“Tell me what?” Papyrus asked curiously. 

The kid looked up at Asriel with raised brows. He wilted slightly and nodded.

“Guess it probably wouldn’t hurt,” he said.

Frisk gently held Papyrus’s hands. She couldn’t help but smile at him fondly. “This is gonna sound really weird. But, Az and me, we’re from another world,” she said. “It’s a lot like this one. We came here for some help. Back there, there’s… There’s a Papyrus, just like you. And a Sans, just like your brother. But they’re our brothers, too. And we needed to come here to help them out.”

“Wh…? WHAT?! Really?!” Papyrus barked. “You’re…?” He leaned forward and stared at her. “Sister?” His eyes darted behind her. “And brother?!”

“W-Well, we—”

“Wait, is that why you came here to the house?” he demanded. “Do you live in the same house?!”

“Yeah,” she said.

“Oh wowie! Of course!! That must be why your soul sounds like that!” He grinned widely. “Nyeh heh heh! I’m glad I let you in, then!”

“Me too!” she said with a laugh.

“So what do you need to help them with?” he asked.

“The Sans we know got sick,” Asriel said. “We think it’s because of a big hole someone or something from your world made. We figure a smart dude like your brother could help us figure out what happened and how to patch it up.”

“Oh! Yes, that sounds right, my big brother is the smartest, he can figure out anything,” Papyrus said proudly. “He can definitely help you, I’m positive!”

Frisk was taken aback when the small skeleton grabbed her and hugged her tight. 

“Nyeh heh heh! I bet I’m the first skeleton to hug a human in a long time!” he said proudly. He jumped back and perked up. “Oh!! So! My big brother’ll be home at some point, for sure. But, um. If you want to see him, let me just check, ummm…” He pulled open a drawer from a small table near the couch, and then pulled out a calendar. He flipped through some pages and squinted at one of them. He hopped back and peeked into the kitchen, and then shot Frisk a big smile. “You have thirty-four minutes before we’re stuck inside because of the magic blizzard. I think that should be enough time, right?”

“Let’s hope convincing him we’re not total creeps doesn’t take too long,” Asriel said.

“I… I think I got it,” Frisk said. “Just down the road, right?”

“Mhm, just follow the lights!” Papyrus assured her.

Despite the billowing, blinding snow outside, Frisk headed out again. The main street here— from what she could see, at least— was identical to the one back home. Grillby’s sign glowed clearly through the bluster with firelight letters.

The bar was starkly warm and cozy compared to the outside. It was empty, though, save for a hunched figure in blue sitting at the counter at the very back of the building. Frisk hesitated at the door. She gulped and her heart beat too hard against her ribs. It was just Sans, she reminded herself. A tired skeleton who’d seen too much, whose only loyalty in the world was to that little boy back at his house. The same as the guy who’d met her beyond the bridge at the edge of Snowdin, but maybe with not quite as much baggage yet. Her heart hurt. It wasn’t his fault, though.

Cautiously, she edged up to the stool beside him and, after a quick pass for a whoopee cushion, hopped up to sit with him. The skeleton, identical to her big brother, loosely held a glass bottle of ketchup in one hand. He cut his eye at her and didn’t look even the least bit surprised.

“You’re early,” he said.

“…I am?” Frisk asked blankly.

He took a swig of the bottle in front of him and then clunked it heavily onto the counter. “So. You wanna do this outside? Be a shame to wreck the bar.”

“Do what outside?” she asked.

He simply raised a brow skeptically. “Fight.”

Frisk stared at him. She found it so absurd that she choked laughing. “F-Fight?!” She coughed and tried to regain herself, drawing in a deep breath and putting her hand to her soul spot. “Oh jeez. Sorry. I didn’t mean to— I don’t wanna fight you. I mean. Unless you really really wanna fight me. But I won’t attack you, so… Um.” She shrugged. “You win?”

Sans looked at her with brows raised. She smiled sheepishly. He drummed his fingers on the wood, gears in his head whirring.

“Serious?” he said.

She nodded. “Sorry for laughing. That’s just… I didn’t expect that. That’s really brave, though. Like, you didn’t know what I was gonna say, so… But, yeah, no, I don’t… fight. That’s not a thing. Wouldn’t fight you, like, ever, if I have the choice and stuff.”

He frowned and rested his cheek on his fist, then cut his eyes at her. “Then what the heck you doin’ here?” 

“Well, um, it’s kinda weird, but I was hoping I could ask you for your help?” she asked quietly. “Sorry if that’s, like, really asking a lot. I mean, I know it’s gotta be. I’m just some weird human showing up outta nowhere. I was gonna ask your Gaster, if you had one, since I think maybe he mightta made my problem, but he kinda tried to kill me right off and then I thought, y’know, you’re the smartest guy I know, so, maybe you might…?”

He stared at her for a few long, heavy seconds. “Who are you, kid?”

“I’m Frisk,” she said.

He shook his head. “No. Who are you?”

She cracked a tense smile. “Um. Well. I’m kinda… the anchor? An anomaly, I guess. From another timeline. Does that mean anything to you?

“Yeah,” he said.

“And, um, in my timeline, you’re my big brother. Or. Maybe not you, but Sans. Another Sans. Sorry. This is still kinda new to me. I came here with one of my other brothers, Az.” She pushed her fingertips together bashfully. “The Sans we know is kinda sick ‘cause of time getting messed up, and all the stuff I saw out in between everything lead us to this place.” She looked up at him, her cheeks flushing. “S-Sorry. That’s super weird, huh?”

The skeleton looked like he didn’t know where to start. He downed the rest of his ketchup and then chucked the bottle over his shoulder. He huffed out a rough laugh and rubbed his brows with his fingertips. “Damn.”

“Sorry,” she said quietly.

He shook his head and straightened up. He stared at her intently. “You’re tellin’ me you can go between… timelines?”

“Y-Yeah, um… Yeah.” She nodded quickly. “It’s new. But, um. It’s not something I wanted to do. I mean, I’m sure your timeline is really nice! But. I… just really need to fix mine. And I was just wondering…”

“And you said Gaster messed it up?”

“I’m not sure,” she said. “Either someone did something or something just kinda went stupid on its own and it linked us to you guys. Either way, I just kinda hoped maybe you’d know more than I do. It looked like he was doing research on that kinda stuff in the lab. Right?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Oh. You, uh, called me, huh?” 

She nodded. 

“Hm. Shouldda known when you didn’t call back like ten times that it wasn’t him.” He paused and shot her a cautious look. “Did you say I was…? Your Sans, the one you know, he’s your brother?”

She nodded again. Sans put his chin in his hand and scowled off into space for a moment. Frisk had the sudden urge to apologize. Again.

“I know, it’s all kinda nuts, right?” she said. “I… I kinda can’t believe I’m even here. Um. I know it’s… If the anomaly thing means something to you, you must kinda get what’s going on but, um… I-If you want…” She concentrated and lit up red in her hand, offering it to him tentatively. “You can feel my soul? If, um… If it would help.”

“Your soul?” he repeated skeptically.

“If… If you’re not sure if you should trust me,” she said. “I know it’s a big ask and stuff. And… And my brother is always— or I mean, he was, when anomalies were still coming— but he was always really super careful about this kinda thing. So… So if you want…”

Sans looked at her, and then at the glow in her palm. He drummed his fingers on the counter again and then carefully picked up her small hand in his. The red magic jumped between his bones. He released her after only a second and rubbed a hand over the back of his skull. The short, sturdy skeleton’s shoulders slumped. He straightened up and then thumped her on the back. 

“Sorry for jumpin’ the gun on ya. Want anything?” He jerked his thumb towards the back of the bar.

Frisk tried to hide her surprise and she shook her head. Sans slipped some coins onto the counter and dropped back onto the floor. He tilted his head towards the door. The kid hurriedly followed him back out into the cold.

\- - -

At the house, Asriel was sitting casually on the couch with a tired look in his eyes. Papyrus, who had plunked himself in the older boy’s lap, cackled and ran to give Sans a hug as they came inside. Though he put his arm around the kid’s shoulders, his eyes focussed, wide and cautious, on Asriel. The goat boy lifted a hand in greetings. 

“Big brother, this is Frisk and Az! They aren’t skeletons so I let them in from the blizzard! That’s okay, right?” Papyrus said. 

“Yeah, kiddo, of course,” Sans said. He looked at Asriel with his brows raised. There was a cautious, knowing look in his dark eyes. “Az, huh? Short for somethin’, I bet.”

Asriel smiled sideways. “Yeah. Sorry.”

Sans laughed and rubbed his face. He looked exhausted.

“She’s a human, isn’t that weird?” Papyrus said brightly, pointing at Frisk. “But she’s nice! Her soul sounds really nice! And she has a skeleton name! And she also thinks Gaster was a mean jerk!”

Sans scoffed. He patted the kid’s head and then shot Frisk a curious look. “You sure this is another timeline? S’not the past of yours?”

“No way, our Gaster’s totally different,” Asriel said.

“Better or worse?” he asked.

“Well, here’s not great,” Frisk said bashfully. “He’s my dad, in our world. The way Papyrus talked about this guy, I don’t think I like him at all.”

“Wait, how can he be your dad if he’s technically supposed to be our dad except he gets mad if we say that?” asked Papyrus as he sat snugly beside Asriel.

“He kinda blew up through the CORE and it made my soul, I guess,” Frisk said.

“Wait. He… made you, where you’re from?” Sans stared Frisk down with concerned eyes.

The kid nodded. Sans’s face took on an expression of pity and horror.

“Oh. God. Uh. Wh…? Uh. He didn’t… do anythin’ to you, did he?” he asked.

“Do anything?” Frisk tilted her head. “Like what?”

“Experiments? Determination stuff?” he asked. “He doesn’t treat you bad, does he?”

“Oh! Oh, no no, he’s…” Frisk smiled sheepishly. “No, he’s super nice. I haven’t known him that long because… Um, it’s complicated, but he always tried to help me and he’s just, like, a huge nice dork.”

“Accurate,” Asriel said with a laugh. “Yeah. Don’t worry about ours. He’s good. Yours, though… Kinda sensing some history.”

Sans laughed dryly and he shot an apologetic look at Papyrus. “Guy made me first. Tryin’ to make a human soul. Failed. Offloaded me onto the King, but I was analytical, like him, so I was helpful even if I was too weak for much else. He tried again, made Papy, couldn’t understand how good he was and, well…”

“We heard that,” Frisk said. “That’s awful. I’m sorry.”

Sans looked surprised. Papyrus, on the other hand, had gotten quite cozy with Asriel again and was looking up at him, awed.

“Wowie, you’re full of super powers, aren’t you?” he asked. “I can feel your soul is super strong!”

Asriel laughed. “C’mon, you goof, your bro was bein’ serious.”

Papyrus snickered. “It’s fine! All that bad stuff is over now.”

“It’s so weird,” Frisk said, folding her arms and biting her lip. “I mean… Dad made our Sans the same way. He was trying to make a human soul. It didn’t work, but he was happy anyway. And he made Papyrus later on purpose. But he loved both you guys so much, I don’t…” She shook her head. “I don’t understand how someone could make you guys and not love you.”

“Specially Papy,” muttered Sans.

“Especially both of you.” Frisk smiled at him sympathetically. “Guess we gotta give up on him helping out in this place.”

“…But he did make a human soul.” Worry flashed across Sans’s face. “No offence, but I can’t let our guy get it right. For that kid’s sake.”

“Oh, don’t worry, he won’t,” Asriel said. “Not without dying, anyway.”

“Dying?” Papyrus repeated worriedly.

“Phew,” Sans breathed.

“Saaaanss, come on, he’s mean but he’s not _that_ mean,” Papyrus scolded.

“Bro, if he did bad stuff to us because of our determination, if he got a kid like this one,” Sans said, drawing in close to hold the boy by the shoulder, “he’d be real bad to ‘er.”

“Is that why you left?” Frisk asked worriedly. “Because…?”

“Wasn’t about to let him hold somethin’ over me anymore,” he said with a shrug. 

“Maybe this is an offshoot of ours,” Asriel suggested quietly. “Except it’s just Gaster’s real different. Could that be possible?”

“Guess anything could be possible,” Frisk said worriedly. “But it would… I dunno, maybe it’s too different if his eyes are green? That means history is a little different here, I think. I dunno, but… Jeez. He wasn’t wrong.”

“Who wasn’t?” Sans asked.

“Oh! Sorry. Our Gaster. He warned me that others of him can be really… off. I just didn’t think we’d find one like that so fast,” she said. “But, then again, if it was him cutting into our timeline…” She shook her head. “Well, whatever’s happening, we gotta save Sans.”

“So, uh… What’s wrong with him, exactly?” Sans asked.

“He’s really linked into the, um, flow of time and stuff. Like we are,” Frisk said. “But something’s off. The flow is wrong. I… I thought maybe I messed him up by accident when I fixed a rip into our time, but now I sorta think that was only part of it, because I followed something that was leaking into his head and it lead here. The only tear I’ve seen so far in this whole place was in the lab. So I’m starting to think it was an experiment in there that did it. Do you happen to know anything?”

“Hmm… We were, at one point, studyin’ something we called the Dark Lines, and it had to do with time and stuff,” Sans said. “But… any tests or somethin’ to actually try to reach them, nah. Not while I was there. But we left… I dunno, how long’s it been, Papy?”

“One year, two weeks, and five days,” he said proudly.

Sans smiled and patted the little skeleton on the head approvingly. “So, uh… Y’know, a year doesn’t seem like a lot of time when it comes to this kinda thing, but if something lit a fire under Gaster’s tailbone, who knows what the ol’ bastard couldda done.”

“Sans!” Papyrus scolded, though it simply caused the older skeleton to laugh quietly.

“So… he’s really not your dad, then?” Frisk wondered.

“Pff. Nah. He mightta made us but I figure it doesn’t count. Gotta put in effort to be a dad,” he said. “Asgore— uh, the King— raised me. Heh. If anyone’s our dad…” He rubbed the back of his skull. “Sorry. Don’t need my life’s story. Suffice it to say, he’s a pretty selfish guy. He’s powerful and good at his job, but he’s also got an ego too big for this mountain. He may have made this thing you described. But, your Gaster… Your _nice_ one, he can’t help you?” He folded his arms.

“He’s kinda sick,” Asriel said with a shrug.

“See, um, ours, he’s… He already went through the time void. Like, he got ripped from a timeline and turned into goo and it was the worst,” Frisk said. “When he came back he was himself again, but his soul’s all broken up. He can jump through rips but even that messes him up a bit again. He tried coming out into the outside place with me one time and he almost died right away. If I hadn’t been a-able to turn him back…” She winced. “Anyway, um. He’s really busy trying to figure out how to help Sans in our world, but we… I dunno. I have no idea how much time we have. His health rating’s super low and it was going down more.”

“Ah.” Sans folded his arms, his brow furrowed, but he nodded. “Sorry. Yeah. We’re, uh… Most of us end up low like that.”

“You know about the other ones?” Frisk asked, wide-eyed.

He nodded. “Bit too much, maybe.”

“Were you ever higher?” Asriel asked.

“Nah.” He held up one finger. “Him?”

“They told me he was born with five, but it started to go down after he, um…” Frisk gulped. “There was a human, and he had to, um… It was to save Papyrus. He had to.”

“Had to do what to save Papyrus?” Papyrus asked curiously.

“Go on a really tough quest, bro,” Sans said. “…Had to.” He nodded solemnly and lowered his voice. “Not sure how much sense that makes, usually you get stronger, but… hell, I’m not exactly usual.”

“Yeah, we dunno, weren’t exactly there,” Asriel said. He perked suddenly. “Oh! Uh. Frisk? Any insight?”

“H-He was just a kid. I mean, older than I am now, but… still, like, real young, y’know? He felt super low. Maybe that was just… worse. It’s, um… supposed to feel like your soul gets ripped apart and then put back together, but stronger and… worse, somehow, right? It definitely felt like it ripped apart.”

Sans looked at her skeptically for a moment. He tilted his head. “Bro, could you do me a favour and grab us, uh… the mail? Forgot on my way in.”

“Nyeh, you always forget! I’ll be right back!” The little skeleton bustled himself out quickly.

The second he was gone, Sans closed in on Frisk with his brow furrowed. “Why you talkin’ like that?” he asked.

“L-Like what?” she asked.

“Like… Uh. Like you felt it,” he said.

“She did,” Asriel said.

“Shared souls. It was a big thing we had to do,” the kid said with an apologetic smile. “So. Um. It’s weird. It did a memory share. The thing I’m talking about, I… Wow, I wasn’t even born back then, weird, huh?”

The skeleton looked troubled. “But how…? Killed you?”

“Oh! No no, it was my idea, I asked a friend to… Anyway, it was no big deal, I died like a thousand times. He never… No. Not even once,” she said hurriedly.

“I did though,” Asriel said. “Never got the soul though. Except that one time.”

“You cheated,” Frisk joked.

“Pffft, still,” he said. “Didn’t do that memory thing, thankfully.”

“Oh man, that wouldda been the worst!” she said shrilly.

He nodded solemnly.

“Wait. Hold it.” Sans put his hands up as if to stall them and then grabbed Frisk by the shoulder. “Say again? You died how many times?”

“Oh! I dunno, I stopped counting,” she said sheepishly. “I-It’s okay! Really.”

There was a hurt in the skeleton’s eyes that caught Frisk off-guard. He shook his head.

“It’s fine,” she said again.

“It ain’t right,” he said quietly. “I mean, if you’re the anchor, then who the hell would—?”

“Asgore. Undyne. Mettaton,” Frisk said bashfully, and Asriel stuck up his hand. “Muffet. A bunch of dogs. Some other guys. Wasn’t just monsters. Um. It’s not… It’s not a big deal. For real.”

“Ah jeez.” Sans rubbed around his eye sockets and turned to Asriel. “Sure I didn’t—?”

The goat boy burst out laughing. “He knows your tricks and he just met you!” he teased.

Frisk groaned. “Come on, it’s not like that!”

“He didn’t,” Asriel assured the skeleton. He grinned slyly. “You like her already, don’t ya?”

The skeleton’s cheekbones flushed faintly blue. He folded his arms. “S’just… An anchor, that’s… different than the others, y’know? And she’s… You’re just a little kid, I mean… Who wants to hear about little kids gettin’ dusted, right?”

“Please don’t worry,” Frisk said. “It’s just really not a big deal, I promise.”

“She’s a little messed up,” Asriel said at a loud, conspiratorial whisper.

“Az!” the kid whined.

He snickered and got up, stretching as Papyrus came back in with a bluster of snow and an armful of envelopes. 

“Ugh, Sans, this is getting ridiculous!” The little skeleton dumped all the mail onto the table.

“Hey, great job, bro, thanks,” Sans said, leaning up on the wall. “Any letters in there?”

“Nnnoooo, nothing,” Papyrus sighed. “It’s all boring stuff.”

“Ah. Sorry,” he said.

“That’s okay!” He stretched his skinny arms high above his head, and then turned to Frisk with wide, hopeful eyes. “Hey! Um. I was thinking. Since we will definitely have a few hours to do something in. Do you…? I mean. Do humans, um, happen to like puzzles at all?”

Frisk grinned. “This human does.”

“Oh! So, then! Of course, you’d like to see the ones I have, right? And I could show you all my action— I mean, battle planning figurines?!” he asked. “They are very cool!”

“Yes for sure,” Frisk answered instantly.

The little skeleton beamed and grabbed her by the hand, almost skipping as he took her upstairs to the first door in the hallway.

Sans kept his eyes trained on them and then the closed door for a little longer than he had to. Asriel stood up, shooting the skeleton an amused look.

“You can trust her,” he said. He laughed at himself and shook his head. “Sorry, that’s assuming you even trust me for a second, and that’s not like you, is it?”

Sans smiled slightly. “Funny. You’re not wrong, but it’s not that. I… I believe she’s who she says she is. S’just nice. Papy’s always kinda had trouble makin’ friends, and she seems to like him well enough, so…”

“Oh, god, you don’t know the half of it,” Asriel said. He folded his arms. “We talked, before we came here. We know, I mean… you guys are the same people we know, but at the same time, you’re not. It’s not fair of us to put any assumptions on you. But, even knowing that, it’s… it’s not hard to just kinda love that guy, y’know?”

The skeleton’s eyes went wide for a moment. He looked at the floor, but his grin widened. “Brothers, huh?”

“Yeah. He’s older than us in our world,” he said. “…Not much different, though.”

The skeleton looked thoughtful. He nodded to himself. He shot the other monster a curious look. “So. You, uh… You are the Prince, right?”

“Yeah,” he said.

He folded his arms and his brow furrowed. “Did you die in your world?”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry to hear it.” 

“Pfff. Thanks,” he said.

“But that kid, she’s not, like, the Princess, though, is she?” Sans said quietly. “So how’d you end up with her?”

“She saved my life.” He shrugged. “And we have the same mom. Just kinda worked.”

“Guess I’m not clear on how this stuff works, then,” he admitted. “She said she’s an anchor.”

“She is,” Asriel said. “She was, uh, born, I guess? Above ground. Came down through a hole from the outside and saved our butts.”

Sans tilted his head, mulling it over. He nodded. “Okay. But Gaster made her. He… died to make her? Is that right?”

“Basically,” Asriel said.

“And she’s… somehow strong enough to go between timelines.” He looked at Asriel, concern creasing his brow. “This ain’t usual, right?”

“Don’t think so,” he said.

“So how strong is this kid, exactly?” 

“Our Sans calls her a time god. He… I mean, I think he’s right.”

Sans’s eyes went wide. He tapped his teeth. “Time god, huh?” A tinge of worry flickered across his face.

“I know it sounds like a big deal, but she’s good.” Asriel shrugged. “I mean, she’s got a pretty strong set of principles for a little kid. And, like… Okay, I mean, you’re the same as our Sans in a lot of ways, I bet? So maybe you’ll get what this means, but he trusted her with every memory in his head.”

“What?” He sounded incredulous. “But that doesn’t…” Sans trailed off, his stare going vacant for a few seconds. “Well shit.”

“What?” Asriel asked.

Sans shook his head. “This isn’t what I expected from today, that’s for damn sure.”

“Who would, right?” the boy wondered.

“…Shouldda been more on the ball. Heh. Oh well, what can ya do?” Sans shrugged. “But all this crap with Gaster…” He sighed. “What a mess.”

“Sorry to drag this all into your house,” Asriel said. “If you want out, we can try Alphys.”

“No. No, it’s… I warned him what we were doin’ was nuts. And now here you two are,” Sans said. “Didn’t see this coming, but…” His eye darted back towards the door upstairs. “She’s… familiar.”

“Well, she’s an anomaly, right?” Asriel said.

Sans crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “It’s more… the sound of her soul. Does that make sense?”

“Perfect sense,” Asriel assured him.

“Good, I’m not totally losin’ it,” he said. “Because, to be honest, seein’ a human turn up and then realizin’ it was one of _them_ with about half a second in between, I’m pretty damn proud of myself for not faintin’.”

Asriel laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “We really appreciate you putting up with us.”

Sans scoffed, though he shook his head. His eyes lingered on the doorway upstairs again. “This’ll sound rude. S’there somethin’ wrong with that kid? I mean. She just feels…”

“Off? Yeah. I mean. She hasn’t slept in a while,” Asriel said. “Our Sans’s been unconscious for about three days? I think she just really misses him. They’re super close so it’s really throwing her.”

Sans’s brow furrowed thoughtfully. He turned his head to check out the window. The snow was starting to pile up. He headed for the kitchen to put the kettle on. 

“We got a few hours,” he said. 

“I can melt the snow whenever,” Asriel said. 

“Nah. Let ‘em relax a little. I can take you to the lab after and I… uh… I guess we can sneak in and I’ll check out this hole for ya.”

“Oh. Don’t worry about sneaking,” Asriel said with a hint of smugness in his voice. “Your Gaster gets in our way and I’ll chuck him in a closet.”

Sans scoffed. “I like the way you think.”

\- - -

Papyrus’s room was very much the same as back home, minus a few decorations. The computer on the desk was a battered old laptop instead of a desktop monitor, and the bright red race car bed looked freshly painted. 

A drawer under the bed was stuffed to the gills with puzzle books, each stack categorized alphabetically and by type of puzzle. There wasn’t a crossword to be seen. 

“Eeeee, I’m so excited to have you here!” Papyrus said brightly. He pulled out a notebook and a well-read book titled _Big Puzzles Jr. _ and brought them both over to her. “Here, take a look! I’m gonna make great puzzles soon!”

“For sure,” Frisk said. She took the notepad when he offered it and he flipped her to a page covered in sketches of simple patterns inside squares. “Where’re you gonna put these?”

“Maybe in front of the door. Or in the garage,” he said. “Sans can get in the house anyway so I thought that would be a good and very smart thing to do.”

Frisk nodded. His eyes lit right up and he grinned.

“I knew it!” he said. “I knew you’d think so. And maybe later, I can put some out in the snow fields so the guards can do them if they get bored!”

“I bet they’d love that,” she said.

“I know! Nyeh heh heh heh! But they’re not allowed to cheat or anything,” he said.

“No flying or snow pants, right?” Frisk joked.

“What?! Yes! Exactly!! Wowie, you really do know me well,” he said, tapping his chin.

Frisk smiled and shrugged. “Well, yeah, I mean, you’re… Y-You’re not, um, all that different from my… Papyrus.” Her fingers trembled. She took a deep breath. “Except you’re smaller! Um, still taller than me, though.”

Papyrus snickered. “Are all humans very small like you?”

“Nooo, usually just kids younger than me,” she said bashfully. “I’m okay with it, though. Most monsters kinda don’t have a sense of personal space and just pick me up, and I kinda like that?”

“Oh really? Do humans not just pick each other up all the time?” Papyrus wondered.

“I don’t think so,” she said. “But, like, maybe it’s different in this world, I really don’t know at all. Oh, um, thanks for believing me, by the way.”

“Nyeh heh! It’s no problem!” He smiled at her brightly and scooted in, tapping the page she held open. “So! Which of these do you like the best so far? And! Do you think you could solve them without the answer there?”

“I thiiiink so,” she said. She shot him a smile and tapped on a puzzle that had a solution that was in the shape of a cartoon bone. “I like this one the best! Ones that make a shape are really creative.”

“Yes?! Oh good! Nyeh heh heh, I thought so too!” He put a hand against his chest proudly. “I invented them! I mean. At least, I’ve never seen one like that before so at least I didn’t borrow it.”

Frisk smiled. She pulled out her phone. “Do you mind if I take some pictures? I’d love to show this to my Papyrus and see if he did ones like this.”

“Oh! Yes, of course!” He leaned over to peek at the screen as she snapped photos of the pages. “Ooh, what kind of phone is that? I’ve never seen one like that.”

“An old one but with newer stuff added to it,” she said. She passed it over to him. “You can take a look if you want.”

Papyrus took it excitedly and browsed around the touch screen. “Aw, you don’t have a signal.”

“I’m from another dimension,” Frisk joked.

“Oh right. Nyeh heh heh. Well. Just use meanybones Gaster’s if you need to call, I guess! But… I guess you should give it back sometime, right?” 

“Next time I see him,” she said. “Eeeeven if he’s not so happy to see me.”

The skeleton snickered, then suddenly gasped loudly. “OH. MY. GOSH! Is this who I think it is?!”

He held the screen up to Frisk’s face. It was. She smiled bashfully.

“Yeah. That’s… Papyrus,” she said.

“Wowie!!” He pulled the phone back and held it close to his face, staring intently. “I’m going to look like this? I look like a cool guy!”

“You are a cool guy,” she said.

He beamed at her. “I’m really tall.”

“Sure are,” she said.

“Ooooh, and that scarf, so cool!! Who are all these other guys?!” He whisked through photos with his fingertips. “Ooh! A fish! And a lizard!! And is that the King?! And is that a… girl version of the King?! Wowie.”

“That’s my mom,” Frisk said. 

“Oh!!” He looked her up and down and smiled sideways. “I… seeeee the resemblance?”

Frisk laughed loudly and shook her head. “I’m adopted!”

“Oh! Phew. That makes more sense,” he said. “Are these all your friends? Wow, you’re really popular and cool I bet! And that’s… Oh… Oh wow.” He finally slowed down, his fingers resting on the screen— stalled at a picture of Sans napping on the couch. “…You didn’t take this here, right?”

She shook her head. Papyrus looked up at her with wide eyes, brows bent sympathetically. He grabbed her hand. 

“He… really is just like my brother, isn’t he?” he said.

“Y-Yeah. I think so,” Frisk said, swallowing back a sudden lump in her throat. She smiled weakly. “He’s great, y’know?”

“So lazy…” Papyrus cracked a smile. “Yes. I love him a lot. And I bet you do, too. Sorry he’s sick. I’m glad you came here, though, my brother can definitely help you. And I’ll help you too! I’m great at helping.”

“Thanks,” she said. She sort of wished she had more pictures of Sans where he wasn’t a lump. 

The bedroom door creaked open and Sans wandered in, carrying two steaming mugs. It looked shockingly like home. She was grateful for Asriel walking in close behind, or else she might have thought she was hallucinating.

He gave one of the mugs to Papyrus, then offered her one. “Looks like you could use somethin’.”

“Oh! Jeez, thanks,” she said, accepting it gratefully. She took a sip— hot chocolate, with a little something else. “Ooh, what spice is that?”

“Nutmeg,” he said. “Alright?”

“Yeah, it’s nice, thank you,” she said. “You… You didn’t have to—”

“Eh, I don’t mind,” he said, plunking down on the floor beside her. 

“I mean. Also. Thanks,” she said. “For… For letting us stay. A-And for agreeing to help.”

“Honestly, any excuse to show Gaster up and I’ll take it,” he said.

“Pffff, actually taking this personal. Interesting,” Asriel said.

Sans shrugged and smiled sideways. “You weren’t wrong about the history.” He reached under the bed and pulled up a book with a cartoon rabbit on the front. “Papy, whatcha think, up for a story?”

“Oooh, right now in the middle of the day and everything?! Yes please!” Papyrus said. He swiftly had himself bundled cozily in a blanket and proudly announced, “I’m ready.”

Frisk was about to get out of the way, but she quickly found a blanket draped around her shoulders. Sans shot her a sympathetic smile.

“Not too old for a good storybook, are ya?” he asked.

“Um… N-No?” she said.

“Great.” He flipped it open.

The low, even tone of the skeleton’s voice as he read had a definite calming effect on the room. The bright-eyed Papyrus started to doze off a little. Frisk’s blinks were getting a lot slower. The kid started to slump in place and, finally, her eyes closed. 

Asriel watched her intently as she tilted to the side. Though he certainly wasn’t naïve enough to fully let go around these strangers, he couldn’t help but feel relieved when Sans carefully slipped the kid’s mug away from her and let her gently flop sideways onto the floor beside his knee. He carefully moved the blanket up around her shoulders and used his magic to pull a pillow to them. He put it under her head. Asriel couldn’t help an amused smile. So, this Sans was a schemer, too. Figured. 

“Good job,” he said, his voice lowered to a whisper.

The skeleton smiled slightly. “Glad to help.” After hesitating for just a moment, he patted her head. “Hate to see kids havin’ a bad time. Even if they are a time god or whatever.” He used his blue magic to gently wrap Papyrus in his blanket, and then floated him onto the bed properly. “Take a nap if you wanna.”

“S’okay,” he said.

“Not like I’m gonna go through your pockets,” he joked.

Asriel laughed quietly. His chest felt tight; he took a deep breath and rubbed his temples. His fingers traced back onto his horns, feeling over the smooth ridges. His eyes shifted to Frisk and he felt a little flutter of relief in his soul. His vision blurred and he quickly wiped his eyes on his fingers. 

“Somethin’ off?” Sans asked.

“I dunno, it’s just…” He huffed out a rough laugh at his own expense. “It’s just a lot, I guess.”

Sans tilted his head. “You’re… a kid, too, aren’t ya?”

Asriel laughed again and rubbed his palms over his face. “I should know better.”

“Just chill out,” Sans said. “No one’s gonna judge you for passin’ out for a bit.”

“Soon, maybe,” he agreed tepidly.

“Welp. Suit yourself.” The skeleton folded his arms behind his head, leaned back against the bed, and closed his eyes. He didn’t move. 

The goat boy scoffed softly. Maybe strangers was overstating it a little bit. This was very familiar.


	21. Normal guys don’t put monsters in pods

Two voices humming in harmony worked their way into a silent, exhausted darkness. Frisk didn’t know if she was awake or asleep. She was scared to check. Her whole body felt like it was pinned under blankets— warm, but crushing. Her heart beat too hard in her chest.

Something cool touched her. She managed to force her eyes open despite the stickiness of her eyelashes. Smooth white filled her vision, punctuated by a spot of red and a spot of blue. She leaned back, eyes wide, trying to figure out what she was looking at.

It was a skull— like one of Sans’s blasters, but massive. With more horns and a long, boney body. She knew it. Had to be asleep, a hundred percent. She felt their hands like they were hers even as they moved towards her. They were hers, after all.

She was wrapped tight in a hug by the giant, draconic beast. Her soul swelled with music and she went limp as an amalgamation of her brother’s song and the sound of the universe flowed through her. She choked.

The big, boney fingers on one hand cupped her face and the thumb of their talon brushed her tears away. They smiled fondly down at her. “Don’t forget,” they said in a voice that was mostly Sans.

“…D-Don’t forget what?” she squeaked.

A warm sensation spread from her soul and she thought she heard her brother’s voice in the back of her mind. The colours of the skull’s eyes forced themselves into her brain and her vision went dark.

“I’m lost,” she said quietly. Her heart hurt. A phantom grip touched on her shoulder and, cautiously, she turned around.

There was something there. Silver wisps carving a shape out of the shadows. A skeleton. Looked like Sans. She stared, surprise hitting her hard. His features were faint, but she could have sworn he looked worried.

She hesitantly reached out to him, hoping beyond hope. “Are you… you?” She touched her hand gently against his soul spot and concentrated hard.

The blue light of his soul glimmered under her fingers. She thought she heard a note of his song. breath caught in her throat, her heart pounded, and she lost any composure she might have clung to as she buckled and wrapped her arms around his ribs, pressing her forehead against him. The form of silvery blue bones slipped away into bleak nothing and she collapsed, sobbing in the dark, holding herself. The massive arm of the boney dragon found her; wrapped around her again and rocked her gently. She wanted to wake up. Did she have time to waste sleeping like this?

“S’okay, kiddo,” they said. “Go on. Get some rest.”

Her heart hurt. She just wanted to be home and for him to be okay for real. Why did her brain keep replaying his voice?

Her stomach dropped like she had plummeted from a cliff. When it finally stalled, the cozy, heavy lethargy returned. She saw a light shining in the dark. Heart shaped through the glow. It was blue at first, then shifted seamlessly to red. She didn’t get it but, for some reason, she felt safe. The dragon cozied her once more and she drifted away.

Then, sudden as a bolt of lightning, the kid awoke. There was a weird song playing, but it was only in her mind. She couldn’t believe she had been asleep. She had a splitting headache and the blankets around her weighed like the earth on her small form. She could hardly open her eyes. She wanted to, but her body was numb. Frosty dread clutched in her chest.

A cool, careful hand rested on her head. “Kid. You awake?”

Was that her brother’s voice or was she hallucinating? Why did it feel so hard to breathe? Cold blue magic seeped through her skull like ice water.

“You’re alright.” He patted her shoulder. “Relax. Bad dream, huh? Just chill out and you’ll come out of it.”

A dream? That made sense. Frisk let out a breath she felt like she’d been holding for an hour and she slumped. Her vision refocussed and she managed to lift her hand to wipe her eyes.

Sitting up out of blankets, her heart stuttered at the sight of the short skeleton sitting beside her. Dazed, she propped herself up, wondering if the world was real or not. Before she could make a sound, the skeleton’s eyes fixed on her. Wasn’t her brother. His brow bent sympathetically and he reached out to gently pat her shoulder.

“Relax,” he said quietly. “Little disoriented, huh? You’re alright.”

She couldn’t help her eyes welling up with hot tears and her throat from tightening. She nodded and quickly brushed her hand across her face. “S-Sorry.”

“S’okay,” he said.

She shook her head.

“It’s called sleep paralysis,” he said. “Mind’s up but the rest of you's not. Makes sense?”

“Y…Yeah.” There was an uncomfortable memory lurking in the back of her mind. The horrible feeling was pretty similar to when Sans spaced out with intrusive time memories. As if she needed another reason not to sleep.

She was jerked from her thoughts when the skeleton sat in front of her and held her shoulders. Frisk froze up. She forgot how much that one arm hurt. It felt so selfish, but she wanted to hug him; very badly, too.

“You’re havin’ a bad time, right?” he said.

“Guess so,” she said sheepishly.

“C’mere? Sorry. Don’t mean to get up in your space, but…” He rolled up his sleeves and a glitter of magic shone between his fingers. “I’m not a great healer, but I’d guess you’re probably gonna need a little help with that headache, right?”

“Y-You don’t…You don’t have to do anything for me, w-we’re not—”

“If it helps,” he said, “just, uh, think of me like, uh, your weird cousin, y’know? Haven’t met much, but we’re still family. Right?”

The kid’s eyes went wide and her heart thumped. She nodded quickly and couldn’t help a small smile. He put his hands around her head, resting his thumbs on her temples. His magic was pleasantly cool and it took the edge off within seconds.

“Thanks. Um. Th-That helps,” she said.

“Heh. Haven’t totally lost it, then,” he joked.

“That, um… That sleep pa… par…? That thing?” she said nervously. “Is that… normal?”

“Oh. Uh. Well, I mean, it’s not abnormal in that it happens to a lotta people. Usually doesn’t happen too often in general, though. So. Y’know. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“I… I guess you have the time dreams, too, right? It’s one of those?” she asked worriedly. To her surprise, he chuckled and shook his head.

“Nah,” he said. “Happens sometimes from stress, sometimes if you don’t sleep for a long time.” He shot her a knowing look. “So when’s the last time you slept?”

“Um. Maybe, um…? I dunno, a few days ago,” she said sheepishly. “I, um, turned back time but I guess it didn’t, um, actually help all that much, I dunno.”

“Jeez, kid,” he said.

He pulled back and shook off his hands, sparkles of magic floating down like snowflakes. “Was it a nightmare just now? Noticed you kinda goin’ weird before you went a bit stiff.”

She shook her head. “It’s… nothing that means anything.” She wilted under a questioning look he tossed her way. “Sometimes I dream about… this thing my brother and I turned into when he, like, kinda took my soul and stuff. It looks like, um, kinda a skeleton dragon I guess. He usually shows up if I’m not doing… great. It’s kinda weird though: he always says the same thing.”

“And what’s that?” he asked as he sat back down properly, leaning back against the bed.

“He always says _don’t forget_,” she said. “I… don’t know. I guess it’s maybe just a way for my head to kinda deal with… junk?” She smiled weakly and shrugged, tenting her fingers. “Weird, huh?”

“What doesn’t he want you to forget?” he wondered.

“I dunno, never figured it out,” she said. She cupped a hand over her soul spot. “Maybe… something from then. It’s supposed to help or something? Or maybe it’s just junk, I dunno. It’s not like a real thing, or something from another world, y’know? Does that make sense?”

Sans nodded. Frisk sighed with relief and laughed quietly.

“Thanks, that makes me feel a little better,” she admitted.

Sans nodded again. He folded his arms and he drummed his fingertips on his opposite arm. “You, uh… You really miss him, huh?”

“Oh. Gosh. Like crazy,” she said. “I wanna, like, throw up all the time. It sucks. I… I guess that’s pretty weird, though, right?”

“Nah, I feel like that when Papy even gets a cold,” he said with a laugh. “But I’m a little confused. You’re the youngest one, yeah? So why’re you responsible for all this?”

“Because I’m the only one that can do it,” she said with a blank, confused stare.

“You sure?” he said. “Seems Az isn’t out for the count.”

“Oh! He’s not. But the universe is… my thing and… I dunno,” Frisk said sheepishly. “I just… want Sans to be okay and I don’t want to have done this to Papyrus, and I just wish that… whatever I did, whatever happened to make this Gaster cut into our place, if that’s even what happened… I just wish I had noticed it. You know? I wish I had, like… I wish I had predicted it. I wish I’d seen that the way I fixed another thing just made all this worse and… and I’d do it different, maybe? I dunno.”

She looked at the skeleton worriedly. He was lost in thought. She drooped and snuggled into her blankets.

“Hm… Welp. I think I figured out somethin’ you shouldn’t forget,” he said.

“Um. What?” she asked.

He put a hand on her head and gently patted her hair. “That your brother loves you. And you shouldn’t be so damn hard on yourself.”

The kid stared at him with big eyes.

“If it were me,” he said. “If this guy’s anything like me. I’d be real proud of you, goin’ all this way to do this. But I also would never blame you for whatever went down. And I sure as hell wouldn’t want you sittin’ up for days messin’ yourself up.”

Tears came again and she wilted and quickly wiped them away. “Th-Thanks,” she said hoarsely. “I… I know. I know. I’m just… a mess. I’m always a mess.”

“Carin’ a lot isn’t really a mess,” Sans said. He winked. “Cryin’ a lot, maybe, but it’s not too bad to mop up, right?”

She snickered and sniffled, and wiped her face again. “Thanks.”

Sans shot her an amused grin. He got up and stretched, and then turned to check on Papyrus. His expression softened. He checked his wrist as if he were wearing a watch. “Pretty sure you have time if you wanna go back to sleep.”

“Kinda hate dreaming right now,” she grumbled. She tried not to scoff at herself. What else was new? She pulled up the blanket and made a cocoon.

Sans stared down at her silently for a few moments. He rubbed the back of his skull. “Hey. Uh. You hungry?”

“Oh. Um. It’s okay. I have some sandwiches in my phone,” she said quietly. Her eyes darted upwards. “You want one? Then you wouldn’t have to cook. I guess I interrupted your lunch, huh? Sorry.”

The skeleton’s expression turned to one of sympathy. He tilted his head towards the door. “How ‘bout a trade?”

Her only reply was a blank, confused stare. Stepping carefully around her and over the blankets, the skeleton stretched lethargically again.

“Welp. I’ll be in the kitchen,” he said.

He slipped out silently. The room was quiet except for soft skeleton snores. Frisk certainly wasn’t getting back to sleep. She hesitantly stood up and tiptoed to Asriel. She reached up and held his cheeks.

“Az?” she asked at a whisper.

“Hm…?” He didn’t open his eyes and his voice was low and heavy.

“I’m gonna be downstairs, okay?” she said.

“…Downstairs. Mhm,” he said groggily.

She kissed him on the snout and he blew out a tiny, warm flame that brushed her cheek gently.

Back on the ground floor, Frisk was greeted with some beeps and the low hum of a microwave. She rubbed her shoulder and edged over to peek into the kitchen. It looked just like home except for the sink, which did not almost reach the ceiling. She wondered if there was a door back there even without room.

Sans was sitting on the counter beside some plates and a toaster. A package of hotdog buns was tossed haphazardly a little ways away. He shoved the stuff over and then beckoned the kid.

“Mind if I lift ya?” he asked.

She shook her head. Blue magic gripped onto her soul, cool and solid, and she was lifted and plunked up beside him. He shot her a sideways grin.

“Real trustin’, ain’t ya?” he asked. “Listen. You go to other worlds ever and you be careful, okay? You never know.”

She shrugged. “I dunno, you’re… Sans.”

His brows raised and he chuckled. “Jeez. You’re a strange one, huh? Honestly? Didn’t expect this kinda thing from a human. No offence.”

She shook her head. “I spent basically the only part of my life that matters with monsters, so…”

Sans gave her a strange look. She wondered if she’d said something wrong.

The toaster let out a ding like a bicycle bell and two toasty buns popped out of the top.He twirled his finger in the air and his magic opened the microwave and floated out some steaming hotdogs. He set them up and passed her the two on a plate. He reached for a bottle of ketchup and held it up, offering it. She shook her head and he shrugged. Frisk pulled out her phone and brought one of the sandwiches out of it and passed it to him, swapping it with one of the hotdogs. He took a swig of the ketchup and Frisk felt a twinge of a smile creep over her.

“Go on.” He nudged her with his elbow. “Got hotdogs in your universe? They’re not dogs, it’s just a name.”

“Yeah. Um. Thank you.” She took a bite. Her stomach roiled. She hadn’t realized she was sickeningly hungry. She couldn’t help but wolf it.

Sans peered at the sandwich curiously. He took a bite and his eyes lit right up. “Ooh. Wow. That’s nice.”

“My mom made it,” Frisk said.

“Think we’re the first dorks to eat stuff from another universe?” he wondered.

“Y’know, I got no clue. Maybe!”

The skeleton chuckled. There was a little bit of benign smugness in his voice. “So. While we’re here. Tell me about your world.”

“Oh! Um. I’m not sure where to start,” she said apologetically.

“Hm. Smaller, then,” he said. “What kinda place you and the big guy live in? Nice town or somethin’?”

“Oh yeah, sure, it’s called Snowdin,” she said, smiling as he froze with surprise. “It’s got a nice inn and a store, and a library, and a place called Grillby’s. I bet you’d love it.”

“That’s somethin’ else,” he said.

“Our house is basically the same exact one as this one,” she said. “Which is… really weird to me. Um. Everything here, it’s like… um… What was it called? Uncanny valley?”

“That’d be a good name for a town, too,” Sans joked.

Frisk snickered. “Anyway. It is sort of nice to see you and Paps in this place, though. Even his bedroom is almost exactly the same as ours back home, except your brother doesn’t have as much stuff yet. But it’s weird, since, you know, it’s a totally different universe.”

Sans nodded thoughtfully. “You guys stuck under a mountain, too?” he wondered.

“Not anymore,” Frisk said. “We fixed it, like… three months ago, I think? I mean, we’re still under, we haven’t built the new house yet but…” She caught the skeleton’s wide-eyed expression and shrunk. “O-Oh. Um. Sorry. That’s… probably still a little while for you guys.”

“No, no, that’s…” He sat back, his hard fingertips drumming on the counter. “Could you tell me how it happened there? In, uh… In detail. If that’s okay.”

“Oh! Um. Yeah, sure, that’s… It’s a long story, but basically Asriel was dead. And he was brought back to life by accident through a determination experiment to make a, um, soul vessel from a flower that grew outta a seed his dust was on. But he came back as like, a mean guy because he had no soul, and he caused trouble for a long time until time kids started showing up. Then they caused trouble until I showed up.” She put her plate aside and reached into her pocket for her phone. “I think I might have a picture of him… Um.” She scrolled through her camera roll. “Anyway, that all happened after the CORE kinda blew up and Gaster had to go melt into a time void and it was a big mess. I think he said the CORE blows and he dies in most universes where he exists, but our universe’s thing is that that made our anchor— me, I guess. Then when I got underground, I had no family or anything so I got really attached to… monsters. Y’know? And I learned about the barrier and everything, and about who Asriel really was, and I went to see Asgore. When I did, Asriel stole all the human souls his dad had, and then stole all the monster souls, and um… Well, we fought, and then we became friends, and he used all those souls to break the barrier and everything worked out sort of okay, but we had to make him a soul too for everything to be normal. Um. Eventually. It took a few tries. Ah! Here.”

She pulled up a really old photo she’d taken back when Asriel was still a flower and showed it to the skeleton. He took her phone carefully and held it up close to his face.

“Huh. That doesn’t look like him at all,” he said.

“Yeah. I know. It was a pretty bad time for everyone,” she said. “So, um… Watch out for him. He’s… gonna have time powers for a while. And he’s gonna be really awful. He has no empathy, like, at all; it was really rough.”

“And I guess he was tryin’ to take your soul,” he said. “That’s the trigger.”

“Sorta,” she said. “Sorry. I, um… I hope it doesn’t take too long for you guys for a nice anomaly to show up.”

“Me too.” He looked tired instantly, but he smiled at her nonetheless. “Welp. Gotta make use of the time I got while things aren’t nuts, right?

“Right,” she said. “Jeez. I’m not sure if it’s good or awful that you saw it so far ahead.”

“Yes,” he said.

She snorted. He grinned. Lacing his fingers together, he stretched out his arms and cracked his knuckles.

“So. You. You’re a weird one, huh?” he said. “Human made by a monster. I didn’t know that was possible.”

Frisk shrugged. “Yeah, same. We still dunno how it worked, really. I don’t even know how I was, like… born, I guess? Like how my body was made. We figure I sorta… appeared, I guess? It’s weird.”

“And did you know this the whole time or—”

“Oh, no, jeez, I only found out, like… a week ago?” He voice caught. “I, um… I o-only found out that my brothers were… _really_ my brothers… Ah…” Her eyes welled up and she quickly wiped them away. “Sorry. It’s just…”

“You’re real close, huh?” he asked gently.

“Yeah. Y-Yeah. They’re my best friends and… Papyrus is just the sweetest guy, he’s so… good and helpful and positive. And Sans is like…” She had to wipe her eyes again. “He’s everything. Like, when I was time travelling, he was the only one who could remember, and it felt like he just knew everything and he was so nice to me, even before we knew… Even before he really… took me in, you know?” She sniffled, catching Sans’s puzzled look. “They didn’t know who I was. I didn’t either. It was just… Lucky that they ended up liking me as much as I liked them, though! Even though I’m… what I am.” She laughed weakly and rubbed her eyes with her knuckles. “S-Sorry.”

“Don’t,” he assured her. “And your mom?”

“Toriel,” she said quietly. “She’s the best. I dunno if you know her in this world, but she’s like, huge, and really powerful, and really nice, and she always made me feel really safe and stuff. We got separated for a while when I went out from the Ruins, and that was pretty hard. It was really good when we were all together after the barrier broke. I, um… I didn’t really have a family before that, so it was really nice when she wanted to adopt me and stuff.”

Sans nodded thoughtfully. He pointed at the phone screen and raised his brow.

“Go ahead,” she said.

He didn’t get very far in at all before he froze, his left eye glowing faintly blue. “Oh. Jeez. Um…” He tried to gather himself back up. “And… your dad. Gaster. You got somethin’ in here of him? Does he look real different or…?”

“He looks almost the same, but his bones are scarred on his face and hands, and his eyes do one in gold and one in blue. He said it’s called a magic split.”

“Hm. Never heard of it,” Sans said quietly. “Do they change colour?”

“I’ve only ever seen some people’s eyes get a little bit red with the determination colour,” Frisk said. “Or Sans’s blue will sometimes get a little of that gold colour in it if he’s using a lot of magic. It doesn’t happen very often though.”

“Hm. Here— it’s sorta a skeleton thing— ours sorta have a base colour but we get what we call a flicker if we’re really havin’ a mood, y’know?” He shot her a cautious smile. “Mine’s the same colour as my brother’s. So. Same result, maybe a different reason. Interestin’.”

She nodded.

“Lot of pics of the same people,” Sans commented. “…I know most of ‘em. That’s… really weird.”

When Frisk leaned over, she could see he’d found one of Gaster. It looked like he’d accidentally taken a selfie while holding her phone. Sans stared at him intently and silently before moving on. He found a picture of Sans and a chill seeped from his soul.

“Uh… Hey. Do you…? Uh. Do you want me to, uh, draw some eyebrows on my face or a weird scar or somethin’? Or wear a hat?”

“Um. What? Why?” Frisk asked, unable to hold back a confused laugh.

“He looks just like me,” he said. He pointed to a photo of Sans on the screen. “Even wears the same kinda clothes. I mean… If it’d be easier…”

Frisk’s eyes went wide. She laughed and raised her hands, quickly shaking her head. “No no, that’s okay!” She couldn’t help a grin, picturing him with stark black, cartoonish eyebrows drawn on.

There was a sparkle in his eye. He grinned sideways. “S’not too hard, is it?”

She shook her head. “A-Actually. It’s not too bad. I mean, seeing you, it makes me miss him, obviously, but you’re a lot like him, too, so it’s kinda comfortable. Sorry, is that weird?”

“This whole thing’s weird,” he said. “Doesn’t mean it’s bad, though.”

Frisk smiled and shrugged. “Thanks again for helping us.”

“Eh. It’s not all that much effort,” he said.

The kid slipped her empty plate into the sink and then slid back onto the floor. She pointed to the stairs. Sans stuck his thumb up. He finished his sandwich and kept browsing through photos of another universe as the kid returned to the bedroom.

Tiptoeing in, Frisk grabbed the blanket off the floor. She huddled up with it beside Asriel. When Sans returned a few minutes later, he passed her the phone and then edged over to lean over the bed, peeking in on the skinny, snoring skeleton.

A little discordant pulse of sound made Frisk jump and immediately jarred Asriel awake, just in time for the lights in the room to flicker. Sans’s eyes darted upwards and his brow furrowed.

“That’s… weird,” he said quietly.

“Then it’s probably my fault, sorry” Frisk said.

The skeleton scoffed.

Asriel got to his feet, fur bristling. His nostrils flared. “Don’t trust that for a second.”

“Feelin’ that,” Sans said.

“Big brother, what _is_ that?” Papyrus squeaked, pulling his sheets up to his mouth. “It hurts my head.”

“S’okay, kiddo,” Sans said gently. “Probably just the CORE actin’ up a little is all.”

Frisk stuck one finger up. Papyrus scooted off the bed and hugged onto her tightly.

“Don’t go there,” he whispered. “We have to stick t-together, okay?”

Before she could say a word, a phone began to ring from somewhere in the room, muffled by cloth. Sans fished the thing out of his pocket and looked at it with confusion.

“Huh.” He poked the screen and raised it to his head.

An eruption of babbling and sobbing burst forth from the speaker and Sans had to hold it back a little.

“Alph?” he asked.

Words came out, but they were incoherent. Sans put one hand against the side of his head.

“Alph. Alph. Alphys. Stop, I can’t understand,” he said.

She heaved in a deep breath and hiccuped. “S-S-Sans you h-have to c-c-come to the lab. I n-need your h-help, p-p-please!”

“Alphys, I told ya—”

“N-No, no no no, y-you don’t understaaaand,” she whimpered. “G-Gaster h-had me help link up the magic b-boosters from the CORE to one of h-his basement w-workrooms and…! A-And then h-he brought in the new L-Lieutenant and h-he took her in there and th-the door is locked and the p-power’s going w-weird and the s-security p-p-protocols booted up and I don’t know what he’s thinking or d-doing and—!! And! I d-don’t know what to do, I n-need your help!!”

“Undyne,” Frisk squeaked, wide-eyed. She looked back at Asriel worriedly and he grimaced and nodded.

Sans winced. “Alright. Breathe. On my way,” he said.

“Hurry,” Alphys said shrilly.

The line went dead, and so did the air in the room. Sans stared at the phone in his hand as if it was leaking. Papyrus snuck up very slowly and grabbed his other hand gently.

“Big brother, what’s going on?” he asked worriedly.

“What’s he doing with Undyne, though?!” Frisk asked, scrambling to her feet.

“Why would he take her?” Asriel asked.

“You know her well?” Sans asked.

“Yeah, really well.” Frisk looked like she’d seen a ghost. “We have to go. Can you teleport more than one person?”

He smiled sideways, a little surprise in his eyes. “Not yet.”

Frisk grimaced and she grabbed Asriel’s hand. “Right now,” she insisted.

“But the snow!” Papyrus said.

“I’ll deal with it,” Asriel said.

Throwing open the door downstairs let in some chunks of frosty, powdering snow. Asriel pushed Frisk back behind him, cracked his knuckles, and then raised fire up in his paws. He shot it forward and it blasted through the white wall that blocked them in, steam erupting back into the house like an invasive cloud. Papyrus cheered and clapped from the stairs.

Asriel whipped around, puffing a little flame out of the side of his mouth. “We’ll deal with this.”

“But I want to come!” Papyrus clenched his fists and looked around the room with wide, worried eyes. “I want to see Alphys! She sounded so upset, we have to help her, right?” He looked up at Sans and grabbed his hand. “We’ll go, too, right?”

He dipped his head. He looked at Asriel. “Meet you there?”

The goat boy grinned sideways. “Yeah.”

\- - -

With Frisk on his shoulders and Papyrus in his arms, Asriel ran like his paws were on fire. Worry was making the kid’s mind race and her heart was pounding. The blue glow of the grass under every step her brother took put an uncomfortable daze in her brain.

“Why the heck would Gaster, like, trap Undyne, though?” Frisk asked worriedly.

“I got no clue, it doesn’t make sense to me,” Asriel said. “Do you think she’s actually trapped? Could he even do that?”

“If he’s a boss monster here, then, maybe?” Frisk said, her voice unwillingly shrill.

“He is really strong,” Papyrus volunteered.

“I hope this is just a big mistake,” she said.

“You okay if we have to fight him?” Asriel asked.

“I… I don’t wanna hurt him,” she said. “But, um… I can pause him? Probably?”

“Good enough,” he said.

With the orange glow of Hotland approaching and the looming white of the lab, the door was marked with unusual blue. Sans was waiting outside; he raised his hand to greet them. Papyrus jumped down from Asriel’s arms and grabbed onto his brother.

“So, uh, bad news,” Sans said. “Can’t get in.”

“Can’t?” Frisk repeated as Asriel put her down.

“Yeah, uh… I dunno what’s goin’ on in there but it’s volatile. Tried and I ended up somewhere else.”

“So that’s gotta be that weird CORE thing, right?” Asriel said. He reached for the door and pushed on it, but it was stuck fast. “Oh.” He banged his fist on it and then leaned his ear close.

“Is Alphys there?” Frisk asked.

“Tried that,” Sans said, holding up his phone.

Frisk took a deep breath. She let the red magic sparkle through the skin of her fingers. “W-Well, maybe I can…?”

“Yes. Yep. Try that,” Asriel said, pulling her forward.

She rested her hand on the door. Her mind swam with an assault of magic that was on the other side of the metal. She grimaced and squeaked, but didn’t move away. “Oooh gosh why’s it like that?”

It hurt to focus, but she searched for the lock. Metal clunked and spun in her head with a sparking, discordant bristle of magic. She tried to ignore it and forced it away, and shoved the door backwards. It clicked. The monsters all turned their eyes on her. She cautiously grabbed the door handle and pushed. It opened a crack.

It was dim inside, punctuated with flashes of faint red from slow-flickering alarm light.

“Alph?” Sans asked.

“Doctor Alphys?” Papyrus called. “Are you here? Are you okay?!”

They heard a whimpering noise from somewhere and the little skeleton took off towards it. Frisk gulped and shot Asriel a worried look.

They caught Papyrus ducking down under a desk where he hugged tight onto a quivering little lizard in a lab coat.

“Allllphyyyyys,” Papyrus cooed. “It’s okay, it’s okay, we’re here, don’t cry!”

Sans sighed. He bent down and reached for Alphys’s hand. “C’mon, Doc.”

“Y-Y-You actually came?!” she asked shrilly. She sniffled and awkwardly pushed her back up onto her feet. “I… I don’t know what t-to do, I c-c-can’t…” She rubbed her palms over her headspines. “I can’t…”

Her eyes drifted off over Sans’s shoulders to the unfamiliar forms behind him. The skeleton raised his brows curiously. Alphys screamed. Papyrus screamed. Asriel covered his ears. Sans grabbed the lizard and held her face, squishing her cheeks.

“Snap out of it, Doc,” he said gruffly. “Breathe.”

“Th-Th-That’s a—!”

“I know. She’s gonna help,” Sans said.

“Yeah, she’s super nice!” Papyrus volunteered.

“Sorry to scare you, Alphys,” Frisk said.

“We don’t have time,” Asriel said. “Where’s that loser?”

“Wh…?! Um… H-H-He’s downstairs, I’m locked out of everything, I c-can’t—”

“Won’t be a problem,” Asriel said.

Alphys still looked like she might faint, but she nodded stiffly and she lead them to the elevator. Her fingers were shaking so hard it took her a noticeable length of time to press the right combination of buttons to shoot them downward. As they dropped, she tried to catch her breath and pressed herself into the corner, clutching tight to her own hands. Sans thumped her heavily on the shoulder. Frisk kept her distance so as not to make it worse.

The lower floor was unrecognizable despite the hallways looking utterly banal. Three unassuming paths were laid out before them. Frisk froze up.

“What the heck?” she said quietly.

“Did he move all the rooms?” Asriel asked.

“Umm…” Alphys gulped and sucked her tongue. Her voice came out rough and weak. “I-It’s a security system? I-It makes, um, a r-randomized maze?”

“Ooh! I love mazes,” Papyrus said. “I’ll find the way though, follow me!” The little skeleton took off at a run, putting his hand on the wall and sticking close to the side as he dashed off. “See?” he called. “All you have to do is stay on one wall and you always turn the same direction! Then you come out eventually!”

“Smart kid,” Sans said proudly.

“Or I could just bust through the walls,” Asriel said, locking his fingers together and stretching his arms out in front of him.

“Only if you’re a boss monster,” the skeleton said. He raised his brows. “Oh. Are you?”

The kid grinned wide. “Sorry for being so smug about it.”

“Aaah, wait, maybe don’t,” Frisk said shrilly. “We don’t know where Gaster or Undyne are, we could hurt them by accident like that, couldn’t we? And if Paps is running all over the place…”

“Well…” Asriel looked at his claws and then shot her an apologetic smile. “Guess you’re right. I’ll follow him.” He held up a hand when Frisk took a step towards him. “Wait here. I’ll come back for you guys.” He vanished around the corner.

Frisk took a deep breath and rubbed her hands through her hair. Every second made her heart ache. That skeleton better not have been hurting Undyne. “What the heck is he thinking?”

Sans shrugged. “Not sure. Doesn’t make sense to me. What’s a scientist workin’ on temporal energy junk got to do with some girl in the Royal Guard?”

Frisk’s heart thunked. “Temporal…? That means… time?” she asked hesitantly.

The skeleton nodded. Frisk flinched and her mouth dried.

“Oh. Oooh no. I… I think I know?” she said shrilly as both monsters turned their eyes on her. “Undyne has super high determination. Like, you know, the red magic energy stuff? That’s—”

“R-Related to the t-temporal… Oh no…” Alphys said softly. She rubbed her brows. “Oh no no no.”

“It’s fine.” Sans seemed steady as ever. He clapped Alphys on the shoulder. “Give them a minute.”

Frisk nodded to herself. “Az’s got this.”

Alphys let out a cautious squeak that sounded almost like a word. The kid turned to her to see that she still looked shellshocked, but she’d edged slightly closer.

“Um! Don’t worry, we’ll fix this,” Frisk said quickly. “S-Sorry for causing all this trouble.”

“Wha…? Y-You…?” Alphys looked flummoxed.

“Not your fault,” Sans said.

“Whatever’s he’s doing, it’s because we’re here, I’m sure of it,” she said, folding her arms.

“Do…? D-Do you two… know each other?” Alphys squeaked.

“Kinda complicated,” Sans said. “…She’s a good kid.”

Frisk’s cheeks flushed and she smiled sheepishly. Alphys squinted thoughtfully and then traced between the two of them with her finger.

“And y-you know the Lieutenant?” she asked.

“Um. Y… No? Um… It’s complicated, too, I’m really sorry,” Frisk said. She tapped her fingers together, and then nodded to herself. “We’ll fix this.”

A tingle ran through Frisk’s body and a flicker of blue made her turn towards the wall before them just in time to see a chunk blast outwards, a hole with sparkling edged punched out. Sans hadn’t flinched, but Alphys yelped loudly and hid behind him. Asriel poked his head out of the large hole and beckoned to Frisk.

“Paps found it,” he said.

“Super great.” She ran over and he lifted her through the gap.

The other monsters followed. Papyrus waved at them from the end of a long section of wall with similar ovals blasted out of it.

“The door’s locked, though!” Papyrus called.

Indeed, the doctor had sealed a door, and a little light above it shone, a warning that an experiment was going on. Sans hesitated.

“Might be rough in there,” he said.

“We’ll go,” Asriel said. “If it’s determination, we can handle it.”

“B-But he sealed the d-door, I d-d-don’t have the keys, w-w-we can’t…” Alphys whimpered.

“I think I got it,” Frisk said. She rolled up her sleeve and her red magic sparked along the skin of her fingers. She touched the door. “You guys stay back for now. Um. Please.”

It hadn’t been sealed for very long at all. Even with the headache that came with it, shifting it backwards an hour was a breeze. She looked at Asriel and took a step back. He nodded at her and she hesitantly stuck her thumb up.

Asriel barrelled through into the room, catching the skeleton inside off guard. His glasses were askew, papers on a desk a mess, and clinging tight to an armful of vials of shining, red liquid. A strange, egg-shaped, crystal and metallic pod behind him humming with cyan energy, tinged with red streaks was connected to a tube and vat that was starting to pool that same red inside.

“I got him, you get fishface,” Asriel said to Frisk.

“Get back!” Gaster yelled.

Asriel’s paws were filled with magic and red flames burst between his fangs when he snarled. He charged at Gaster like an animal, putting a hand through the table as the skeleton scrambled to get out of the way. All but two of the vials slipped from his boney fingers and cracked on the floor where the red evaporated instantly. The air exploded into bombastic battle resonance and Gaster had no choice but to draw up some bones in reply.

Frisk took the opportunity to run for the pod. Ducking around a smattering of pointed femurs, she skid across the tile and grabbed onto the vessel. She quickly skimmed it and found a port for a power crystal on the side. As she reached for it, a flicker of energy shot warnings all through her head and she hit the ground just in time to avoid a javelin of bone aimed right at her.

She looked up urgently as Asriel roared and burst fire around himself in a wall, blocking much of the room. She scrambled to her feet and grabbed for the crystal. It was stuck tight. Her fingers slipped on the smooth surface, unable to grip its facets. She patted down her pockets. Papyrus’s little gadget knife. She pulled it out and, heart pounding, trying to ignore the energy whirling around the room, she gripped into a notch in the metal with her fingernails and pulled out the blade. Though her hand was shaking, she tried to hold herself steady. She, very carefully, slid the blade along the side and into where it was socketed in. Just one careful pry had it slip barely loose, and she grabbed it and yanked it free. The momentum sent it flying against the wall.

“Whoops, uh…” She couldn’t help a sense of relief when the energy through the pod’s front began to calm. “Okay, okay, Undyne, I gotcha.” With quick, shaking fingers, she checked around the hatch and found where it was clipped closed. She unflipped a simple latch and opened the pod up.

The fish monster was out cold, droopy-eared and limp. Frisk hurriedly closed the knife and shoved it back into her jacket. She realized rather suddenly that she was probably too small to get her out. Wasn’t going to stop her from trying though.

Asriel seemed to have forgone all semblance of even remote civility. The battle resonance died down and he was simply using his weight to pin the skeleton to the ground. He looked back at Frisk.

“You got her?” he grunted.

“I… I think so, ah…” She grabbed Undyne by the arms and tried to drape most of the weight of her torso over her body. It was awkward, but she managed to drag her out onto the floor.

Hurriedly, Frisk grabbed her face and lit red magic up, hoping just a little extra energy would rouse her. “C’mon Undyne, c’mon, you got this, you gotta wake up.”

The fish’s lip curled upwards slightly to show those wickedly pointed teeth. She grunted and her eyelids fluttered open as she sat up slowly. Frisk couldn’t help but beam.

“Oh man, thank god,” she said, grabbing her into a hug. “Are you okay?!”

“…Oooh, hey pupper,” she said groggily, patting Frisk on the head. “Whahappa?”

“S’okay, just… just rest for a second,” the kid insisted, pulling back quickly. “You’re okay?”

Undyne nodded, but closed her eyes and put the heel of her hand to her brow and grumbled some swears in the direction of her chest.

“Oh thank god,” Alphys wheezed out, collapsing onto her knees.

“Yay! It all worked out!” Papyrus cheered.

Sans wandered into the small lab and glowered down at the older skeleton on the floor. “What the hell were you thinkin’?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” he grumbled.

Sans grinned. “And yet I’m not the one smoochin’ the tile,” he said. “I don’t know what’s better about this: the fact that you were so resoundingly wrong, how easy that kid stomped you, or that Asgore’s finally gonna read you the riot act after this shit you pulled.”

“Saaans, no swears,” Papyrus said.

“Sorry, kiddo.” He grinned a bit wider. “Heh. This’s just kinda vindicatin’, I guess.”

“There is a human in the lab, what was I supposed to do?!” Gaster demanded.

“Human?” Undyne asked groggily. Her eyes flashed and she tried to stand. “Where?”

“Um, Undyne, wait, wait, sit down,” Frisk said, holding her shoulders gently. “You’re still all dizzy, right?”

“Aaah, you’re right,” she said. “But if there’s a nasty human around here I’ve gotta ponch ‘um right intoooo—”

“Ah. Um. Okay. Hi?” Frisk waved awkwardly at the other monsters. “Um. My name’s Frisk? I’m a human.”

“Whaaaat? No way, pupper, that don’t make no sense,” Undyne said.

Gaster suddenly looked intrigued. He looked her up and down, the fear fading from his face, replaced mostly be incredulity. “Frisk, you said?”

She nodded. “Y-Yeah. Um. Hi. Sorry we, um, kinda got off on the wrong foot? I came through your time hole. With my brother, there.” She pointed at Asriel.

“Wait… My…” The skeleton’s jaw dropped. “You WHAT?!”

“You ripped a hole into her timeline, you numbskull,” Sans said. “I told you the calculations were wrong. I told you it was all messed up.”

“Well, if you had been here—!” Gaster growled.

“After what you did?” His eyes narrowed. “Nah. Not interested.”

“Wait, what d-did he do? I-I’m lost,” Alphys said sheepishly.

“He’s being a child,” Gaster said.

“You’re being a jerk,” Asriel snapped.

“Will you get off?!” the skeleton growled.

“Haaaa, nope.”

“Let’s not fight!” Papyrus said quickly.

“Sans?” Alphys asked worriedly.

Sans folded his arms and a grumpy look clouded his face. He scoffed and drummed his fingers on his arms. His eyes went black, though he stared pointedly at the older skeleton. He gave off a forbidding chill. “You know exactly what our beef is.”

“I have no idea,” the skeleton protested.

“Hm. Guess you’re way dumber than I thought,” Sans said, grinning.

“Saaaans, don’t be mean, Frisk and Az might need his help,” Papyrus said, tugging on his sleeve.

Alphys let out a warbling noise and finally stumbled into the room. Shooting Asriel a cautious glance, she grabbed onto Gaster’s hand. The large monster backed off and Alphys gently helped the doctor up onto his knees. He pulled his hand away, stood up, and quickly straightened out his coat.

“Finally,” he grumbled. “How childish.”

Asriel got to his feet, crossing his arms. Though he was shorter than the skeleton, somehow he loomed. “I think you’re just salty ‘cause you lost,” he said. “Twice.”

Gaster retreated a step. “Salty? I can assure you my sodium levels are—”

“Oh my god stop,” Sans said.

“Pffff, salty, oh my god,” Undyne snickered. “Like, you totally are though, Doc, reeeelax.”

“Maybe I was a little too rough with her,” he mumbled to himself, readjusting his glasses.

“You think?” Asriel growled.

“Yeah, um, what the heck were you doing anyway?” Frisk asked shrilly, holding the big blue monster closer. “You can’t just, like, steal monsters and put them in creepy pods.”

“I will not answer to you,” Gaster said.

“Th-Then answer me, please,” Alphys said with a warble in her voice. “What were you doing?”

“We are under attack by a human invader, can you blame me?!” he said.

“Yes,” Sans said.

“No,” Frisk said, “b-but I did try to talk to you first and you just sorta freaked out, so…”

Gaster’s eyes went wide and he fumbled for words as Sans began to laugh. Papyrus snickered, too.

“Gee, that’s kind of silly, I could feel Frisk was nice right away,” he said. “Why couldn’t you?”

The tall skeleton was visibly flustered. He coughed into his fist and then frowned deeply. “This is insanity. Sans, Alphys, join with me, I’m sure we can defeat these creatures.”

“Pffff, you’re jokin’, right?” Sans said. “That’s hilarious.”

“Have they threatened you? Blackmailed you?” Gaster asked Alphys.

“Um… N-No…?” she said sheepishly.

“This makes no sense at all.”

“We just wanna talk, I promise,” Frisk said worriedly. “We don’t wanna fight.”

He shook his head and pushed past Asriel towards the door, but the kid grabbed his arm tight and stopped him handily.

“Hold it, smart guy,” he said. “We still wanna know exactly what you did to Undyne.”

“I can’t see why it’s relevant, she’s fine,” he said.

“G-GASTER!!!” Alphys shouted shrilly, freezing the room. “ENOUGH. YOU TELL US R-RIGHT NOW!!”

“Yeeeeeah!” Undyne cheered.

Gaster looked like he’d been slapped. Alphys sniffled and wiped her eyes, puffing her cheeks that had gone bright red.

“Alphys…” the skeleton said, stunned.

“No, no, don’t _Alphys _me,” she protested. “You drive my b-best friend away from work, you don’t trust me w-with the determination studies, you KIDNAP someone?! And put her in a w-weird pod machine I’ve n-never seen in my life?! And on top of that, there. Is. A. H-Human. RIGHT. THERE! …N-No offence.” She shot Frisk an apologetic look. “I d-don’t care if you think she’s dangerous or that you want to fight her friend, I don’t care that y-you and Sans hate each other right n-now, I th-think…! I think I d-deserve at least some sort of answer f-for what you’re doing here with this guard girl!”

“…Fine. Fine,” Gaster said. “It’s… It’s not…” He grumbled under his breath and pinched his brows. “I worried my experiments had been tampered with; I… We needed more determination to protect ourselves. It would not have harmed her to have it removed, you know.”

“Th-That’s no excuse and you know it,” she snapped, and she gestured to Frisk. “And is what sh-she’s saying true?!”

“I have no idea,” he said defensively.

Alphys cast her eyes desperately at Sans. He shrugged.

“Pretty sure I trust her,” Sans said.

“Me too!” Papyrus said.

“You’re both idiots,” Gaster said.

“Wow, you’re awful,” Frisk said, disappointment clear all over her face.

Asriel barked out a loud laugh, and was absolutely rolling with it when the tall skeleton’s soul lit up with blue and he was tossed unceremoniously out the door and through every hole in the walls beyond.

“Saaaans!” Papyrus whined, pouting.

The skeleton, eye blazing, grinned and shrugged, and then patted the boy on the head. He wandered to the nearest computer and began to tap on the keyboard. The lights brightened and all the alarmed flickering of the red lights stopped. With a whooshing sound, several of the walls outside dissipated.

Alphys sighed shrilly and hurried out of the room, muttering to herself. The only sound left was Asriel choking with laughter. He straightened up, wiping his eyes, and he patted Sans on the shoulder.

“Oooh, I like you,” he said.

“I don’t like that guy,” Frisk grumbled, pouting.

“I’m actually shocked you said anything,” he said. He bent and scooped up Undyne, who was quite large, though he didn’t have an issue. “Hey, fishface, you doin’ okay?”

“Mmmhm,” she said groggily.

“Guess we should get you outta here. Yo.” He nodded at Sans. “Can you heal?”

“I can, I can!” Papyrus said, sticking his arm up eagerly. “Let me do it, I’m great at healing!”

“Perfect, let’s go,” he said. “Hopefully Alph has a handle on the bonehead.”

“I’m sure she does,” Sans said.

As Asriel left with the little skeleton on his heels, Frisk let out a long sigh. Tears bubbled in her eyes and she wiped them away quickly. Her head hurt. She curled up in place, holding her knees. She was surprised to see blue encroaching into her peripherals. Sans plunked down onto the floor beside her.

“Need a minute, huh? Don’t blame ya. Just, uh, tell me to get outta here if you wanna be alone.”

“Why is he like that?” she asked softly.

“Who knows?” Sans said. His eyes narrowed. “Don’t cry over him.”

“S’not that,” she said, wilting.

“…Ah. Sorry, kid,” he said quietly. “I forgot for a sec. Can’t be easy.”

“I g-guess I just didn’t expect him to still be such a jerk after all that. For some dumb reason.” She sighed. “…Guess I am really naïve, huh?”

“Nothin’ wrong with hopin’ for the good in people, except that it might get you hurt sometimes.”

“That’s fine, I guess, I can’t die,” she said softly.

“Not the kinda hurt I mean,” he said. “Look. Uh. He may… try to tell you he’s the answer to your issue here. He may be right, but, uh… Don’t trust him.”

“Right,” she said.

Sans smiled sideways. “Just takin’ my word for it, huh?”

“Well, yeah,” she said. “Pretty sure I’d be able to tell if your soul was mean and stuff.”

His gaze turned sympathetic. He reached out— hesitated for a moment— and patted her gently on the back. She huffed and then looked up at him worriedly.

“Can I ask? What did he do to you?”

“Aside from being an insufferable egomaniac?” Sans joked. “Kept throwin’ junk in my eye sockets on the job. I ain’t a trash disposal, y’know.”

She raised her eyebrows. He snickered.

“Not flyin’?” he said.

“Nah. But you don’t have to tell me,” she said. “It’s okay.”

A twinge of darkness settled over the skeleton. He rested his arm across his knee and he squinted off at the wall. “Uh. Keep it on the down-low, huh?”

“If this goes well, I won’t even be in this universe soon,” she assured him.

He smiled tiredly and the light faded from his eyes. “…Truth is, I’m a broken mess. Among other things, I can’t have kids. Never can. Kinda wanted to someday, y’know? He said just one more year of work and he’d fix me.And then another year. And then another. Couldn’t actually do it. Just wanted me for the determination my bones make and the second I stopped cooperatin’, he went right for my brother.” He smirked. “So. Guess that’s it. Pathetic, huh?”

“What? No, no no, it’s not,” she said quickly, her eyes going wide. “He lied about something that important to you, that’s… That’s really wrong. And you had to protect you and Paps, it’s really important, too. He can’t just be using you for weird experiments because you have a lot of determination in you.”

Sans nodded to himself. “Is your guy like me?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah,” she said. “He’s, um… He’s too weak to ever… But it’s not like he, um… He’s not into… A-Anyway, he’s always really been great about taking care of people. I bet you are, too, right? Papyrus really loves you.”

“Welp. I, uh, try my best,” he said.

Frisk smiled. “Even when he gets tall and stuff, he’s always gonna need you.”

“…Heh. Maybe it’s for the best, then.” He got to his feet and stretched his arms above his head. “Hey. Thanks. You’re a good listener, kid.” He offered his hand. “Need a hand?”

“Better not pop it out,” she joked, grasping onto him.

He snickered and pulled her up. “Called me out again, huh? Jeez.”

She smiled and shrugged. She tapped her fingertips together and looked up at him.

“What?” he said.

“Um! Nothing. Nothing,” she said. “Let’s go check on the others.”

“Hm. Right behind ya,” he said.

\- - -

The lights were back on upstairs as if nothing had happened at all. Alphys paced uneasily around Gaster, who was stiffly sitting in an office chair, a notepad in his lap that he was intently focused on. Within a few steps of them were the others. Undyne was set up in a reclining chair and Papyrus was sitting with her, hands flared with bright orange magic. Asriel leaned against the closest desk; he raised his hand to greet Frisk and Sans as they returned.

“She’s coming out of it okay,” he told her.

“Thank god,” she muttered. “Jeez. Gaster, you can’t be doing that stuff, it’s super messed up.”

“How did you know my name?” he asked, mostly ignoring her words. “I do not recall introducing myself.”

Asriel snorted with disdain. Frisk shrugged.

“Well, I mean, we already said we’re from another timeline, right?” she said.

“Ah.” He turned back to his notepad and began to write furiously. “Interesting.”

“S-Sans, can I talk to you for a minute?” Alphys said. Her voice was still uncharacteristically high and her eyes darted swiftly between the skeleton and the kid.

He shot Frisk a look. She shrugged and he shrugged in reply.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Alone?” she said.

“I just figure these kids’ll be able to answer you better than I can,” he said.

Alphys bit her lip. Gaster peeked up from under his glasses, and then quickly went back to his notes. He was only pretending to write, now. Frisk took a deep breath. She walked a little closer to Alphys and extended her hand.

“Hi, Alphys. I’m real sorry about this,” she said. “Um. I’m Frisk. I know I said that before, but, um… Hi?”

The lizard stared. She snuck a step closer. Then another. And another, until she reached the kid and carefully grabbed her hand. “O-Oh. Oh, wow, you’re soft…” she muttered.

“Yeah, we’re kinda squishy,” she said.

Alphys smiled awkwardly and tentatively shook the kid’s hand. When she let go, she ran her fingers over her opposite palm. “W-Wow…”

“I’m really sorry we spooked you,” Frisk said.

“It w-was, um, just a r-really big surprise, is all,” Alphys stammered. She turned her eyes on Asriel. “Um. S-Sorry. You are…?”

“Her brother.” He folded his arms.

“You, um… Y-You look f-familiar,” she said quietly. “D-Do…? Do you exist over here?”

“Shouldn’t,” he said. “Anyway, we’ll answer what we can.”

“I have a question,” Gaster interjected.

“Cool, I’ll tell you when I care,” Asriel said.

“Az, come on,” Frisk said gently.

He snorted and rolled his eyes. The skeleton frowned. Before he could say something more, Undyne stuck her arm up.

“Question,” she said. “Where am I and why am I so tiiiiired?”

“Oh! O-Oh, um, L-L-Lieutenant Undyne, um…” Alphys scampered over to hold her hand. “It’s… I-It’s okay. You’re, um, in the lab, in Hotland. I-It’s going to be fine.”

“Mmkay.” She turned her eyes on Papyrus and she held his little face in both hands. “Lookit this cute little thing, wow.”

“Nyeh heh heh! I’m helping,” he assured her. He giggled when she squished him into a hug.

“Ugh, honestly,” Gaster said, rolling his eyes.

“You some kinda sociopath or somethin’?” Asriel whirled on his, fangs bared. “I’m gettin’ real sick of your attitude.”

“Yes, well, that is your problem and not mine,” he said.

“I wouldn’t make it my problem if I were you,” the monster hissed— there was a darkness to his tone that was frosty and low. “I’m real good at solvin’ them.”

“Haaaa, okay, let’s just calm down,” Frisk said, grabbing Asriel’s hand and pulling him away. “Um, excuuuuse us for just a sec?”

She dragged him back towards the elevator and huffed out a deep breath. “Dude, what are you doing?” she asked, trying to whisper but her voice going shrill.

Asriel frowned slightly, his ears pinning back. “I think I hate him.”

“Okay, but, like, you keep threatening to beat him up a bunch,” she said.

“He’d deserve it.” He paused and stared into her eyes. “I’m… not soundin’ right, am I?”

“N-No, not really,” she said. She reached up and took both his hands. “Can we talk?”

He knelt down to her level and, wincing, he brushed his claws through the scruffy fur between his horns. “I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I’m… I’m a mess.”

“You’re not,” she said quickly. “Just chill out a little bit, it’s gonna be okay.”

“I shouldn’t be like this,” he muttered. His eyes darted away to the side. “I mean, maybe you noticed? I know you did. Right? That I’m not… right? I’m still… angry, sometimes? And when he talks like that about Papyrus, or you, or anyone, I just wanna knock his head into the trash can and roast his stupid glasses.”

“I th-think that might just be the Toriel in you,” she said sheepishly.

He snickered and smiled at her fondly. “Well. It doesn’t help,” he joked. He sighed to himself.

“We’re all kinda on edge. Except, like, Papyrus I guess.”

“And I need to stop being such a freak,” he muttered.

She reached out and hugged him around his shoulders. “Az, I totally love you, okay? No matter what.”

He bared his fangs. “I just, uh… I dunno. Forget it.”

Frisk held his big face in both hands. She kissed his nose. “Even if you feel angry or bad, it’s still better than not feeling anything. It’s okay to feel like that. ‘Cause then you get to feel the good stuff, too.”

He wilted; grimaced. He hugged her tight. “How’d you get so smart and stuff?”

“I’m not. Someone had to tell me some feelings are okay, too. It’s just…” She looked up into his eyes. “I really want you to be happy. Everyone’s so glad you’re back. Even if it didn’t mean the barrier, or saving the world, or any of that junk, they would be happy, y’know? Me too. As long as you are.”

He snorted and nodded, booping the tip of his snout against her forehead. “Yeah. I am. I’m just—”

“A mess, I know.” Frisk grinned. “That’s just us, though, it’s okay.”

He huffed and laughed roughly. “Okay. I’ll only set him on fire if he really, really deserves it.”

“Progress,” she said with a grin.

He straightened up and casually wiped his thumb under his eye. “Heh. Glad I’m outta the royal running for bit, actually, I’d be a crap King.”

“Oh stop,” Frisk chided.

He snickered and then made a beeline for the other monsters across the lab. The kid followed.

Asriel grabbed a chair and plunked down heavily, folding his arms. “Okay. I’m gonna lay this out once. No interrupting.” He glowered at Gaster. “We’re from another universe and another set of timelines that’s a lot like this one. We came here because your… whatever you did, skeleton man, ripped into our world and threw a bunch of shit off balance and knocked our older brother into a coma. We followed the energy and now need to fix whatever happened.”

“S-So… So… You… are the anomaly?” Alphys asked cautiously.

Asriel shook his head. “If I am, it’s only because I have part of her soul.” He pointed at Frisk. “She’s the anomaly. She’s the one in charge of our timeline.”

“We’d, um, really appreciate any help you guys could give us?” Frisk said. “I tried to close the rift from out in the, uh, kinda time void place out beyond that rip in time you guys have in the basement, but the flow going in felt strong enough that it was dangerous to do that, so if you could maybe just, like… shut off any experiments with that you have going, that might be a start?”

“Shut it off?! That’s decades of work!” Gaster protested.

“Do you ever listen to yourself?” Sans asked sharply. “Stands to reason if it’s messin’ up their world like that, it’s gonna mess up ours, too.”

“I’ll shut it off if this anomaly lets me study it,” the skeleton said, pointing at Frisk. His gaze had gone frigid.

Asriel stepped between them, noting the kid’s obvious look of discomfort. “Not happening. And don’t call her an _it_ again.”

“Everything I’ve done was based on reaching an anomaly,” Gaster said, getting to his feet. “I saw one distort time itself. Was that this one or not?”

“It doesn’t matter, it’s not happening,” Asriel said.

Gaster folded his arms. “Then no deal.”

Alphys let out a long, rough sigh. “Gaster, j-just help them.”

“Surely you want the answers as well as I do?” he said sharply.

“It d-doesn’t matter,” the lizard insisted sternly. “Your experiment h-hurt their world. They’re right. If it’s really that much energy pouring out from here, it’ll h-hurt our world, too. It’s not f-fair to do what you’re doing.”

“I am protecting us,” he insisted sternly.

“I wonder if it was the energy from closing the last rip,” Frisk wondered quietly.

“What?” Gaster snapped.

“Oh! Well, it’s just… I mean. You recorded this thing that happened, right? Can I see it?”

“I doubt a creature like you could make heads or tails of it,” he said dismissively. “And there’s no way I am letting a human near any of my work.”

Sans rolled his eyes and beckoned to the kid. “I’ll show you.” He turned his attention on Asriel. “Babysit Papy, will ya?”


	22. Who told them about the hypnosis eyes?

The amount of computers lined up in the study Sans brought the kid to seemed a bit excessive. She counted at least eight. They were connected to each other with thick, transparent cables with sparkling white magic flowing between all of them and out into a large, clear pillar in a corner of the room.

Sans lazily flopped into a chair in front of the closest computer and booted it up. He let out a sigh and slumped low on the desk and kneaded his brows with his fingertips.

“Are you okay?” Frisk asked quietly.

“Nah.” He chuckled. “What a day.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

He shook his head. “Not your fault.” 

“It kinda is, though,” she said quietly. “None of this would be happening if we didn’t come.”

He shot her an amused smile. “Sure, but it’s not you I’m mad at. You and your brother are fine. Really interestin’, actually. Wish we’d all met under less stupid circumstances.” 

“Think it’d always have to be stupid,” she said with a sardonic smile. “But, um, I’m glad we didn’t spook you too bad. Especially me. Because, um, you know.”

He laughed. His eyes darted back to the screen as a log-in box appeared over the background image of some pink-haired anime girl. He rolled his fist over the keyboard. For some reason, that worked.

“Welp. My brother wasn’t wrong about you,” he said. “I’m grateful, actually.” He winked. “Thanks for the rundown the barrier thing, at least.”

“Oh! You’re welcome,” she said. “I hope it helps.”

The computer’s anime background was replaced by a black screen. White text cascaded downwards too quickly to read. The computer began to complain. Sans drummed his fingers on the desk. 

“Might take a minute to recalibrate,” he said.

Frisk snuck over to his other side and sat down herself. She yawned. The skeleton’s eyes started to get heavy. He rested his cheek on his fist. Frisk put her head down on the desk. Sans smiled sympathetically. She sighed and folded her arms, pouting as she watched the data on the screen zoom by.

“Sorry. It’s all just… a lot.”

“Hm.” He nodded. “A lot o’ crap.”

She laughed tiredly and rubbed her arm gently. He looked her up and down.

“Alright?” he asked.

“Oh, ah… I’ll be fine,” she said. “I, uh…” She winced. “I dunno, I guess… I didn’t super like the way Gaster was looking at me.”

“Yeah, uh… like I said. Don’t trust him,” he said.

“I don’t.” She pouted. It made her chest ache.

Sans’s brow furrowed, but he turned to the screen and went back to work. “So what exactly you thinkin’ needs to be done here?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Well, I guess I’d like to see his data. I have some, like, recordings of stuff from our end and I guess I wanna know if it’s what I did the other day that made him find us.”

Sans shot her a questioning look. 

“My dad warned me that the others of him out here, they were maybe not so good, so I think he didn’t want them to find us, but I guess what I did made it so that this Gaster did. There was a rip that I closed,” she said. “I reset a timeline for another Sans that got kinda stranded, I guess, and then sorta fixed the tear. He told me it was messing up there because he was stuck in a loop too long.”

“Jeez,” Sans said, eyes wide. “…There a lot of me? …Uh, us?”

Frisk shrugged again. “I guess? I mean. How many timelines are there that are kinda like this? Probably a lot, right? It just kinda splits forever.”

“Kinda overwhelming,” he admitted.

“I know,” she said. “Sorry. I try not to think about it for too long. Anyway, the rip through here was the one that had its energy going right into my brother’s head, so I wanna turn the thing off, I think. The weird energy flow made it so I couldn’t close the big rip from our side without it feeling really dangerous, for some reason. It’s like, umm…? I dunno, a waterfall, I guess?”

“Ah. Okay. Gotcha.” He straightened up slightly and huffed. “Figures.”

Frisk shot him a sympathetic look. “Sorry. If it’s really important, I’m sure you can boot it up again later. Just maybe slower, because this seemed kinda like an explosion.”

He shook his head. “Can’t see any good in it.” He leaned back and drummed his fingers on the hard desktop. With lethargic movements, he clicked around the screen. “Explosion, huh?”

“Yeah, from the outside it almost looks like, um… a broken window. Like maybe it blasted out or something.” Frisk sighed and rubbed her head. “Anything I can do?”

“You any good at math?” 

“Yeah kinda.”

“Mkay.” Sans pulled a pad of paper and a pen out of the drawer. After double-checking a small section of numbers on the screen, he scrawled them and a formula down, then shoved it over to her as the computer resumed its processing, buzzing loudly and with great strain. “Give that a go, would ya? Find me the average?”

“Average,” she repeated, staring at the numbers.

“Sum divided by the count,” he said.

“Oh! Yeah. I can do that.” She nodded. “Sure.”

The skeleton smiled a little. He rested his chin on his fist and closed his eyes.

Frisk spent a few minutes with the numbers as the skeleton dozed off. Once she was done, she gently nudged him with her elbow and slid the paper up to him. He looked at it with groggy eyes.

“Huh. What d’ya know.”

“Is it right?” she asked.

“Yeah.” He sat up and fed the paper into a slot on the top of the monitor. “Good job, kid. Thanks. Saved some time. This thing’s a bit of a clunker— can’t really interrupt it.”

The computer struggled and made a sound like a wheezing old man. Then, it dinged, as if it were about to shoot out some toast. The screen went black, then blinked, and then began to run lines of text in the old skeleton script. Sans let out a heavy sigh. He typed in some stuff slowly; once he confirmed it, let the text run on so quickly that even if the kid had been able to read the font properly, she wouldn’t have been able to catch a single word. Her arm and shoulder started to ache again with the way she was leaning on them. She puffed out a sigh and tried to readjust herself.

“So, um, what’s all this doing?” she asked.

“Short or long?” he said.

“Short.”

Sans grinned. “Can’t just shut the thing off. Gotta ramp it down, make sure the anchor points are good, divert excess magic, that kinda crap. Gonna take a little bit. Plus, goin’ through this thing, we can get you the most, uh, recent readings, I guess. Soon. Just needs a few more minutes for that, at least.”

Frisk didn’t really understand much of how this worked, but she nodded anyway. The symbols were dizzying.

All of a sudden, it stopped. The sounds eased up and a black screen was replaced by a big thumbs-up. Sans sat up, moderately alert, but before he’d even brushed the keyboard, the screen flickered and the computer shut off with a digital sigh. 

“Oh for f…” Sans smacked the monitor. 

This time, the lights flickered and a jolt of magic set them both on edge. 

“Wh-What the heck?” Frisk yelped. 

The door slammed closed. Sans rolled his eyes. 

“Great.”

“What’s going on, is th-that the security thingy again?” the kid squeaked.

The skeleton sighed, got up from his seat, and trudged towards the door. The lights flickered and the room went dark along with the thrum of magic and a rumble through the floor. Frisk yelped and gripped tight to the chair. A bright blue circle lit up right in front of her and boney hands grabbed her shoulders.

“Alright?” Sans asked.

She nodded quickly. “Can w-we get out of here?”

“Door’s fake,” he said.

“W… What? Door’s…?” She put her hand to her brow. “Jeez.” She bit her lip and looked around with her phone as a light— there wasn’t another door anywhere in the room. “Um. Willing to try that teleport thing?” 

“Uh…” He snorted out a laugh. “Welp. Nothin’ to lose.”

The world blurred into darkness and stars. Frisk’s stomach dropped. She clung to him and scrunched her eyes shut. It didn’t feel right. It felt like they were spiralling. She grimaced and just wished to get back to Asriel.

As quickly as it had started, the dark was blotted out with light. The kid and the skeleton tumbled haphazardly onto cool, white tile, grey under dimmed, flickering florescent-like lights overhead. Sans winced and sat up, holding the back of his skull. He looked at Frisk from one eye. She got up in a hurry and grabbed his hand to haul him to his feet, and then spun around to get her bearings. 

“K-Kinda off?” she asked worriedly.

“Not much,” he grunted. He pointed down the hall. “Go left. I’ll catch up.”

Frisk took off, slipping on the sleek floor for a second before sprinting down the hall and around the corner. She didn’t recognize anything until she realized a grey elevator door was looming at the end of the hallway. She skidded to a halt, but the door opened before her with bright light and she tripped over the threshold and thumped to the ground.

She shoved herself up and rushed for the buttons, but the door closed behind her. The light above went out, leaving her in bleak darkness. 

“Aw crap,” she muttered. Running her hands over the buttons, she hoped to maybe feel her way across them, but it wasn’t helpful in the least. She was sure the grooves mostly had to be numbers, but some of them definitely weren’t.

She hurriedly fished out her phone and used its flashlight to illuminate the buttons. One of them said “MAIN”. She hit it. The wall behind her split open. A different set of doors. The kid stared blankly, feeling a little foolish for a second.

Through one more door, and the main floor of the lab opened up before her, but the lights were flickering here, too. She couldn’t see anyone, but the centre was sealed up by a huge, metal box. 

“What the heck is this?” she breathed. She jogged up to it and put her palm against it. Her handprint lit up red on the smooth, cool surface. “Jeez, what’s going on. Asriel?! Can you hear me?! Are you in there?” She knocked hard on it; the hollow, metal sound bounced around the room.

Something like a fist slammed into the wall from the other side. Though she jumped and her heart beat hard, the kid was relieved.

With a wooshing sound, a black monitor descended on a mechanical arm, pushing itself between the kid and the wall, forcing her to recoil. A digital face vaguely resembling a skeleton appeared on it. It looked like it was floating in darkness as the lights gave out.

“Hello. The emergency lockdown protocols have been activated,” it said in a digital voice, mouth flapping up and down unevenly, barely matching the words. “Please leave the vicinity if you are a villain. Thank you for you cooperation.”

“I just gotta get to my brother,” Frisk said. “Can I turn it off?”

“Are you Doctor Alphys or Doctor W. D. Gaster?” it asked.

“N-No, but…! I think Alphys is stuck inside?” she said. “…Maybe there’s a password or something?”

“Do you wish to access the security questions to enable options?” it asked.

“Oh! Y-Yeah! Yes. Please,” Frisk said.

The face disappeared from the screen. The number one appeared, and then text reading, “_the best show EVER and be specific!!!_” and some smiley cat text faces. 

“Mew Mew Kissy Cutie,” Frisk answered swiftly. “The first season and the OVA, not the second season, it’s trash.”

The screen shifted, showed another question. “_Mother’s Name_”. Frisk tilted her head. Alphys had never really mentioned any family aside from a cousin or two. She didn’t know. But, then again, what about scientist number two?

“A… Avenir?” she asked.

Again, the screen shifted. She didn’t know if that meant she’d guessed right, or if it just wasn’t going to tell her. The last question, though, chilled her. It wasn’t written in plain text, but in the old skeleton script. She couldn’t read it. 

She grimaced and got closer to the screen. Her eyes skimmed the symbols carefully. Now that she saw up close, she did recognize a few of them. The water droplet shaped ones were an _S_. Skull and crossbones was an _N_, and a hand making a victory sign was an _A_. In fact, she picked out all those symbols in there, and in a very familiar order. Sans. Her eyes lit up. What about Sans?

It looked like there was another _S_ after that. Sans’s. Sans’s what? Nine letters. She could see another _A_ was in the third to last place. She folded her arms to her chest and tapped her foot. 

“Sans’s… what? Ummm…”

“Incorrect, two more attempts,” the screen said.

“Oh! No, that wasn’t— ”

“Incorrect, one more attempt.”

Frisk pouted. She paced back and forth. Gaster had probably set it up. She wished she could remember more of that font. She stared at the screen again. She gulped. The previous questions had been so basic. Maybe this one was, too? What was a really common password question? Then, she remembered the cipher. Her heart jumped and pulled out the crumpled paper and flattened it in her hands, glancing quickly between the screen and the decoded symbols. That second word… _B-I-R-T-H-D_…

“…December twenty-first?” she asked tentatively.

“Option access granted,” the screen chirped.

Frisk let out a deep, relieved sigh and bent forward, holding her legs. Sans’s birthdate. Good thing it was the same in this timeline as back home. She was so glad that she brought that cypher. Though she had her brother’s memories, that skeleton language didn’t transfer well. Through his eyes and with the distortion from Gaster being missing, the lettering hadn’t looked much different from normal but written with an unusual hand. As she straightened up, shoving her cipher back into her pocket, she was met with the digital skeleton face again.

“What option would you like?” it asked.

“Shut off the lockdown protocols. Please,” she said.

“What option would you like? Please select a number.”

Frisk sighed with exasperation. “Who designed you?!”

“Doctor W. D. Gaster. He is a superior genius,” the monitor answered.

“I bet,” Frisk grumbled. She sighed. “Okay. Can you show me the options?”

The face disappeared, instead replaced by a list of numbers and options. Thankfully, it wasn’t more complicated than that.

“Number three,” she said.

“Are you sure you wish to—”

“YES. Number three. Please.”

“Lockdown aborted.” The monitor began to retract back up into the ceiling and the lights flickered back on. “Have a nice day.”

The metal wall folded down like origami. Inside was a now fully alert Undyne, grasping a radiant, cyan spear in both hands. She stood protectively before Alphys and Asriel. The latter was pitched forward, clutching his arm tight as red magic wrapped around it like vines from a spot he hid beneath his hand as the little lizard held him. Frisk’s heart beat heavy. Though Undyne bared her fangs, Asriel stumbled upright, paws crunching glass, and shoved past her, straight to Frisk. He wrapped her in a hug.

“You okay?!” he demanded.

“Yeah, what happened?!” she asked.

“Guy caught me off guard,” he growled. “I’m… I’m okay.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said. She raised a hand and lit it with red. “Let me?”

He drew back just enough for her to put her hand on his shoulder.

“H-How’d you g-get through the lockdown?!” Alphys asked, wide-eyed. “I thought there was n-no way until Gaster got back!”

“Your security questions were really easy,” Frisk said with a shrug. She was dizzy peering back through the last few minutes of Asriel’s arm at in a super-condensed form. She let it go and it snapped back to normal, his white fur clean and unmarred by clinging determination. “B-Better?”

He nodded. “We need to go, right now, he—”

“Were they r-really that…? Wait, what th-the heck d-did you just do?!” Alphys yelped.

“Healing,” Frisk said quickly. “Whatever, we don’t have time, where did Gaster go and what the heck happened?”

“Who is this kid?” Undyne demanded loudly. She was bristling, ear-fins pressed close to her head. “What is this kid?!”

“Amnesia,” Asriel whispered. “She came outta the daze a few minutes ago. But we don’t have time, we gotta—”

“Um… L-L-Lieutenant,” Alphys said, cautiously stepping between the big blue monster and the kid. “R-Remember, I told you th-that there was an… um… an accident here? This little kid s-saved you. She, um, p-pulled you out and healed you.”

“Pulled me…? Pffff! A squirt like that?!” she asked.

“It wasn’t easy,” Frisk said sheepishly. “Um. But are you feeling okay?”

“Uh. Yeah. Of course.” She sneered. “Who d’you think I am?”

“Undyne,” Frisk said.

“Well, yeah, duh, I mean I… Uhh…” She frowned slightly. “What are you again and do I know you?”

“Does it matter?” Sans was sitting on the desk behind them rather abruptly. “What’d the bonehead break? Hopefully an arm or somethin’ along the way? And where’s…?” The skeleton’s eyes went wide. “Oh. Shit.”

“I’m sorry,” Asriel said, his ears drooping. “I tried to stop him but he chugged some potion or something and shot me down before I could go after him and we got shut in.”

“Where?” Sans asked. His voice was low and chilly, and his eyes were pitch black. 

“Not in the lab,” Asriel said. 

“Oh my god,” Frisk squeaked, eyes wide. Her heart thunked into ice and her blood ran frosty. “He w-wouldn’t…?! We gotta go. Where do we go?!”

“I’m fast, I can go. Whichever direction you think, Sans,” Asriel said.

“Hey! I’ll take another,” Undyne said. “You don’t think the doctor could be hurting that little guy, do you?!”

Sans didn’t answer. He vanished. Alphys yelped and Undyne recoiled, and then leaned in closer to where he was sitting. 

“What the hell?!” she demanded.

Frisk grimaced. She felt like she could throw up. She shot Asriel a worried look. “Any hints? Did he say anything at all?” Her eyes went wide. “Did he touch anything when he attacked you? Did anyone notice?”

“Um!! I… I think… When he attacked, um… s-sorry, I don’t know your name. But, you p-pushed him back, I thought.” Alphys pointed at the computer desk behind them. 

There were papers disturbed, and a mug knocked to the floor. Frisk rushed over there, laying her hands against the wood.

“NGAAAH! How will this help?!” Undyne demanded. She rushed for the door, spear in hand. “I’m gonna go look.”

“Good! Please,” Frisk said urgently.

The monster stared at her. She squinted, but then dipped her head and stormed out, slamming the door behind her. 

“Frisk, what’re you doing?” Asriel asked.

“It’s just… maybe I can feel…” She bit her lip and concentrated. Was that a hint of magic? She focussed and grasped to it, hoping it would show her. 

Her vision flashed away to a disoriented view of the lab as she staggered backwards, fire bursting near her eyes. It reflected strangely through glasses. She raised a skeleton’s hand and whipped bones at the fingertips, racing away and grabbing little Papyrus by the arm. An explosion of voices started yelling, but there was no time to pay attention. The walls started to drop and she got out just in time for the others to be sealed away and the emergency panel to descend. The vision faded.

Frisk was sweating. The others stared at her intently. Her eyes were hot— the irises red with the subtle sparkle of magic. She rubbed them quickly and then hurriedly backtracked to where that strange defending computer screen had been. “Hey!” she called up at the ceiling. “Lockdown panel thing? Come down here again, I need to use you!”

On that same long, metal arm, down came the panel again. Frisk waved Alphys over. 

“I’m sure he used this. Can you see if there’s, like, time logs or something?”

“Oh! Y-Yeah, of course.” Alphys stumbled over her own feet as she hurried over. “This is Doctor Alphys. My password is… My, um… p-password…” She blushed.

“Oh for…” Asriel rolled his eyes and plugged his ears.

“Alphys, we don’t have time,” Frisk insisted. “We don’t care about your password.”

“A-Alright. Alright. M-My password is _xoxo alph x mewmew 4 life_.” She almost choked on it. Her scales flushing bright in her cheeks, she leaned forward. “Give me the access logs. Entire lab.”

The monitor drew up a set of times and locations. Alphys traced her finger down the line.

“Oh… H-He was setting this up while… while I w-wasn’t looking, I guess. I’m s-so sorry,” she said. “Let’s see. This. Then the terminal, and then… Oh! The, um…” She pointed all the way to the eastern-most wall, near the door. “The hand lock. S-See it?”

“And I bet you gotta use magic for that,” Frisk said. She waved at Asriel to join her.

Though she needed a boost, Frisk soon had her hand up against the unassuming panel. Asriel leaned in close and frowned.

“Anything?”

“One sec.” The magic wasn’t as strong here, yet she could feel it through her fingertips. “It wouldda been better if he was attacking.”

“I d-don’t understand,” Alphys said quietly.

“Hang on.” She grimaced and tried to follow the melody. 

It felt like someone struck her in the temple, and she saw skeleton hands again. One against the panel, one holding onto Papyrus’s arm. The little boy was tearful and obstinate. 

“Stop! I want to stay with them, I don’t want to go with you!” he said.

“Quiet,” Gaster snapped.

“No!!” He tried to pull away. “Sans said if you told me to be quiet I should be LOUDER SO—”

“Listen, you little fool. It’s not safe here,” Gaster insisted. He picked the kid up off his feet. “We will go to the King. And you will stay there. I will figure this out.”

“But I want to be with Sans!” he said.

“Your brother is alone in a room with a human. I doubt he will return.”

Papyrus frowned, but his eyes welled up and he clenched his jaw. “But she’s nice! I know she’s nice and—”

“They are never nice. And you should be glad it did not decide to make you a target already, you tiny, stupid thing.” The older skeleton took a glimpse at the panel, ignoring the little boy. “You would be an easy gain of power for a beast like that.” A magic palm print he left was starting to fade. So, too, did the vision.

Frisk put a hand to her forehead, grimacing. “Asgore,” she said.

“Ah shit.” Asriel’s expression was one of resigned worry. “Okay. We’ll go.” He shot a questioning glance at the lizard. “Alphys?”

“I… I’ll stay here,” she said. “In case Sans c-comes back.”

As Asriel and Frisk booked it towards New Home, Frisk pulled out Gaster’s phone again and called Sans. It rang for a while. Clicked. Someone had picked up— she could hear the white noise and the sound of a breeze— but nobody said a word.

“Sans? Are you there? It’s Frisk,” she said. “Gaster took Paps to the King. He still thinks I’m really dangerous. I’m so sorry.”

Nobody answered, but she could hear wind blowing for a few seconds longer before the line went dead. She sighed and clutched the phone close, her heart aching. She looked up at Asriel worriedly. He held her a little tighter. 

“He was probably so scared,” Frisk muttered. “Oh man, I bet he hates me.”

“It’ll be okay,” Asriel said. “So what do we do?”

She shot him a puzzled look. He smiled sideways. 

“Uh. You’re a human. I’m his kid but tall,” he said. “…Maybe just deal with it. Paps is more important.”

“Yeah,” she said.

\- - -

Asgore’s home in this world was identical to how it used to look in theirs. Still monochrome grey. The door was slightly ajar. Inside, Asriel let Frisk down onto the ground. They could hear footsteps down the hall. A shellshocked Sans rounded the corner, the area around his eye sockets dark.

“Not here,” he said.

“We didn’t see anyone on the way,” Asriel said.

Sans’s bones rattled faintly. He put his head in his hands. 

“Sans, I’m so sorry,” Frisk said. “If I hadn’t—”

“Don’t.” He raised a hand. “Blame’s for the guy that took him.” The skeleton grimaced nonetheless. His eyes were dark and he looked at the floor. 

Frisk grabbed his sleeve and headed for the stairs, pulling him along gently. “There’s more places. Pretty sure I know where Asgore might take a scared kid.”

“And if he’s not there, I bet there’s candy store in New Home,” Asriel volunteered.

They hurried down the long, dark path beneath the house and across to a golden hall, shimmering cooly before them. Frisk froze. She gulped. The others were already ahead of her and she could only feel stuck. Her soul flickered. She grimaced and bit back her oldest brother’s name.

Sans seemed to realize where they were heading as soon as they hit the grey of corridor. He picked up the pace.

Just off the hallway was a garden, bright with green leaves and golden flowers. In the middle of the field of petals sat a great, crowned goat monster in a royal purple cloak, cradling a little skeleton in his lap. Sans had probably never moved so fast as he did as he rushed inside. The others hung back a little. Papyrus jerked to look at him. His little face lit right up and he scrambled to his feet. He sprinted over and gladly fell into his brother’s arms. 

“I knew it! I knew he was wrong!!”

“Jeez, kiddo.” The skeleton plopped down to the ground and hid his face against the kid’s head. “…Scared me, you goof.”

“I didn’t want to go, I promise,” he said.

“I know. I know.”

“I told him not to… I tried to get loud when he told me to be quiet, even! I’m sorry I couldn’t listen to you, but he—!”

“No, no, Papy. It’s fine. Forget it. S’not your fault.” He held the kid’s face and grinned, brushing a stray tear away with his thumb. “Don’t cry, kid. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” The great King had gotten up as well. He came closer with a relieved smile on his face. “After what Gaster said, I was so worried.” He bent and hugged both skeletons. “I thought we might lose you.”

“What? Why? What did he say?” Sans asked.

The King drew back slightly, a heavy furrow on his brow and a sad shimmer in his eyes. He settled in the grass and gently held Papyrus’s shoulder. “He said something about how at least one skeleton must survive. He… He mentioned… a human.”

Sans frowned. He snorted and shook his head. “Just great.”

“I told him she was good, though!” Papyrus said shrilly. “She’s good. I knew she wouldn’t hurt you! I don’t think she’d even hurt him even though he was so mean to her!” He looked up at the King, wide-eyed. “Mister King Asgore, she’s good, I promise!”

Sans winced. He rubbed his skull. Worry painted itself all over Asgore’s face.

“How on earth did you escape?” he asked.

“Didn’t,” Sans said. His eye darted into his peripherals. He caught sight of Frisk back in the pathway leading towards them; saw her stick her thumb up. He couldn’t help a weak smile. “Didn’t have to. She’s, uh… Somethin’ else. Not from here. Not dangerous, either.”

Asgore’s jaw hung open. Sans got to his feet and brushed himself off. 

“Have to say, though. Her soul’s… It’s gotta be off limits,” he said.

“Sans. You know that I must—”

“She came here to save her brother,” he said. “And. To be honest. When I say not from here, I mean not from this universe. So it’d be better to leave her be.”

“R-Right, she came from really far away, through a weird time hole!” Papyrus said, clutching to Asgore’s pant leg. “And she has to go back to help her Sans. It’s really important!”

“Her... Sans?” Asgore repeated, eyes wide.

“Maybe best to let her explain,” Sans said. He tilted his head towards the door and beckoned to the kids waiting there.

Frisk snuck forward, waving hesitantly. Asgore’s jaw dropped. He sunk back and tried to form words, but could not. As Asriel followed the kid, however, the King stumbled to his paws as if dragged by a rope and put his hands to his snout. Papyrus, on the other hand, lit right up again and ran over to hug Asriel’s legs, and then wrapped his arms around Frisk and squished her tight.

“I’m glad you both are okay!” he said.

Frisk eagerly hugged him close. “I’m really glad he didn’t hurt you. He didn’t pull your arm too hard, did he?”

“No, he… Nyeh! How’d you know about that? GASP!” He squished her cheeks. “And why are your eyes red?!”

“Magic,” Frisk said with a bashful smile. 

“Well! Okay! I was worried Gaster would find you first! I’m glad he didn’t!”

“Sorry he grabbed you. Won’t catch me off guard again,” Asriel assured him.

“No no no, it’s just fine!” Papyrus assured him.

“Who…? Who are you two?” Asgore croaked. His eyes were wide and glossy.

Frisk gulped. “Um! H-Hi, Asgore. I’m, um, Frisk, and this is my brother—”

“A-Asriel,” the King croaked.

The kids looked at each other worriedly. Asriel flinched. He gulped heavily and then stared Asgore in the eyes. “Y… Yeah. Asriel. I’m sorry.”

Asgore let out a low, rough wheeze and he lurched forward and grabbed the younger monster into his arms. Asriel winced, his eyes welling up despite himself. He held the King gently and thumped him on the back. 

“I know. I know. It’s… It’s a lot. I’m sorry,” he said.

“H-How? How?!” Asgore pulled back, tears streaming down his face, teeth bared in a pained grimaced. With a trembling hand, he cupped the boy’s cheek. “My son… I…”

“I know,” Asriel said quietly.

“You’re all grown up,” he said. “How is this possible?”

“Like Sans said,” he said gently. “I’m from another world.”

“One…? One where you did not…?”

“No. I did,” he said. He tilted his head towards Frisk. “Got brought back.”

Asgore’s jaw dropped and he looked back and forth between Asriel and Frisk.

Papyrus gawked, putting his hands to his cheeks. “Whaaaaat?! Az is the Prince?! No way!!!”

Asgore froze. His eyes rolled up and he began to tumble backwards. Asriel caught him. 

“Shit.”

“Oh god, is he okay?” Frisk asked shrilly.

“Poor guy. Fainted,” the young monster said. He shot a concerned look at Sans. “Uh. Can we take a minute to deal with this?”

“Gotta,” Sans said. “Hopefully the numbskull ain’t gettin’ into trouble.”

“Oh, right,” Frisk said, backing up a little as Asriel positioned himself to carry Asgore slumped on his shoulder. “Paps, did Gaster say where he was going?”

“Nnnooo, he just seemed like he was in a big hurry,” he said apologetically. 

Sans rubbed his brow. “Welp. One thing at a time,” he said.

\- - -

Sans got the kettle going as Asriel lowered the King gently into his own bed back at the house. He tucked him in and sighed, staring down at him with a furrowed brow. Frisk reached up for his hand. 

“Sorry,” she said.

He shook his head. Huffing, he sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed his temples. “Hey. Uh. Question. Maybe… Maybe a bad one?”

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Can you…? Uh… Can you erase his memory?” he asked.

“E-Erase his—?!”

“I know, it’s… bad. Y’know? It’s just…” He shot a forlorn glance at Asgore. “That’s bad, too. So… I mean. I was just wondering…?”

“Az, I… I can’t.”

“…It would be easier. Better for everyone,” he said quietly. His eyes were cold; adrift. Staring at something that wasn’t there. “I get you got, uh, principles but this… This might be… I mean. There’s no way it’s not better to just forget this ever happened. Right?” He looked up at her. “Please.”

“Az, I… I mean… I m-mean, I literally don’t know how,” she stammered.

“You… never did it to us?” he asked.

“N-No, I just… reset. I never meant to… I mean, if I could’ve kept everyone’s memories where they were the whole time, I would have,” she said quietly. “I never even tried to erase anything.”

Asriel smiled sideways. “No. You never did that yourself, did you?” He shook his head. “Sorry. That wasn’t you. I just… Hah… I just let some of them go with the reset, you didn’t do a thing. But… You wouldn’t try? You… really don’t know?”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Az, for real, I have no idea.” She offered her soul’s glow in her hand. “I promise.”

He stared at the red light. His fingers inched towards her, but then he withdrew. She was obviously puzzled, but he shook his head. 

“No. It’s alright. Don’t have to show me. I trust you.” He got up again and groaned as he rubbed his face. “What a mess.” 

“Yeah…” She folded her arms. “I’m… I’m really sorry.”

“Would you even have done it?” he wondered.

Frisk bit her lip. Her stomach knotted. “If… I-If I could be sure… that it was only us he lost. Just that couple minutes… I… I think I could… maybe live with it.”

“Pfff. No you couldn’t,” he laughed. “…I appreciate it.”

“Well. I mean… You’re my brother,” she said quietly.

His eyes went wide. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards and his ears drooped. Her cheeks flushed.

“A-Anyway, um... You saw more than me. Did you have any idea what Gaster’s up to?”

“Probably something shady as hell,” he said. “Didn’t hear any plans specifically, though. Hey. You should call Alphys. Make sure he’s not messing with her.”

“You’re right. You gonna be in here?” 

“For a bit, yeah.”

Frisk slipped out, but almost the instant she’d set foot in the living room, Papyrus grabbed her and hugged her. 

“Everything’s going to be just fine,” he assured her.

“Th-Thanks,” she said.

He grinned and held her shoulders. “Your eyes look pretty like that.”

“D-Do they…?” She smiled sheepishly. “Um. Thanks?” 

“They look pretty the other way, too,” Papyrus continued, “buuuut I can hear you better when they’re red.”

“Hear me…? Oh! My hum?” she said. “That makes sense.”

He grinned and nodded. 

“Water’s almost boiled,” Sans said from the kitchen. “Any plans?”

“Calling Alphys,” Frisk said.

“Leave that to me,” Sans said. “What’re we lookin’ for?”

“Gaster. I mean. Just to make sure he’s not… You know.”

“Gotcha.”

Frisk sighed. She plopped down onto the floor and put her face in her hands, groaning loudly. With a faint clatter of bones, Papyrus sat with her. He reached out for her hands and held them tight. 

“It’s going to be okay,” he assured her.

“Are you okay, though?” Frisk asked. 

“Me? Oh! Yes, of course,” he assured her.

“But he dragged you all over and told you Sans might be…”

“But he was fine so everything was fine,” he assured her. “Of course he was fine! He was with you! He wasn’t in any danger at all, so I wasn’t worried, I just… I didn’t like that Gaster was being mean.”

“I’m really sorry all this is happening,” she said quietly. “We didn’t mean to bring all this dumb drama and stuff into your lives.”

“Aww, nooo, don’t worry about that!” Papyrus said. “That’s okay! It’s been really nice to meet you and Az! Whooo I can’t believe is the Prince! I thought he was killed like a million years ago.”

“I-It’s a long story.” Frisk couldn’t help cast a glance back at the hallway. “Ah, jeez. What a mess.”

“I’m sorry it’s so stressful for you,” he said. “But! If it helps. Which I’m sure it will. I’m really happy to have met you.” He offered her a hug.

She gladly took him up on it. He was warm and he clung tight. A lump caught in the kid’s throat; she sighed quietly.

“What’s wrong, new friend?” Papyrus asked as he drew back. He tilted his head inquisitively. “You don’t look so good.” 

“Oh, no?” She took a moment to rub her eyes. “Guess it’s, um, kinda been a long few days.”

“Do you do this time stuff a lot?” he wondered.

“No. Not this stuff,” she said. “This is the first time we ever did anything like this, it’s kinda nuts.”

“So what else did you do the last few days, then?” he asked.

“Oof. Um.” She counted on her fingers. “Had to deal with some humans who thought I might be a missing kid, had to stop a premonition of monsters getting dusted from happening, read a human guy’s memories and hopefully helped him start tracking down his own missing kid, met my dad, went to a weird old castle with some weird powers I didn’t know I had, my brother got really sick, came here…”

“Wowie, that is a lot,” Papyrus said, wide-eyed. “But… Nyeh! Met your dad? Like… your Gaster, you just met him?”

“It’s complicated,” she said. “I knew him for a long time. Kinda? He was a weird out-of-time slime ghost. I just didn’t know he was my dad.”

“Wowie. So who did you think was your dad before?”

“Nobody. I didn’t think I had an actual dad,” Frisk said.

“Aw. I guess I know what that’s like,” Papyrus said. “But I have Sans and I think he’s the best.”

“He is,” Frisk said with a sheepish smile. 

“Your Sans is also like that? He takes care of you and everything? And makes hotdogs, maybe? And doesn’t clean up after himself even though he knows how to do it?”

Frisk laughed quietly despite heartache hitting her hard enough that her chest hurt. “Yeah, he is like that, for sure.” She wished he were with her — he would have found this all pretty funny, she bet. “He’s so… nice. I know he doesn’t see himself like that, but he really is. And he tells really good jokes.”

“Ah! See, that last bit was really different from here because my brother only tells the worst jokes ever,” he said.

Frisk laughed. She cast a glance back at the bedroom hallway. She grimaced; caught the little skeleton looking at her questioningly from the corner of her eye. “I’m kinda worried about the King.”

“Do you know King Fluffyman very well?” he asked.

Frisk grinned, holding back a snicker. “Pretty well.”

“But the Prince… Oh… Ooooooh. I understand.” Papyrus said. “Oh jeez that’s a big deal, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” she said.

“Are you a Princess, then?!”

“No,” she laughed.

Frisk got up, rubbed her hair, though was paused midstep on her way to see Asriel as he emerged from the bedroom with a hollow look on his face. His eyes caught on hers and he smiled.

“When he faints, he doesn’t play around,” he said.

“He okay?” Frisk said.

“Oh, yeah, he’s done this before. He’s always fine,” he said. He laughed to himself. “When I brought Chara home, he dropped like a rock.”

“Aw, he’s a big sensitive fluffy man,” Papyrus said.

“Accurate.” Asriel folded his arms. “Hope this doesn’t complicate things too much.” He leaned on the wall and rubbed his forehead. “And now we gotta worry about that guy just runnin’ around out there. Great, huh?”

“Oh right. I was gonna ask. What was the potion thing you mentioned?” Frisk asked. “Like a power boost or something?”

“Must’ve been,” Asriel said, shrugging.

“I’ve never seen him use a potion,” Papyrus said, brows raised. “What did it look like?”

“Dunno, test tube with red in it,” Asriel said.

“Nyeh! That’s not a potion, silly,” the skeleton said. “That’s the same stuff he used to pull out of Sans’s bones.”

Asriel’s eyes went wide and round. “Wait, you’re tellin’ me…”

“He just DRANK determination?!” Frisk yelped.

“Oh. Shit. That’s bad.” Asriel put a hand to his head. “Frisk. We gotta stop him. If he keeps that up, he’s gonna just straight up melt, right?”

“Y-Yeah, wow, that’s… Yeah.W-We’ll warn him.”

Behind them, the bedroom door opened again and Sans walked out, pocketing his phone. He raised his hand to greet them. “Nothin’ interestin’ on Alphys’s end. Plans?”

“Does she have a camera thing around the underground yet?” Frisk asked.

“Uh. No.”

“Papyrus, did he say anything else about where he was going?” Asriel said.

“Just about solving _this_, whatever that means,” he said with a shrug.

“As long as he doesn’t mess around with our stuff, I think that’s okay,” Frisk said.

“And what are the chances of that?” Asriel grumbled. “Hey. Don’t go off on your own, okay? Don’t trust what his interpretation of _solving_ might be.”

“Agreed,” Sans said.

Frisk’s face flushed. Her eyes slowly flickered down to their normal chestnut brown. She grimaced. “So… So do you think we should stay until Asgore wakes up or—?”

“No. He’ll be okay. Left him a note,” Sans said. “Let’s get you that info you wanted.”

\- - -

Returning to the cool lab in the glow of Hotland’s magma, they were greeted by a thunderhead of a blue monster storming loudly across the room to grab little Papyrus into her arms. 

“KID! Oh man, little bone guy, glad you’re okay!!” Undyne boomed. 

“Oh! Yes, I’m fine!” he said.

“And, you guys…?!” 

Asriel stepped in front of Frisk when the fish monster’s glowering gaze focussed intently on her. Even so, she leaned around him and squinted suspiciously. Frisk clutched to Sans’s sleeve as nerves stung her. Some recognition flashed in Undyne’s eyes. 

“Pupper,” she said with a questioning tone. “You’re not… Huh.”

Asriel glared at her, but she didn’t even give him a second look. She stared down at Frisk, her ear-fins perking up slightly.

“I-Is the human there?” Alphys called from across the lab.

“What?! No!” Undyne said, whirling, shoulders back. “No human.”

Asriel’s posture sagged and Sans patted the kid on the shoulder. She smiled. 

“It’s okay. She knows,” she said.

“Oh! Well. Good?” Undyne smiled sideways. “Sorry. I, like… forgot, for a bit? That you pulled me out? I was pretty out of it.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” she said.

The big monster looked surprised, but then barked out a loud, boisterous laugh. She beamed when Papyrus hugged onto her tight and she snuggled him. “Aaah, I dig this cute little guy!! Kid, how’d you get so good at healing?”

“I’m really good at all the things!” Papyrus said with a grin.

“I bet!” Undyne grinned. “So. Uh.” Her eyes ran over the other monsters cautiously. “What exactly is going on and, like…? Human? Can you show me where you got in? Maybe you’re not bad, but humans can’t just be comin’ in here and running around like they own the place, y’know?”

Frisk and Asriel shared a cautious look. She shrugged. He returned the gesture.

“It’s kinda complicated, but, yeah, come on,” Frisk said.

\- - -

The starlight in the basement was still sparkling just as before, and was much easier to find now that the security maze had reversed itself completely. It sent Alphys into a stuttering, stammering mess as she circled it, adjusting her glasses and gripping tight to the metal frame around it. Though Papyrus was unaffected, even Sans seemed taken aback. Frisk was just glad that Gaster hadn’t messed with it yet— they still needed a way back home.

“What the hell is this thing?!” Undyne demanded.

“I-It’s… It’s a l-link through… time a-and space,” Alphys stammered.

“What does that mean?!” The fish monster looked around, baffled.

“It’s pretty,” Papyrus said.

“Careful, little buddy, not too close,” Undyne said, scooping the skeleton up under his arms. “It’s weird and I don’t trust it.”

“I knooow, but I’m still glad it brought Frisk and Az for a visit,” he said.

Closer to the computers, Sans folded his arms, brow furrowed. He shook his head and grumbled under his breath.

“You okay?” Frisk asked.

He gestured to the tear and rubbed the back of his skull. Asriel snorted. 

“Weren’t on board, huh?” he asked.

“Didn’t know he’d gotten this far,” he admitted. He grimaced. “Shouldn’t have. Idiot.”

“Is this real bad or something?” Undyne asked. “Also, like…? Shouldn’t I arrest that scientist guy?”

“What?! Uhhhh… Oh jeez…” Alphys said, sweating. She wiped her brow. “I… I guess this is really s-serious…”

“Double kidnapping,” Sans said, sticking his thumb up. 

“Aaaah, the King’s gonna be pissed,” Undyne said, rubbing her fingers through her long, red hair. 

“When he wakes up,” Asriel grumbled.

“Huh? What? He napping this early?” she asked.

“Uhhh. No. He saw me and kinda… fainted,” Asriel admitted. “We put him in his bed, but I dunno how long he might have to sleep it off.”

“Whaaaat? Why? Ugh. Whatever.” She sighed. “This shit is weird, I don’t get it.” 

“Sorry,” Frisk said.

With the squeaking of wheels, Sans pushed the desk chair back and plopped himself into it. He smacked the computer awake and, with a few clicks, the program they’d been working on in the other room popped up. It still seemed to be running smoothly, but the computer began to wheeze quietly.

“Kid.” He beckoned to Frisk. “Back to it?”

She hurried over and he picked her up to sit her on the desk. Asriel followed curiously, leaning over the two of them. Sans sighed and rested his cheek on his fist. He tapped his opposite fingers on the keyboard slowly and the white text on black began to scrawl.

“Gotta restart,” he said.

“Oh great,” Asriel huffed.

Though Sans closed his eyes and didn’t seem bothered, Frisk slumped, disappointed. She looked across the room at the rip into the void of time. She felt a nauseous knot in her stomach. She held out her phone, hoping— despite how illogical she knew it was— that she might catch a signal back home. She didn’t.

“S-Sans?” Alphys crept closer. She pointed at the tear in time. “Really, you didn’t know about this?”

“Nah,” he said.

“Oooh, what do I do, what do I dooo?” she moaned, holding her head. “Sans. S-Sans. What d-do I do?! I should ch-change all the passwords, right? Should I grab his notes?! I’ll need a t-translator and… What about all our projects together?! Wh-What about our s-soul work?!”

“Hey, science girl, relax and breathe a bit,” Undyne said. “I’ll take care of this.”She looked around curiously. “Hey, where my armour at?”

Alphys groaned. “Why d-did this have to h-happen?”

“I’m sorry,” Frisk said.

“We didn’t exactly choose for this to become such a big thing,” Asriel said defensively.

“I know…” Alphys grumbled.

“Welp. I’ll leave you guys to whine and do science or whatever.” Undyne dropped Papyrus down on the table with Frisk. “I’ll be in touch. And, uh, if anyone sees my armour, lemme know.” She saluted and stormed off as the little skeleton waved.

“She’s nice, I like her,” Papyrus said.

Sans shot him a fond smile. Alphys sighed and moped, melting halfway onto the desk. She put her cheek on the table and moaned. 

“Saaaans, do you think he’ll still be allowed t-to work from the dungeons?” she asked.

“What dungeon?” Asriel asked.

“I d-don’t know b-but we’ll have to build one, right? Ughhhhh.” She slumped down onto the floor and laid on her back, rubbing her eyes under her glasses. “I sh-should have known. D-Don’t participate in experiments with Dark in the title, it’s j-just bad e-energy!!” 

The computer’s relentless wheezing began to subside and Sans sat up slightly. He smacked the side of it and then tapped on the keyboard. He leaned forward and squinted at the screen, and it flashed a thumbs up just as it had before.

“Think that’s your data, kid,” he said.

“Ooh.” Frisk leaned over to look at the numbers and Papyrus held onto her arm as if to support her. She pulled up her phone and scrolled through her texts. As she’d asked, her dad had sent her copies of what he’d been looking at with the bursts back home. She held it up to check for a match and her heart skipped a beat when she saw one, perfect down to the decimal points.

“There,” she said, resting her fingertip gently on the screen. “That’s it.”

“Oh. Interestin’,” Sans said. He clicked on it and more data came up in a table. He nodded. “Ah. Yeah. Tracked an energy signature. I see.”

“Oooh, c-can I…?” Alphys got up surprisingly quickly and snuck in to stare at the numbers. “Oh! So… So that’s… O-Okay.” She looked at Frisk. “Why did you want to s-see this of all things?”

“I guess I just wanted to know what made Gaster break into our place to begin with,” she said, though she winced. “I think it was probably me, so… I guess I wanna know what I have to not do.”

“Uh… W-Well. Okay. I’m not s-sure exactly how, um, he would have done that or h-how you’d be able to tell… Ummm… Oh!” Her eyes lit up. “D-Did you want to listen to it?”

“Can I?” she asked, eyes wide. 

Alphys nodded quickly. She pulled some earphones from seemingly nowhere and plugged them into the computer before plunking them over the kid’s ears. “I-In all our experiments, energy b-bursts seemed to have, um, a sound to them? The computer g-generates them based on the, um, numerical readings. S-Sometimes it’s pretty unique? M-Maybe that would mean something t-to you?”

“Perfect,” Frisk said. “Alphys, thank you so much.”

“Oh!” She blushed. “Y-You’re welcome.”

She slipped the mouse away from Sans and clicked on a music note beside one of the equations. Frisk held the earphones tight to her head to listen. Though it started as white noise at first, a digital note of music began to swell quietly behind it, slowly transitioning into a second. Her heart sunk. That did sound like her. However, right before her third note hit, the sound swelled into a discordant cacophony so loud she had to hold the earphones back from her head. She heard something she recognized, though, and after a few seconds, the sharp sounds switched off entirely.

“That was… uh…. something,” Asriel said, holding his ears.

“Was it?! Wh-What was it?!” Papyrus asked loudly, hands clasped over the sides of his head. 

“Oh, g-god, I’m sorry, it must’ve malfunctioned,” Alphys said as she took the earphones back. “Let me j-just—”

“No. That was right,” Frisk said. 

“Uh. Sounded kinda like death, kiddo,” Sans joked.

She shook her head. “That’s my dad’s soul.”

“No way, that sounds like the worst thing ever!” Papyrus cawed.

Frisk laughed and rubbed her head. “Yeah, it’s not great.”

“But that means this Gaster, he wasn’t tracking you, he was tracking… himself?” Asriel said, brows raised.

“What a narcissist,” Sans said with a sideways grin. “Does that help?”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah! I think so,” she said. She drummed her fingers on the tabletop. “So… So, if I’m getting this right, this Gaster finds my dad’s soul out there, but… I guess whatever he did, it was out of order for us, right?”

“You think?” Asriel asked.

“Yeah, kinda. Because this opening he did here happened months ago in our time, back when Sans started getting kinda low a month or whatever ago. But the big thing of energy this guy found technically only happened a few days ago in our time, too.”

“Time’s whack,” Sans said.

Frisk put a hand to her soul spot. “Oh man. That… That must’ve been when dad pulled me out, huh?”

“I bet,” Asriel said. “Sheesh.”

“P-Pulled you…?” The lizard stared blankly. “It was a b-big burst?”

“Yeah, really big as far as I know,” Frisk said.

“Th-That makes sense…” Alphys said quietly.

“Does it?” she asked.

“S-Souls are… Well… We’ve experimented with simulated s-souls before, and I’ve, um… seen almost m-magnetic behaviour before, so…”

“Ah. Yeah. They’re always kinda attracted to each other,” Sans said. “Ours aren’t twins, but Papy and I kinda have that.”

Frisk rubbed her face with her palms. “We gotta tell dad that, that’s really important.”

“And this Gaster should know, too,” Asriel said, frowning. “If he busted a hole out, that’ll be his energy all over that even if he channeled through the CORE or something. If there’s another out there looking at the right spot, he might get found himself and the next set of weirdos who jump onboard might not be, y’know… mostly pacifists?”

“Uhhhh… Th-That sounds… bad,” Alphys said, eyes wide. 

Frisk sighed. “What did we get ourselves into, dude?” she muttered.

“Infinity Gasters,” Asriel said. “But, I mean… I’m sure it’ll be fine once we fix this place, right? I mean, what are the chances of running into two alternate copies of your dad in one trip?”

“Hopefully none?” she said. “Ugh, why he gotta be mean, though?”

“H-He’s not always mean…” Alphys said quietly. “He’s… Well… Okay, m-maybe mostly he’s mean, but he’s so smart and—”

“He was super rude to literally everyone here though,” Frisk said, pouting. “He wasted Sans’s time for years and he called Papyrus stupid, and I hate that. Being smart doesn’t mean he can just do whatever he wants.”

Though Alphys looked a little uncomfortable, she nodded. She sighed and leaned up beside Sans. “S-So… You’re shutting it down, huh?”

“Gotta,” he said. He jerked his thumb back over his shoulder. “The energy flow is what’s messin’ stuff up, apparently.”

“And that w-won’t… close this, though?” she asked worriedly as she gestured to the rip.

“No, they’re really strong,” Frisk said. “They usually don’t close unless someone from the outside does something.”

“Right,” she said. She massaged her temples. “R-Right. Okay.” She slumped off, shoulders drooped. “I’ll go change th-those passwords…”

Frisk bit her lip worriedly. Papyrus shared a similar look, and he bounced across the room to give the little lizard a hug. Her movements lightened and she patted him gently on the head. Sans had taken notice as well. He set the computer working on something, got to his feet, and stretched. 

“Welp. Not much to do here,” he said. “Food?’

Asriel shrugged. “Sure.”

“Not Grillby’s pleeeease,” Papyrus said shrilly.

“I, um, know some places,” Alphys said. “J-Just let me finish up.” She shot Frisk a look and smiled awkwardly. “Ummm… m-maybe takeout.”

\- - -

With the lab thoroughly locked down and the shutdown preparations still running, the small and wary group headed into New Home, Alphys leading the way. Frisk kept her hood up and huddled close to Asriel. He was large and drew any monster’s wayward gaze long before she did. Alphys seemed a little preoccupied with her, though tried to hide it. Once again, the kid didn’t get too close. She knew it still had to be unnerving, even though the other monsters weren’t worried. Papyrus even held her hand as they went. She was grateful.

Alphys took them to a cozy little restaurant that did soup and sandwiches down a side street of New Home, nestled in between two vacant shops and some viney plants. She looked it up and down and then stood on her toes near the window. There was a menu taped up on the other side. As Alphys moved to point it out, Papyrus ran straight for the door, beckoning to the others.

“Oooh, this looks nice, come on!” he said loudly.

“I should wait,” Frisk said.

“Okay, I’ll get you something really good!” he assured her, dashing inside.

Sans smiled, shrugged, and followed him in. Asriel laughed.

“It’s weirdly nice that he’s so… the same,” he said. “You pick something?” He pointed out the menu, and then looked at Alphys. “And you?”

“M-M-Me?!” she asked shrilly.

“Yeah. Someone needs to stay out here with Frisk,” he said. “And I’m not lettin’ that bonehead pay for us. Plus, you look about ready to pass out.”

Alphys’s face flushed. “J-Just, um, a cup soup and crunchy sandwich, I guess.” She reached for her pocket but the big monster shook his head.

“I got it,” he said. “Frisk?”

“Whatever you’re getting,” she said.

He stuck his thumb up and followed the skeletons inside.

Frisk stuffed her hands in her pockets and leaned her back up against the wall and window. Light beamed out brightly around her, pooling on the ground and casting a long shadow for her. Alphys looked her up and down and she folded her arms tight, creasing her white lab coat.

“What a m-mess,” she grumbled quietly.

“I’m really sorry about all this,” Frisk said.

Alphys perked up, looking at her with wide eyes. She couldn’t help a snort of laughter and she shook her head. “G-Gaster was the one who went too far. I n-never expected him to bring one of you right to us like th-that.”

“I just didn’t mean to like… ruin everything?” She smiled ruefully. “Guess I’m good at that.”

“Oh! N-No, don’t s-say that!!” she protested. Her scales flushed. “Unless, umm… W-Well. No! I mean. I’m s-sure that’s not… true.”

Frisk shrugged. 

“It’s… about what you s-said before, right?” she said. “…Your, um… older brother, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“But y-your brother here said th-that was because of what G-Gaster did.”

“Yeah. I think it is,” she said.

Alphys looked puzzled. “S-So…?”

“It’s… It’s complicated,” Frisk said. “I’m this weird… time thing. And part of why I even exist just wrecked a lot of the world and stuff, even… especially my brother’s life. And now it really hurt him and he doesn’t deserve any of this.”

“Y-You can’t help that you exist,” Alphys said gently. “And… A-And… it seems like… I mean, Sans trusts you. I was… r-really surprised by that. B-Because h-he doesn’t trust anyone. So y-you can’t be that bad!”

Frisk couldn’t help a weak smile. “Thanks.”

Alphys looked pleased. Her cheek scales flushed slightly. “Y-You know, I… I didn’t expect a you-know-what to be m-much like you at all.”

“I know, kinda lame, right?” she said.

“N-No, that’s not…” The little lizard’s eyes went wide. “I mean, you’re… I m-mean, you’re a lot smaller th-than I thought.”

“I’m a kid,” she said.

“Are you?! Well… Th-That makes sense. I guess y-you’re pretty young? And n-not as… a-aggressive as I thought?” She smiled awkwardly. “Y-You’re about as confident as I th-thought you’d be, though. Since you-know-whats are s-so strong, y’know?”

Frisk wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, but the little sparkle in Alphys’s eyes made her think that she’d meant it as a positive.

“Even though I, um, have to a-admit, I was… a b-bit, um, scared at f-first. I actually find you pretty easy to… T-To talk to. That r-reminds me a little of Sans, to be honest,” the lizard continued, smiling slightly. “It’s s-sort of, um, weird but when you t-talk to everyone like you know them, it’s… kind of comfortable.”

Frisk’s cheeks flushed. “Well, um, we do have a version of you back home, too,” she said.

Alphys’s eyes bugged out. Her jaw dropped and she pointed at her chest. “M-M-Me?! Wh…? Wha…? Oh w-wow. So… n-no wonder…” She shook her head. “And we… I mean, you and h-her? You know each other?”

“Yeah. She’s like family,” Frisk said.

“Oh…” Alphys blushed. “I… Oh w-wow.” She took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling for a moment. She shot Frisk a tentative smile. “…Tell me about her?”

“You sure?” Frisk asked.

“Y-Yeah. I mean… Yes. Please,” she said.

The kid nodded. There was a lot to go over.

\- - -

It was bustling and jovially loud inside the restaurant, with monsters crowded into red booths and waiters rushing between tables along checkered floors. Some faint music played from somewhere near the register, even though it was mostly drowned out by conversation and a TV hung on the wall, playing what seemed to be nonsense public programming. 

The takeout line was pretty long. They’d put in the orders, but there were a lot of monsters ahead of them. Asriel kept checking back through the window over his shoulder. He hoped this was worth it. Maybe it was for the break alone.

“Relax, will ya?” Sans said. He looked tired, but didn’t seem overly concerned. 

“Yeah, I feel like Frisk secretly has a ton of super magic powers so you probably shouldn’t worry too much!” Papyrus said, grinning up at him.

Asriel snorted out a quiet laugh. “You’re not wrong. Just seems like she attracts a lot of crazy stuff, y’know? Can’t seem to let our guard down.”

“Hopefully you guys can take some time off when you get home,” Sans said.

“As long as Sans is up, we’re gonna be just fine,” he said.

The line started to shrink. It was almost their turn. Asriel waited lazily against the counter as a cook who looked like a carved tree stump with leafy ears began to pack away their food in a crinkly bag. Very suddenly, sound of a weird, elongated beeping coming from the television across the restaurant paused the whole place.

The hubbub died down as monsters checked their phones. They were beeping, too.

“What is that?” Papyrus asked, staring at his phone screen: it was black, blinking with the image of a bright white heart with a black exclamation point in its centre.

“Ah shit,” Sans grumbled.

“Sans, no swears!” the little skeleton protested.

With one final beep, each screen flashed over to reveal Gaster in a room of blue and silver metal. For some reason, he was wearing Undyne’s armour, sans helmet. Asriel glowered at it indignantly.

“Attention all monsters. This is the emergency broadcast system. This is not a drill. This is very real,” Gaster announced calmly. “There is a dangerous human in the underground.”

Shrill, alarmed murmurs rushed through the restaurant. Sans and Asriel shared a worried look.

“I am Gaster. Royal Scientist and de-facto in charge of the Kingdom, as King Asgore is incapacitated, but safe,” he said. “Please be on full alert. The human is small, but incredibly dangerous, and could be hiding in plain sight. It also appears to have powers of mind manipulation. Two ex-scientists, Alphys and Sans, a large, white, horned monster, and Lieutenant Undyne of Waterfall are all compromised. Please safely detain them if you can— it is not their fault. As for the human, fight if you must. If you can capture it alive, bring it to me, but otherwise avoid it at all costs. Regardless, I officially send out a challenge, as a boss monster, for it to come face me in the upper levels of the CORE. If it is not a coward. Be safe, everyone.”

The screens went dark. The shop shuddered in frightened silence. Asriel stared at the screen incredulously. 

“I can’t believe he just did that,” he growled.

Sans nudged him in the ribs. He became starkly aware of the eyes resting on him. He gulped, grabbed the bag, slammed down some coins, and then beelined back out of the restaurant with the skeletons on his tail.

Frisk met them as soon as they got out the door. She pointed to the phone, wide-eyed. “Did you see—?!”

“Yeah,” Asriel said. “We gotta go.”

Alphys looked pale and sweaty. “D-Did he just f-fire me over the emergency system?!” she asked shrilly.

Eyes peered at them through the windows and Asriel gulped hard.

“Now, guys?!” He looked at Sans. “Take Frisk?”

Sans froze. His eyes darted to Papyrus. The little skeleton clenched his fists and nodded, a determined frown on his face. 

“If you can, you should!” he said. “I’ll be okay! He didn’t even say me in the dumb alarm thing!”

“Papyrus, it’s okay, I—” Frisk protested.

“No it’s not, you’re the one he wants, so you gotta not get caught! You can’t go to the CORE,” he said. He looked up at Sans with big eyes. “Pleeeeaase?”

“You sure?” he said.

“She’s from another world but she’s family,” he said steadily. “Big brother, you have to help.”

Frisk’s face flushed. Sans smiled slightly. He held the kid’s shoulder and looked Asriel in the eye.

“Trustin’ you with everything,” he said.

The boy froze, but then dipped his head and scooped up the little skeleton in his other arm. “Lab?”

Sans nodded. Frisk was about to ask him if he was sure, but they were already back in the white-tiled room.

“I can’t shift with him,” Sans said before she said a word.

“He’s gonna be safe,” Frisk said quickly. 

“Yeah, better be,” he said.

“What was Gaster thinking?” Frisk grumbled.

“Somethin’ stupid.”

“But, like, couldn’t he get you guys really hurt or something?” she said incredulously.

He smiled at her with a sort of fondness and pity. “He doesn’t care. There’s something he wants.”

“But…” Frisk flinched. “That’s me, though… What should I do?”

He shrugged. “You guys do the middle finger thing in your universe?”

“Um. I dunno,” she said. “What’s that?”

“Eh. Tell you when you’re older.” His cheeks went faintly blue. “Er. Your brother will. Probably.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and paced the floor. “Look. Don’t do anything crazy. And definitely don’t give him what he wants.”

Frisk’s face flushed. Though her heart thumped heavy in her chest, she nodded. “He wants to fight me, though? I mean… it’s pretty obvious it’s a trap, but what do you think I should do?”

Sans looked thoughtful, but didn’t answer right away. Instead, he strode over to Alphys’s computer and dredged up the analytics from before. He nodded to himself. “Nothin’.”

“Nothing?” she repeated.

“You’ll be gone soon and I’ll just go throw the guy off a walkway. Asgore’ll straighten this out and that’ll be it.” He plopped down on a chair and kicked his feet up on the desk. “Just chill out.”

Frisk didn’t like the sound of that, but he was probably right. She anxiously paced the floor. She edged over him to peek at the computer, but it was essentially gibberish to her. She sighed and moped. Sans scoffed and patted her on the head. She shot him a questioning look but he pretended not to see.

“Will you tell him not to drink any more determination?” she asked. “It’s not gonna do what he thinks it will.”

“Doubt he’ll listen,” Sans said.

She watched curiously as he opened up some incomprehensible screen that looked like a combination of pipe schematics and sheet music. He navigated it without hesitation, pulling glowing lines of red from their places and shifting them elsewhere. Changing the flow, and then the notes around them using complex strings of numbers that vanished shortly after he typed them.

“Is this the thing?” Frisk asked.

“Mhm.” He confirmed the set-up and the computer told him that it was priming.

“What’t that mean?” she said.

“This junk’s still kinda slow,” he said. “I just told it where I wanna put the energy. It’s gotta prepare. Then we hit like three buttons, and then we wait, and then we hit one more button, and then we wait, and then you’re, uh, good to go. I think.”

“And that’ll stop the energy going so strong through?” she asked, perking up.

“Should do, yeah.” He drummed his fingers on the desk. “To be honest, uh… I’ve… never done this before, so…”

“Well, yeah, I know, Gaster did everything behind everyone’s back,” she said.

“I’m pretty confident it’ll work, but there’s always a chance it won’t,” he said.

“I trust you,” she said.

He chuckled. “It’s not a matter of…” He shook his head. “Welp. Do my best.”

\- - -

The streets of New Home were closing in, buildings craning forward, gawking. Monsters with two eyes, ten eyes; one giant eyeball peered through their windows as Asriel blazed down the cobblestone roads, clutching Papyrus tight. Alphys clung to his shoulders, mumbling against his fur— praying, maybe.

“S’gonna be fine,” he said. “It’s gonna be…” He stalled in his tracks as a rabble of creatures tumbled out of an alleyway like a cartoon dust cloud. He bared his fangs. “Fine.” 

“Aaah! Why?!” Alphys whined.

As Asriel took a step back, more monsters in makeshift armour made from pots and pans crept up the next street, though there was significantly less of them. 

“Oh for…” Asriel put a hand to his face. “Okay.” He pointed at the newest arrivals and glared. “You nerds get outta my way or I’m knockin’ you over.”

“I-It’s okay, we’re here to help!” said a green cat, putting her paws up despite holding a frying pan like a weapon. “We’re h-here to get you guys away from that weird hypnosis human thing!”

Papyrus looked worried. “Wait, but she’s not—!” 

Asriel gently but swiftly covered the little skeleton’s mouth for just long enough to send the message, and then held both him and Alphys up before placing them on the ground. “Do either of these look like humans to you guys?!”

The crowds rumbled with a confused, negative sentiment. 

“Maaan, that’s just what they want you to think,” shouted a monster that looked like a weird alien bell. He pointed a finger accusingly at Asriel. “It’s a conspiracy, dude. I bet you’re a human in a disguise! And you, too!” He pointed at Alphys.

“Uhhh. N… N-No?” Alphys stammered. She put a hand to her chest and gently clung to Papyrus, pulling him closer protectively. “G-Guys! Come on! S-Some of you know me, I used to live around here! On Omelette Street! Doctor Gaster’s just… I don’t know why he’s acting like this!”

“HMM, yeah right!” the same monster said.

“I dunno, I don’t think a human in disguise as Alphys would know about where she used to live,” said an alligator with blonde hair: Bratty, wearing a pink colander like a helmet. “We like, totally used to be neighbours soooo…”

The monsters muttered agreeably— certainly, that had to make sense. The weird bell-shaped guy sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes hard. 

“Uuuuhhhh, fine, but what about this guy? I never seen him before ever and we all know that the big King man is the last one of whatever they are. Sooooo I bet HE’S the human! In disguise!”

The monsters muttered agreeably— certainly, that had to make sense.

Asriel huffed. He rolled his shoulders and squared his stance. “Alright. Even if I was. What’re you gonna do about it, dweeb?!” 

The monsters began to look uncomfortable. It seemed to strike them that Asriel was taller than most and he certainly didn’t look weak. The instigator looked a little sweaty. Asriel’s magic flared around him, gently buffeting his ears like a breeze and a crackle of embers seeped from the fur of his knuckles. Alphys gulped and grabbed Papyrus, pulling him aside and into a doorway. There was a monster’s eyestalks poking out through a mail slot there, and they quickly retracted. The small metal door clinked shut. 

“Listen,” Asriel said, his fur bristling; fangs gleaming. “I don’t really wanna fight any of you dorks. But, I ain’t a human. And that skeleton guy’s got the wrong idea. I know you trust him, but he’s wrong about what’s going on, and wrong about the King, too. Everything will be fine. But. I need you all to get out of my way.” He cast his eyes around and his brow furrowed. “Don’t make me move you.” 

The courage of most of them failed in an instant and the main group scuttled backwards, leaving the weird bell-shaped creature on his own, still looking sweaty and increasingly slimy. Asriel raised his brows. He checked quickly over his shoulder to see those monsters giving way as well, several blushing with embarrassment. The green cat snuck up to Alphys.

“I’m awful sorry,” she said quietly.

“Oh! N-No, it’s okay, umm… It’s… Doctor Gaster’s fault for lying to e-everyone,” she said.

“Uuuggh, this is so lame,” the weird monster whined. “I could, like, definitely stop you or whatever. There’s way more of us.” He raised his tiny fists on noodle arms. “It’s totally a conspiracy, you guys.”

Asriel rolled his eyes and walked up the street, flames leaking from his pawpads. The sweaty monster only got sweatier. The boy pushed in close, snorted flame in his face, and pushed him away casually with his foot. Though harmless, the fire left the monster toasty, steaming, and rolling on the cobblestones with an exaggerated sigh. 

“Oookay, I guess humans can’t breathe fire or whatever,” he grumbled.

“No shit. C’mon, nerds, let’s go,” Asriel said, waving to the others as the monsters cleared the way. “Paps. C’mon, hold my hand.”

“Nyeeeh, okay, coming!” he said. He smiled sheepishly at the crowd as he bounded through. “Sorry, everyone, I’m gonna stop my mean not-dad from tricking everyone again!” He grabbed Asriel’s paw to the coos of the crowd.

Alphys followed in a hurry, apologizing profusely to everyone on her way.


	23. I didn’t mist this

Every minute that went by, Frisk worried more about Asriel and the others. She was sure they’d be fine, but she couldn’t help the knot in her stomach. Her soul felt restless in her chest. 

Sans looked unperturbed as usual. The kid watched him curiously as he lazily clicked around the computer, doing some technical stuff she didn’t really understand. Something about the tired expression on his face was mildly unfamiliar to her. Maybe the way one brow raised more than the other in his boredom. She found something reassuring in that, though she wasn’t sure why.

A heavy, solid thump on metal made Frisk jerk to look back to the door that lead to the west. Her eyes were wide and frantic. “Th-That’s probably nothing, right?” she said. “I mean nobody can get in but Alphys, right?”

There was another thud, and then another. The kid clung to Sans’s sleeve for only a second before pulling away sharply and rushing over to the door. She pressed her ear against it; jerked back when someone thumped on it again from the outside.

“I-Is there any way to see out?”she asked.

Sans vanished. The kid gulped heavily. At another bang, she backed away. 

“Aaaaah, I hate that,” she said to herself. 

Sans reappeared beside her and he took her shoulder and pulled her back. “Uh. It’s… probably fine. But, uh, maybe stand back, just in case.”

“Why, what’s out there?” she asked.

“Oh. Y’know. Typical angry mob,” he said.

“What?!” she squeaked.

“Don’t sweat it,” he said. “They, uh, probably can’t get in.”

“What if they go around the other side, though?” she said. 

Sans sighed. He vanished again. When he wasn’t back within a few seconds, cold nerves haunted the kid. Another slam on the door didn’t help. 

Skittering away, Frisk rushed to check the other side of the lab. The door was locked. Just as she was wondering whether to peek out or not, something told her to move. She wasn’t quite quick enough to avoid the door swinging back and knocking her into the wall. She fell down, dazed, and rubbed her sore face as the monsters barrelled inside.

“Frisk?!” Asriel yelled.

“Here. Ow.” Frisk rubbed her nose and stumbled towards them. 

“Oh, shit, did we just slapstick the heck outta you?!” he demanded. 

“Guess so,” she said with a weak laugh.

“Aw, no, your magic is leaking out, let me help!” Papyrus plopped to the floor from Asriel’s shoulders and ran to her, cupping her face with magic glowing bright. “I am the super great healer Papyrus, so I know I can take care of it for sure.”

“Thanks.” She was already feeling better. “Have any trouble?”

From nowhere, Sans handed her a tissue. She wiped her bleeding nose.

“Small blockade but we, um, talked ‘em down,” Asriel said.

“Yes, Az was really cool and good,” Papyrus said with a smile. “And nobody got hurt so that’s good, too!”

“Blockade?” Frisk asked worriedly.

“Like, some monsters wearing kitchen stuff on their heads tried to block the road.” Asriel shrugged.“Like I said, all worked out.” He grinned as her brow furrowed. “C’mon, sis, don’t gimme that look.”

“Fiiiine.” She folded her arms.

Alphys hurried to lock the door again and stared across the room nervously as she caught the loud, metallic banging. She edged closer but stopped short, as if something physical blocked her path. She shook her head quickly and went for the computer. As soon as she laid her fingers on the keyboard, she froze up and stared at the screen. “Ah…! Sans! This i-is really good work, it looks like this redirect is really s-safe, actually! Then we j-just have to, um, activate the holding g-gate, right?” She winced at another bang. “Sheesh, I wish they’d stop.”

“Gotta toggle some junk in the CORE,” the skeleton said, shrugging slightly. “Then the gate. Then these kids should be on their way.”

“Aw, so soon?” Papyrus asked worriedly. 

“They gotta be helpin’ their brother, kiddo,” Sans said gently.

“I know…” He pouted and hugged onto Frisk’s arm. “I just like you guys is all.”

“It’s mutual,” Asriel said with a sympathetic smile.

“I knoooow…” Papyrus whined. He looked at Frisk with glittering eye sockets. “Do you feel better, at least?”

“Oh! Yeah, for sure,” she said. 

“This doesn’t go, though,” he said worriedly, cupping his hand over the scar on her face.

“Oh! Yeah, I know.” She held his fingers and shot him a fond smile. “S’okay.” A tingle ran up her spine. She thought she saw something at the other door. “Guys—!”

In an instant, it gave way in an unexpectedly bright burst of cyan magic. Frisk grabbed Papyrus tight and edged backwards a little as Sans seized on Alphys’s soul and dragged her back across the room, where Asriel puffed himself up and placed himself protectively between everyone and a mob of monsters rushing in. Several had pitchforks.

“There they are!!” a rabbit shouted loudly.

Asriel snorted out a puff of flame, but the tension was swiftly doused when Undyne shouldered her way through the crowd, followed by an armoured old turtle with a lazy, confident stride.

“Is that Gerson?” Frisk asked under her breath.

“Everyone alright?” the turtle grunted, squinting at the group cautiously. His eyes were squinty and yellow, and he looked rather casual despite the rowdy gang of creatures around him.

“Uh…” Asriel looked behind him and then at the incoming monsters. “Y… Yeah?”

“Where’s that armour thief?!” Undyne growled. “Is he here? You guys okay?! He lock you in?!”

“He s-said he w-was in the CORE?” Alphys squeaked.

“WHAT?! When?” she barked.

“A-At the end of the b-broadcast?” the lizard said.

“Buuuhhhh, I missed that,” Undyne grumbled. She looked back at the mob. “Sorry, guys! Thanks for your help, though, great emergency rescue smashing!”

The gaggle of monsters all started to look relieved. Asriel eyed them up and down cautiously.

“Wait, so you’re…? Oh. Okay,” Asriel said. “You guys didn’t believe him?”

“Captain Gerson said he was full of it!” announced a buff capricorn creature. 

“He is, indeed!” the old turtle said with a rough, loud laugh. He put his hands on his hips. “As if my Lieutenant and all the lab workers would get brainwashed by a human, of all things! They don’t even have hypnosis eyes or nothin’! I bet there ain’t even one here.”

Frisk quickly pulled her hood up. Undyne stood up very straight.

“NOPE,” she announced loudly.

“S-So you…?” Alphys peeked around Ariel with a cautious smile. “Y-You guys were all coming to help us in c-case Gaster had gone off the deep e-end? Th-That’s really brave.”

“What about what he said about the King, though?” the rabbit asked.

“Yeah, we were really worried about the King,” echoed a blob.

“Did he do something to him?!” demanded the capricorn. “Is it totally a coup?!”

“Doctor Gaster’s strong, but he ain’t that strong,” Gerson said. He smiled wryly at the worried faces of the other monsters. “But… What’s say we all go check on him, huh?” 

The crowd erupted into excited agreement, and with a wave of his hand, Gerson directed them, pitchforks and all, out the other side of the lab in a rabble.

“Ah, they don’t h-have to worry too much about th-that, though,” Alphys mumbled. “A-Asgore has me on speed dial anytime s-something goes wrong…”

“Shhhh, he’s gettin’ them outta here,” Asriel hissed.

Undyne plunked herself beside the little lizard, whose scales instantly flushed.

“I’m, uh, gonna catch up soon, sir,” Undyne said with a salute. “I just wanna make sure these, uh, citizens are doin’ okay.”

“Alright, Lieutenant. You gonna handle the good Doctor, or d’you want a little help?”

“I got this! Sir,” she assured him with a determined frown.

“Good work,” the turtle said. He bowed to Alphys. “Sorry for the intrusion, Doc. Glad you’re alright.” There was a knowing glint in his eye as he turned and wandered out.

Alphys fell on the floor as she let out a deflating sigh. Frisk huffed and Papyrus hugged her tightly, while his older brother just laughed. Undyne rubbed her claws through her hair and growled.

“What the hell is wrong with that guy, seriously?!” she demanded. “If I wasn’t meeting up with the Captain right then, those guys were totally gonna jump me! And I wouldda had to punch ‘em into the lake! What gives?!” She looked down at Frisk. “Does he really hate you that much?”

“He doesn’t hate her. He doesn’t care about her at all,” Sans said bluntly. “He wants to study her powers or take her soul, and he doesn’t care who gets hurt to get what he wants.”

“Oh. Wow. That’s messed up,” the big monster said. “What made him like that?”

“It’s not new,” the skeleton said with a cool laugh. “New target though.”

“So what do we do?” Asriel asked.

“Nothing,” Frisk said.

“Nothing?” He raised his brows high.

“Nothing,” she said again.

“NGAAAH I GOTTA DO SOMETHING THOUGH,” Undyne said, punching her fish fist hard into her palm. “I gotta arrest that crazy guy and he friggin’ TOOK my ARMOUR and it only mostly fits him.”

“You’re n-not going to meet him alone, are you?” Alphys asked worriedly.

“Well, yeah, duh, it’s my job,” Undyne said.

“But he’s a boss monster,” Asriel said.

“So?!” Undyne said.

“He already beat you once.”

“SO?!”

Frisk looked up at Asriel and her brow furrowed. He smirked.

“Reneging already?”

“I don’t want her to go alone,” she said. “So how do we do this without heading straight into obvious trap?”

“You don’t gotta do anything, short stuff, this is literally my job,” Undyne said.

“But what if you get hurt?” Papyrus asked, reaching up to take her hands. “We don’t want that!”

“Would you wait for Asgore?” Frisk asked. “Or at least for Gerson to come back?”

“Uhhhh, but I told him I’d handle it,” Undyne said. “Man, he’s busy with whatever else this bozo messed up.”

“Bone-zo,” Sans said under his breath.

Papyrus scoffed very loudly.

A deep thrum of magic swept through the air and the lights flickered. Alphys yelped and tossed herself towards the computer, hitting a big button on its side. It lit up with pale rainbow and white magic and a white lock appeared over a dimmed screen. The lights flickered again. Papyrus whined and covered the sides of his head. Frisk sighed deeply and put a hand to her forehead.

“Okay. Straight into the stupid trap, then,” she said. “Who’s coming?”

“I-I guess… I should go,” Alphys said reluctantly. “I, um… I f-feel kind of… like I should.”

“Uh, and me, I guess, since I gotta go anyway,” Undyne said.

“That’s why we wanna go,” Asriel said with a laugh. “Not letting you deal with that loser on your own. And don’t you dare complain about it.”

“Okay I guess,” the big monster said with a shrug.

“Gonna sit this one out,” Sans said, his eyes darting to his brother. Even so, there was a tinge of guilt on his face.

“What?! We’re not going?!” Papyrus yelped. He stared at his brother with big, shocked eyes. “But I want to help.”

“It’s dangerous,” Asriel said.

“So?!” Papyrus grabbed his brother’s sleeve with desperate, clinging fingers. “I want to help them.”

Sans shrugged. “Probably helpful to not be in the way.”

“I’m small! I won’t get in the way, I promise!” Papyrus said, clenching his fists and looking at them pleadingly. He turned on Frisk and grabbed her hands tight. “C-Come on, you have to let me come! What if someone gets hurt?! I can heal really well, I promise! I’m really, really good at it, I can be useful!” 

“But Paps, I don’t want you to get hurt,” she said gently. “Nobody does. You don’t deserve to get all stuck in some fight that has nothing to do with you.”

“But it has everything to do with me! And Sans! Gaster is our mean not-dad-guy and… A-And…!” His cheekbones flushed and his eyes welled up. He wiped them indignantly. “Nyeh! And it would be really bad if he hurt you.”

“Kiddo, it’s gonna be okay,” Sans said, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

He shook his head insistently and pouted. Tears dripped down his cheeks.

“Ah, jeez, Papyrus, don’t cry!” Frisk said shrilly.

“Aw, dang, he’s so young…” Asriel said quietly.

“Did you see something?” Sans asked Papyrus quietly.

The little skeleton grimaced and folded his arms tight, staring rigidly at the floor. Sans tilted his head.

“C’mon, bro, you can tell me, you won’t get in trouble,” he said.

“D-Did, um… Did Gaster t-tell you any of his pl-plans, little guy?” Alphys asked gently. She came close and squatted down. “Hey. It’s okay.”

He shook his head. His eyes darted up to look at Frisk and then he stared at his feet. “I-It’s stupid.”

“It’s never stupid,” Sans said.

“What if she thinks I’m stupid, too?” he whispered.

Frisk’s eyes went wide. “Paps, I’d never think you’re stupid! What’s wrong?” She offered her hands. “Come on, dude, it’s okay.”

He looked up hopefully, and then looked to Sans; he nodded. Papyrus took a deep breath and held onto her.

“Nyoo, I saw you get your bones hurt in a fight in the CORE,” he said. “It was…! It was really bad! N-Nobody here can h-heal a human yet except me.”

“You saw it?” Asriel said, brows raised. “…In a dream?”

“Yes! Yes, in a dream,” he said. “It’s not stupid, right? It’s not just m-my mind going all over the place b-because I’m a ch-child filled with wishful thinking, and I’m not an idiot, right?! I…”

Frisk sighed and pulled him into her arms. He squeaked and she hugged him close for a few seconds before drawing back, cupping his face and holding his gaze seriously. 

“Gaster said that to you, right? ‘Cause that doesn’t sound like you, that sounds like him,” she said. “You tried to tell him about a dream and he ignored you until—”

“R-Right before Sans took us away,” he said sheepishly. “Y-You… You believe me, right?”

Frisk gulped. This was very different than she’d expected. She brought him forward to gently bump her brow on his. “Course I believe you.”

“Oh good! I… I knew you would!” he said, though his voice shook.

“That’s why you kept bringing up not going to the CORE alone, right?”

He nodded quickly. “I saw you alone. I saw… your arm… Just please, be very very very careful, okay? I-I just… I just w-want to be helpful!”

“Ah, shit, Paps, I hate seeing you so upset,” Asriel said. He had to sit on the floor to get closer to his eye line. He plunked a big paw on his head and patted him reassuringly. “C’mon, dude, you don’t gotta be like that, you know you’re great.”

“Y-You really think so?” The little skeleton’s eyes lit up.

“I didn’t r-realize he was s-so hard on you,” Alphys said softly. 

“So, wait, you guys sayin’ this kid has physic dreams or something?” Undyne asked. “That’s pretty hype, actually.”

“Whaaaat?! You think so?!” Papyrus grinned wide. “I-It’s not every night. A-And my brother has them, too. But…! But I think it’s pretty cool!”

“I bet!” Undyne scooped him up under his arms and held him up against her shoulder. She looked at Sans curiously. “Hey. You’re from the Snowdin patrol, right? You sure you don’t want in?”

“As much as I’d like to see that guy gettin’ what’s comin’ to ‘im…” His eyes darted to his brother. “Paps… How ‘bout a compromise? We’ll go to the hotel near the tower, so if somethin’ does happen, we won’t be too far.”

“You mean it?!” Papyrus smiled. “Thank you!!!” 

Undyne whooped and, grabbing Alphys, rushed towards the door. “YEEEAH, WE GONNA GET HIM.”

Asriel smirked slightly. He shoved his hands into his pockets, raised his brows, and wandered calmly after her. “Welp. Hope you got a plan.”

“Nnnnope,” Frisk said.

He laughed and beckoned to her. She rubbed her brow. 

She got only a couple steps forwards before she dug in her heels and turned to look at Sans worriedly. He was quiet and had a cold air of brooding around him. She backtracked and put a hand on his arm.

“Hey. Don’t worry,” she said. “It’s gonna be fine.”

“Uh… No hard feelins, right?” he said.

“What?! About what?!” she asked. 

“Y’know. Hangin’ back. It’s nothin’ personal, I just gotta make sure Papy is—”

“Whoa, whoa whoa, you don’t gotta explain,” Frisk assured him. “You’ve been super cool. And I’m really happy you trusted us. But this isn’t your problem and I feel really bad you and Paps are in it so much already. I came here knowing Az and I gotta deal with whatever happens, so that’s what we’re gonna do.”

His face was solid and unexpressive but for a slight bend in his brows. He dipped his head. Frisk patted his shoulder, smiled, and jogged off after her brother. The skeleton followed sluggishly, dragging his slippered feet, clenching his fists into his pockets.

\- - -

The tower of the CORE stretched upward into the mountain, its higher levels and plethora of platforms disappearing in a white, wafting haze. The bright blue spire of metal was unusual between deep, gritty stone, the friendly hotel before it, and a pathway lined with fluffy shrubberies that guided into its main hall. 

The only lights on the CORE’S tower were blinking red, casting stark shadows out and away. Looking up at it, feeling exceptionally small, Frisk pushed down a lump of apprehension. The hotel just at their backs, however, was out of power. The skeletons hung back there, safe inside despite the mild chaos. Some of that crowd that stormed the lab was left in there. Maybe they were scared of the dark.

The CORE’s inner hallway was lit in red and yet the top of the stairs reaching upwards was shrouded and nebulous. The lower stairs seemed to reach down into a dark pool. There was an elevator as well, but it was bleak and unwelcoming, and the doors were unwilling to budge. Undyne stomped her way over to the upward-reaching staircase and put one foot up before whirling on the others, folding her arms, and scowling around.

“Plan?” she asked sharply. 

“Find Gaster, I guess,” Asriel said. He put his hand on Frisk’s head and his mouth twisted to the side. He looked down at the kid, the nervous, sweating lizard, and then over to the Lieutenant. “And then…?”

“Um… I-If I can get to one of the c-consoles in a puzzle room, I c-can hook in and analyze… Um… I c-can maybe find where something h-has been going on,” Alphys volunteered. “I-It’s, um, a closed s-system, so… A-Actually, I should probably f-fix that, that’s, um… n-not safe, I guess.”

“Okay. Get the short nerd to a dumb puzzle, I guess,” Undyne said. “Uh. What’s that do?”

“Um, well, I sh-should be able to get the power back up properly, at least,” she said.

“And we really gotta explain to Gaster that he’s gotta stop,” Frisk said. “No matter if he gets arrested or whatever. Is that okay?”

“Doubt he’ll listen,” Asriel said apologetically.

“As long as I warn him,” she said. 

“Alright! Good enough for me!” Undyne said. She pointed up the stairs and puffed out her chest. “NERDS, MOVE OUT!” She bounded up two steps at a time.

The sharp scent of ozone began to tickle their noses the more flights of stairs they climbed, and wafts of white fog seeped in faint tendrils under the doors to new floors. 

“Where did he say he was again?” Undyne shouted down the stairwell— she was at least two floors ahead of the others. 

“Top floors, somewhere!” Frisk called back.

“NGAAAHHH, THAT’S TOO VAGUE!!” Undyne yelled.

Her heavy footsteps reverberated around the tower as she stomped ever upwards. Frisk took a breath and paused, grabbing Alphys’s sleeve as she tried to pass.

“Oh! Y-Yes?” she asked.

“Do you think Gaster is more… like, schemey, or more smug?” Frisk asked.

“Uhh… I’m not… I-I mean, he does alway think he’s r-right about everything,” she said. “Does that… help?”

“The very top, then,” she decided.

“Think so?” Asriel wondered.

Frisk shrugged and smiled sideways. “We can always jump down.”

\- - - 

Undyne reached the top a long while before the others and was already scouring the length of a blue and silver platform, boots clunking heavily on the metal. One side was up against the tower while the other was exposed to open air and, from experience, Frisk knew it branched and wrapped around other platforms as well. White mist formed a bright, pillowy veil between where they stood and any sign of what was below. It wafted over the path just a few metres ahead, obscuring most of the way.

Alphys was a sweaty, panting mess, doubled over and holding her knees. It was a good thing the air up at the top was cool and refreshing. Frisk was a little tired herself, but she wasn’t letting it slow her. She stuck close to Asriel and squinted around. 

“See anything?” he asked.

“Nope.” She looked up at him skeptically. “So. Walk into a trap or nah?”

“I think we should try to reverse it on him,” he said. 

“Won’t get to do a thing if you guys just stand around chattering,” Undyne scolded. “Come on!” She beckoned to them and stomped on ahead. 

Asriel stared after her, ears lifted, lingering his gaze on her feet. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and followed her. Alphys huffed and trudged along. 

There was an electric feel in the air. The hair on the back of Frisk’s arms prickled. She followed the others, listening carefully and trying to let her soul stay receptive to any notes of magic that she recognized. That wasn’t exactly easy though— the whole CORE was buzzing. She could have sworn she saw a faint flash of blue in the corner of her eye but nothing was there, only fog. Her vision flickered suddenly, large squares of altered colours and vanished fog— maybe a figure across on another platform. Frisk winced, her breath getting short, and she rubbed her eyes frantically. The visions faded as quickly as they’d come. She looked up ahead for Asriel. She could see his shape through the clouds but he’d paused, head bent. Before she could call out to him, he straightened up and continued forward.

“C’mon, Frisk, keep up, will ya?” he said.

She nursed her head for a second longer as he vanished into the mist. “Coming.”

A few steps forward and creaking chilled her. She thought she saw something warp— a bend in the metal as if it were twisted rubber, and she paused to hold her temple for a moment. The metal beneath her feet shifted and she stumbled onto one knee with a yelp. There was a commotion of voices and she was sure her name was being called, but she was too busy trying to stay upright as the platform swung out quickly and there were no railings to grab. She tumbled over when it clunked to a halt and she quickly got to her feet.

“Frisk?!” Asriel called, his voice distant and echoing.

“I’m okay!” she said. “You?”

“I’m fine!! Stay where you are!!”

“There’s the trap, I guess!” she said.

“WE’RE GONNA FIND YOU, KID!” Undyne sounded even farther away than Asriel did. 

“Got it! I—” Her vision pulsed and a flash of energy stung the corner of her eye.

Something coming fast. She jumped backwards, a white spear sailing by as a harsh note of magic buzzed the air. Another shot out of the mist and she twisted out of the way. She saw the glow of green eyes hovering in the white. She grimaced and braced herself, her soul coursing warm energy through her body.

The tall skeleton, hand extended, marched forward, a halo of sharply pointed bones hovering around him and aimed right at her. He was wearing Undyne’s armour, but was a little too tall for it. His wrists and knees were awkwardly exposed. Even so, he looked kind of cool.

“So. You came.” He drew bones up at his fingertips. His hum spiked the air, though it didn’t conjoin with hers to begin a battle. A sparkle of red tinted his fingers. “You’re as foolish as I thought.”

The bones launched at her, stabbing down and up through the metal with sounds like heavy pistons. Frisk jumped back, weaving the pattern, scraping by the sides of it easily. It was a lot like one of Papyrus’s bone waves, and she’d become fully accustomed to dealing with those.

“I don’t wanna fight you,” she said. “I came here because you’re making a really bad mistake doing what you’re doing. And, um, Undyne wants her armour back.”

“It’s no mistake,” he said stoically.

“Uh, yeah, it is,” Frisk said, frowning. “You’re going to make everything worse if you keep pouring energy through that hole. And also if you put more of that determination juice in yourself.”

“Worse for whom? You? Please.”

With a broad wave of his hand, Gaster threw a wall of spiked femurs at the kid. She hopped backwards and stretched out her hand, freezing two for just long enough to form a gap. She dodged between them, only to have to jump a second wave piercing up from the floor. She pressed up against the wall, took a breath, and ducked more bones aimed at her head. Her mind was racing. Two options. Back, into the mist, or forward and under the skeleton. He’d made a mistake coming out where she could see him. Backwards was still a narrow corridor, putting the attacker at the advantage. If the path continued forward like she expected, it would connect to a wider room. She gulped. He still hadn’t engaged a proper battle. Easy.

Frisk braced herself, juked around another round of spears, and then sprinted straight at the skeleton. He recoiled, wincing, and she hit the ground, skidding under his legs. She stumbled upright and ran into the white mist, extending one hand to keep to the wall.

The fog lifted as she careened into a room of blue and silver metal. There was a mist-blocked opening opposite, and a laptop and some other gadgets plugged into the wall, including a crumby old camcorder. Frisk took a worried glance over her shoulder and then ran for the laptop. The screen showed a similar program running to the one Sans was using early to reroute magic. However, this one was aiming to do the opposite. It also was flashing a large red word in both the skeleton script and in plain text: _OVERRIDE_.

“Aaah, crap,” she said quietly. 

Footsteps thumped heavily on the metal and Frisk spun to face the oncoming skeleton. Magic bristling in the air and a dash of blue in her peripherals announced his attack, and the kid squeaked drawing back and reflexively lifting the laptop. A bone plunged straight through it and it shorted to the alarmed, angry yell of the skeleton in the vacant doorframe.

“Look what you’ve done!!” 

Frisk danced out of the way of his next attack, clinging tight to the busted computer. “Look, sorry! But you’re the one who—!”

She squeaked when he seized her soul in blue and yanked her off her feet towards him. She threw the computer at him and it clunked him in the chest, enough to startle his grip loose. She hurtled into him and they both tumbled to the ground in a heap. Frisk was up first and running, hopping to the other end of the room.

“You’ve ruined everything,” he grunted.

“I don’t think it’s that bad,” she said.

“I don’t know why you insist on talking back to everything I say,” he grumbled as he heaved himself back up. 

“That’s how a conversation works. Which is kinda what I’d like to have,” Frisk said. “See, what you’re doing, it’s—”

“Frankly, I don’t care to hear a single thought from your vapid human head.”

“But don’t you understand that you’re gonna hurt your own—!”

He grabbed her soul in blue again and tossed her hard into one wall, and then into the other. Dazed and aching, she threw her hand up, catching his in a pocket of reversing time. His grip faltered and she clunked onto the floor. He tried to move forward and couldn’t— grimaced and grabbed onto his own arm and tried to push it.

“What have you done?!” he demanded.

“Like I said,” she panted, getting her feet under her and stumbling upright. Her vision was scrambling again, chunks of colour and shadows of bodies couldn’t see flicking all around her. She gulped back nausea and tried to ignore it. “I don’t wanna fight, I wanna talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you,” he said.

“That’s fine. You need to hear this,” she said. She winced; her head was aching. “You need to slow down your time experiments because—” She faltered; dropped to her knees and threw up ice-cold, black sludge. Her vision blurred and she saw stars, then a big, sheer warning in blue.

Bones punctured her like javelins. Shoulder, side, and leg. He hadn’t gotten frequency wrong this time. She collapsed backwards in a heap. She thought she heard someone yell. Her ears filled with stark silence, and then a note or two of red magic.

Next thing, she was on her back, and Gaster was trying to draw the red from her chest with his long, boney fingers. Her constellation points flickered pitifully.

“S… Stop.” Her voice was soft and vanishing.

Maybe he didn’t hear her. He didn’t react. She thought she saw a flash of white in the corner of her eye. 

The skeleton was rammed off her in a blur, accompanied by a violent slamming sound. She heard him yell and an animalistic roar. Her head spun and grey snow pressed in the corners of her vision. She put a weak hand over her soul spot. There was warmth in her hand but cold everywhere else. She was afraid to look. Everything hurt, but the kid forced herself upright and onto her knees. She took a deep breath. There was only a little blood on the ground. That was good.

She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles and looked up, squinting at the commotion that had tumbled out onto one of the walkways. She couldn’t see much, but bursts of fire dyed the mist and shocks of white and blue cut it in parts. 

With shaking fingers, she snatched a candy bar out of her phone’s storage and bit off a chunk. She felt a little refreshed. Enough to run, at least. She took off into the mists and stumbled hard into the leg of a skeleton just a few steps in. He grunted and tripped over himself, and was quickly bowled over again by a blur that had to be Asriel. The two of them rolled back into the room and Frisk chased them. The big goat monster was on top of Gaster now, sharp teeth bared and flames seeping from between them.

All of a sudden, his soul lit in blue and he was tossed just hard enough to send him rolling off into the nearest pathway of mist. Frisk sprinted past the skeleton, who was struggling to push himself to his feet, the edges of the armour smouldering. Asriel roared, his voice dropping away. Frisk dropped to her knees and threw out her magic, hoping desperately to grasp onto him. 

“Asriel?!” She felt a weight like she held it in her hands, but had no idea what she was doing. Dizzy pressure set upon her, but she could hear Asriel’s hum in her mind.

“I’m okay!” he called from somewhere.

Frisk let out sigh of relief, gripping tight to the edge of the walkway. The corner of her eye shone with blue and she jolted backwards in alarm, only to be seized by the neck and hefted into the air. She squeaked and was pinned to the wall with blue magic and met with a disgruntled, battered skeleton glowering at her.

“Honestly, if this soul was not worth the trouble, I would have tossed your body off the ledge,” he grumbled as he brushed himself off.

“Why you such a jerk?!” she grunted.

“Silence,” he said, pulling off the gauntlets.

They dropped to the floor with a heavy clunk. He reached into his pocket and produced a clear capsule and, when he tapped the bottom, it grew into a large jar. 

“With the amount of useless assistants I’ve had and those boys’ stubborn stupidity, it’s a wonder any of this worked at all.”

“Sounds like you just like to hear yourself talk,” Frisk muttered. “And they’re not useless, you’re just—”

He covered her mouth with his hand. “I said, be silent. There is no use being so chatty, you’ve clearly lost and I have w—”

The kid bit down on his fingers. He yowled and staggered back, his magic flickering out as he shook his hand as if to shoo the pain away. 

Frisk slumped onto the ground and tried to steady herself. She got to her feet in a hurry, ignoring the ache through her body, and tried to keep herself light on her toes despite her left leg weakening under her. “S-Sorry! But I’m not gonna let you just kill me!! It’d cause a lot of problems.” Even so, she felt nauseating guilt for even doing that small amount of damage to him. “Look, we don’t have to fight, just let me explain what’s going on and—”

“I understand perfectly,” he said, bristling.

“I don’t think so, ‘cause you won’t let me tell you!”

He sighed, rolled his eyes, and fired off another circle of javelins at her. She juked along the wall and saw them pierce right through. For a fleeting second, she didn’t feel so bad for having bitten him.

“Will you stop it?!” she demanded. 

He attacked again and she slid out of the way. He frowned, gritted his teeth, and increased his  pace. The only way to go was back down the foggy path. Frisk gulped and ran for it.

The mist pressed in close. Magic flashed through it and she ducked low; flattened herself to the ground. Bones pierced the air above her, aimed straight at where her head should have been. She could hear the skeleton’s footsteps heavy on the walkway. After a few seconds, arm out, still firing, he strode right over her. As soon as he faded back into mist, she got up and ran the other way. She heard him spin in place, but she had no intention of waiting for him.

Frisk booked it into the mist down the opposite pathway out of the sturdy room. She faltered in the fog. She thought she caught a glimpse of a familiar, short skeleton ahead. A blink and the shape was gone. 

All of a sudden, the path shifted beneath the kid’s feet. She let out a yelp and slipped where she stood. She hit the ground and clung hard, feeling it spin quickly under her. Her mind screamed that it was a trap. As soon as it jerked to a halt, she edged backwards. Just as she thought, he’d realigned it to a dead end. She sighed. Decent move. Her body was starting to shake and the pain was catching up with her. Deep breaths. In and out. She’d been through worse.

“This is pointless, human,” Gaster called, his voice echoing over the distant gaps in the metal. “You must surrender now. You may have brainwashed the others, but you cannot pull the wool over my eyes.”

“But you’re going to wreck your own universe if you keep going!” she shouted. “It’s gonna blow up on you and it might hurt people! And you might bring in more people than just me and my brother, and they might actually want to hurt you!” She heaved herself upright. “You could get Alphys or Asgore, or Sans and Papyrus killed! Come on, I know you gotta care about them a little, you had Sans’s birthday as your—!”

A sharp spike of bone shot up out of the floor before her like a shark breaching. Frisk squeaked and skittered back as far as she could, and another pierced upwards, closer but not quite enough. There were more in the fog. She grimaced and her eyes darted to the edge. She wondered if she had enough strength to go over. She patted the inside of her pockets. Her heart sunk when all she could find that wasn’t a phone was her pen. She grimaced and pressed her back to the wall as bone attacks blindly pierced everywhere but where she stood, it seemed.

She stuck her arm out over the edge and dropped the pen straight down. After a few seconds, she heard it clunk lightly onto something. The attacks ceased for a moment and Gaster’s green eyes floated in the fog. Her stomach dropped and she jumped off the edge.

She was blinded by a white cloud of mist and then abruptly smashed into a lower walkway and rolled, dazed. She felt her legs dangling and she grasped with all her strength to the floor and heaved herself fully up onto it. She panted and staggered to her feet. Her ribs hurt. A fleck of red caught her eye. The pen had rolled towards the wall. She scooped it up before running away.

The setup on whatever level she was on now was almost exactly the same as the one above. She wondered if Asriel was there or lower. Her breath was getting short and her leg was fighting her. She fumbled for Gaster’s cellphone and put her shoulder to the wall to hold herself up. Too bad that side was sore, too. Magic sparked along the ceiling and she winced and limped as fast as she could. She dialled for Alphys, who picked up with a confused wheeze.

“It’s Frisk,” the kid said quickly. “I jumped.”

“W-W-WHAT?! Are you o-okay?!” Alphys demanded.

“Fine. I’m just one floor down. I think.” She kept going, a wide room opening up before her with a stairwell on one side and elevator in its centre. “But Gaster’s trying to kill me and I…”

The numbers on the elevator lit up. She gulped hard.

“H-Human?” Alphys squeaked.

The doors parted and Frisk could see those green eyes before anything else. Her throat dried.

“Aah, he found me,” she said. “Gotta go.”

Frisk turned on her heel to run for the path she’d come on, only for a wall of bones to form before her. She winced and spun around to face the skeleton. She could feel the shiver in her legs but she refused to waver. It was for Sans. She’d battle for him, if she had to. She tightened her grip on the phone.

Without a smug word, the skeleton hurled bones as her from left and right, trying to pin her in. She dodged as best she could, but a jump was foiled by the knick of sharp, jutting attack from below and she stumbled to the floor. She dropped to a knee and rolled, but the second she was up, she was knocked back against the wall, a whack to her hand sending the phone flying and making her fingers go numb. She was trapped at the needle-points of sharp magic femurs. She gulped hard. This was a bit too familiar.

“Do not try me again, human,” he said. “I w—” His words jerked to a halt at the sound of a high-pitched shout.

“Nyeeeeeeeeeh!!” From the staircase came Papyrus, who ran for the man’s legs. He grabbed them and forced him to stumble. “Let her go, let her go, you’re being awful, let her go!!”

“What on ea…? You little…! Get off me this instant,” he snapped.

“No, you have to stop fighting!” Papyrus insisted.

“Ugh, honestly.” He lifted the little skeleton in blue and whisked him away to the elevator.

“Hey!! Leave him alone,” Frisk said sharply.

Gaster rolled his eyes. The elevator doors closed despite the small skeleton’s protests, and the numbers on the top of it began to run downwards.

“You can’t just throw him around like that,” Frisk said, glowering.

“I can do what I wish with him. I created him,” he said. “It’s not your concern.”

“Not my—?!” She squeaked as the bones closed in on her. She grimaced and readjusted her weight. She held her right hand with her other. She was pretty sure something was broken. “Of course it is. And you’re a pathetic weirdo for thinking that you can just do whatever you want with them. Sans told me all about you.”

“And the fact that you put stock in the words of someone like that doesn’t speak very highly of your intellect.”

“Blah blah blah. Everything is about that with you, huh? You just wanna be better than everyone in the room,” she said. “I know you think he’s smart. Why else would you write that stuff about needing his help?”

“It is what is in his soul I needed. And what is in yours.” 

The bones moved in sharply. Frisk pulsed magic out and rewound them, red dancing on their lengths. Gaster frowned and pushed on them, but they simply jerked and retracted in a loop more quickly. They vibrated, caught in time, and then shattered into sparkling, magical dust. Gaster recoiled, eyes wide. Frisk took a deep breath.

“You need to stop,” she said. “You drank that stuff in the vial, right? You can’t, it’s gonna wreck your body. Determination isn’t gonna help you now, it’s only gonna hurt.”

“As if you would know—”

“I travelled through the time void to get here! My dad was killed by this stuff,” she insisted. “This junk you’re doing, the stuff with the CORE, it could kill or vanish anyone, you don’t know! It’s not just about my world and the mess there, it’s about here, too. You’re pushing it too hard and you’re gonna get people killed.”

The skeleton didn’t flinch. “Your scientists may be fools, but I am not. It’s for the greater good.”

“No! You don’t get to choose that for someone else!” she snapped. “Who the heck do you think you are?! The greater good. You think these guys don’t have lives?! You think I don’t?! You think I just came here for fun and I don’t have anything else going on?! Other people out there counting on me?! That I’m just some…” She grimaced. “That I’m some nothing with a red soul and no life? I-I’m not.”

He stared back at her cooly. “It doesn’t matter if it advances the pursuit of—”

“Of course it matters! What’s wrong with you?! You think just because you sacrificed your own junk you get to just throw other people away, too?! It doesn’t work like that!” She glared at him defiantly. “Just because your p-priorities are totally messed up doesn’t mean you get to do whatever you want to other people and just blow crap up!!”

“Enough.” He grasped her soul with a crushing blue grip and hefted her off her feet again. “It’s pointless to argue. Frisk, you said? I’ll try to remember to jot your name down somewhere.”

Frisk’s breath caught in her throat as his magic turned icy, choking her. She was sure that she felt Asriel roiling somewhere; heard his roar of rage far in the distance. Her energy flashed over red in her hands and she jerked the skeleton backwards. His body reversed a few steps and so did the blue magic, dropping her heavily down onto the metal floor. She coughed and heaved in a deep breath, and forced herself onto her feet. Her leg wasn’t having it; she stumbled back down to one knee. He reached for her again and she froze his arm and energy as it grasped at her soul, red magic dripping down her fingers. Her eyes were blazing. 

“You stop. Right. Now,” she said hoarsely. “I won’t hurt you. But if you keep going your arm might break.”

He gritted his teeth and tried to push through. Pressure was building in the kid’s head but she didn’t give. Just like she thought, his bones did before she did. He drew in a sharp gasp at the equally sharp snap and reeled back, clutching to the bones in his forearm.

“You little brat,” he hissed.

“I told you. I’m not gonna fight you,” she said. “But I’m gonna stop you. You can’t just do whatever you want to people. A-And even if you’re a jerk, I’m not letting you turn yourself into a determination puddle.”

The red magic was a wall. He braced himself on the metal floor, the magic in his eyes flaring so brightly they looked like they might become flames.

“I should have destroyed you outright,” he growled through gritted teeth.

Frisk’s heart hurt. She winced. She saw a flicker of white and blue behind Gaster and she sighed. “Yeah. That’s usually the mistake, right? I don’t know much about fighting, but I kinda know one thing. It’s okay. I’m not good at it either.” 

He looked at her incredulously. She smiled and shrugged as two massive, draconic skulls appeared over his shoulders, grinning down at him with eyes flaring blue and gold. 

“Always open with your best attack,” she said.

With the deep thrum of magic, white lasers burst from the skull’s maws straight onto Gaster’s head.He disappeared into the stark light. Frisk had to shield her eyes. When they vanished, the skeleton was left, dazed and smouldering on the floor. Frisk let out a sigh of relief, wilting in place. She closed her eyes to catch her breath. A cool, boney hand rested on her shoulder and then went under her arm to help her stand.

“Jeez, kid, you got pretty low, huh?” Sans said.

“Y-Yeah.” She looked into his face and smiled. “Paps got sent back down the elevator.”

“Ah. Good. Was kinda chasin’ him,” he admitted. “Glad I didn’t miss the show. Good line, by the way.”

“I felt like a cool guy for like two seconds thanks to you,” she joked. 

She cringed as she tried to stand on her own, and she limped slowly over to the unconscious old skeleton on the floor.

“Uh. Kid? Whatcha doin’?” Sans asked.

Frisk gently picked up Gaster’s shattered arm. “Can’t leave him like this.”

“Sure you can,” he said.

She shook her head. With a frown, sweat beading at her forehead, and a little backwards push, Gaster’s arm reassembled itself. Hadn’t been very long at all. She sighed. Her eyes welled up and she wiped them quickly. 

“What a mess,” she muttered.

A massive thump made her jolt with surprise and Sans was at her side, pulling her up quickly. However, when a huge white paw breached the mist and grasped onto the walkway just behind them, both of them let their apprehension go. Frisk limped over to meet Asriel as he hefted himself up onto the floor. The first thing he did was pull the kid into a tight hug. She winced in pain but she hugged him with her good arm.

“I felt… Shit. Your… everything?! Your hand? How is it?!” he demanded.

“Not great,” she admitted. “You felt it, huh? Sorry.”

“Don’t you dare.” He pulled back and gently lifted her arm. 

Her fingers were bent funny. She smiled weakly, forgoing another shrug because it hurt quite a bit. His eyes raced over her and he held her gently. Though none of her clothes had been torn, they were stained with a bit of blood.

“You okay?” she asked.

He dipped his head. He got to his feet and looked cooly down on the unconscious skeleton. “What the hell happened to him?”

Frisk pointed at Sans, who shrugged widely and grinned as he pocketed Gaster’s cellphone. 

The lights flickered above their heads and and magic pulsed in the air. The thrum of an engine speeding deep inside the tower rumbled and the whole room brightened. Sans looked up, pleased. 

“Ah. She got it,” he said.

Asriel circled the man cautiously and then returned to his sister to carefully pick her up. “Guess his LV is pretty high.”

“High enough.” Sans winked. “I called the guards. That fish girl should be—”

“NGAAAAAH!!!” Undyne crashed through the mist and stormed into the room, spear out; fangs bared. She took one look around at the scene and grinned. “Heeey, you got ‘im! Nice work. I’d promote ya if you worked for me.” She knelt down and poked Gaster with the blunt end of her cyan spear. “Who did it?”

Sans and Frisk each pointed at each other. Undyne guffawed. She hefted the skeleton up over her shoulder.

“I’ll bring him to Asgore. Nice work, citizens!” She headed for the stairwell.

“Hey, uh, you know he tried to kill that kid, right?” Sans said.

“What, like, in a battle? That’s kinda normal,” Undyne said over her shoulder. “We are at war and junk, right?”

Sans shook his head. “Didn’t synch it. She didn’t have a fair shot.”

Undyne’s face darkened and her eyes seemed to glow. Though her brow was furrowed, her grin became wide and unnerving, like an angler fish with eyes upon her prey. “Oh really?! Hm. Asgore’ll have somethin’ to say about that. Hey.” She pointed at Frisk with the hand holding the spear. “Get some rest. That’s an order and I’ll totally arrest you if you don’t.” She stormed off down the stairs, clunking the whole way.

Frisk deflated against her brother. Her chest hurt and she was overcome for a moment. She quickly wiped her eyes. “I h-hate fighting like that…”

“You did really good,” he said.

“I bit him, though,” she muttered. “I never—”

“You what?!” Asriel burst out laughing. He kissed her on the head as she looked up at him, bewildered. “Do I wanna know?”

“W-Well, I mean, h-he tried to put his hand on my face to make me stop yelling at him. I d-dunno…” she said, face flushing shamefully.

“Kid, that is a hundred percent the right thing to do,” Sans said. “I told my brother the same thing. Listen. Some creep picks you up and you kick and bite and yell as much as you have to. And it’s not like you did any damage.”

“What, really?” Frisk said shrilly.

“Nah, didn’t wanna hurt him, no real damage.” Sans smiled and tilted his head towards the stairs. “C’mon. Let’s find Papy and get you some rest before you get thrown in the slammer, huh?”

\- - -

They found Papyrus at the base of the tower, pressing the elevator button over and over again at record speed, a determined scowl on his face. Sans beamed.

“Hey, bro,” he said.

“Nyeh!” Papyrus spun on his heel, cheeks flushed, and broke into a grin when he saw them. He sprinted to Sans and hugged him tight. “S-Sorry for running off but I had to—”

“S’okay. Everyone’s safe,” Sans said.

“But! New friend…!” He looked up at Frisk in Asriel’s arms. “He got you, didn’t he?” He pointed at his own arm.

“Ah… Yeah. Goofed up a bit,” she said. “You warned me, huh? Sorry.”

“Here.” Sans held out a key with a numbered tag attached to a ring. “Got a room while we were waiting. Thought someone might need it.” He patted Papyrus gently on the shoulder. “Meet you guys there, alright?”

“Sure thing, big brother!” Papyrus smiled sympathetically up at Asriel and Frisk. “I’m sure I can help you!”


	24. Don't you put it in your mouth

The room Sans had the key to was at the very top of the hotel: one of the suites with a huge bed and its own fridge and TV.It had two big, fancy armchairs, a toaster, and a washing basket all arranged together as if that was the way they would be most useful. The whole place was a tacky yellow and pink, from the wiggly-lined wallpaper to the plaid bedspread. 

The place wasn’t Mettaton’s— in fact, he might not even have existed in that form yet. Instead, it was the Checked Inn, and was run by a monster that looked like a giant red token with the face of a dog, who had come up to their room to personally hand them some plastic crowns and battenberg cake.

Frisk could hardly move by now, so Asriel set some pillows around the headboard to hold her up and rest her back. He helped her out of her hoodie, drained the pockets, and dumped it in the washing basket to get the blood out. It was still all over her t-shirt and pants, but she didn’t have replacements for those.

Papyrus gladly cuddled up with her, magic glowing from his eyes and fingertips. The kid finally allowed herself some reprieve. She rested, limp, exhausted, and closed her eyes, letting tears run freely down her cheeks. Asriel sat at her side, glaring off into nothing; rubbing her head absently. Nobody felt like eating, but they all did anyway. The the cake with the marzipan and undefinable jam was pretty good.

Papyrus’s healing was slow, but effective. The sparks from his magic filled in the illogical holes Gaster’s attacks had punctured into her, glowing through her clothes. He cradled her hand in both of his, instinctively feeling the broken bones. He pushed the fracture straight but, for some reason, it didn’t hurt. His magic began to stitch the cracks.

After a stretch of tired silence, Asriel got up, rolling his shoulders and yawning widely. He checked the fridge. “They got some sea teas in here, wanna try?”

“Got some in my phone,” Frisk said quietly. 

“Yeah, but you could save those and just take these,” he said. He brought over a can for each of them, making sure Frisk could hold it. He popped the tab for her. “Go on, it’ll help.”

“Sorry about all this,” she said quietly.

“Why? All you did was try to tell Gaster that he was wrong,” Papyrus said. “Which… Actually. No wonder he got so mad at you. He hates that.”

“He’s gotta get used to it,” Asriel said.

“He tried to pull my soul right outta me.” Frisk couldn’t conceal the hurt in her voice. “I think that mightta been more it.”

“Is that not how it worked in your world?” Papyrus asked.

“It was,” the kid admitted. “It just… wasn’t a guy who looked like my dad trying to do it.”

“This is a bunch of crap,” Asriel grumbled. He chugged his tea and tossed the can onto the floor. “Man, I didn’t wanna come out here for this.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Frisk said. “I mean… Not how you feel, that matters, it’s just… gotta do it. For Sans. And for these guys, now, too.”

“I know. I know! I just…” He sighed heavily. “Didn’t want you to get all beat up.”

“Me neither,” she said with a tired laugh. She sipped the cool tea. “Ooh. It’s more oceany.”

Papyrus hid a yawn behind his hand. Frisk sat up a little. She was dizzy but she tried to blink through it.

“You can take a break,” she said. “I’m not so bad now.”

“No way! The great Papyrus never tires.” He yawned again. “N-Nope, that’s just… uh…”

Frisk patted him on the shoulder. She peeked under her sleeve at where she’d been shot through. It was clear that she had been— the scarring was stark— but the wound was gone, as was most of the pain. She lifted up a bit of her shirt to check her side. It was the same, but it made Asriel’s eyes go wide.

“Oh my god,” he said.

“I know, right? He did a really good job. That wasn’t that long, right? Half an hour?” She smiled up at him as she readjusted her shirt, though her expression dimmed when she saw his. “What’s wrong?”

“Wh… I mean. That’s a big mark, though,” he said.

She shrugged.

“I can keep trying?” Papyrus suggested quickly.

Frisk shrugged again. She could still feel an ache in her leg, but it wasn’t so bad. “Nah, it’s okay. Seriously. Why don’t you take a break?”

“Ah! No, I’m doing just fine for now,” Papyrus said brightly. “Let me finish with your finger bones, first!”

“Drink first,” Asriel insisted. He sat back down and patted the skeleton boy on the head. “Keep that energy up, right?”

“Ah!! Right!” He opened his can and began to drink it as fast as he could, tipping himself back with the can.

Frisk snickered. She leaned into the pillows and closed her eyes. Her head was heavy and her heart thumping in her chest was making her nauseous. 

There was a knock on the door. Sans and Alphys came in, though the latter was somewhat winded. 

“A-A-Are you guys all okay?” she asked, hurrying to the bedside. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks were flushed. “Human, did he hurt you?!”

“Oh sure,” the kid said with a laugh. “Don’t worry, Papyrus’s got me covered.”

“It’s true, I do!” He threw the can like Asriel did and then latched onto Frisk’s hand again.

“Should I try…? Oh, no, I… I probably can’t, um…” Alphys looked up at Asriel. “Can you…? Oh, no, I guess you c-can’t either. Is it really only him? He’s so small.”

“Monster’s gotta retune a bit to heal a human right a lot of the time. Or. You know. Not be a walking mess like me,” Asriel said with furrow in his brow. “But for some reason…”

“I told you! I saw in a dream,” Papyrus said proudly.

“How long ago?” he wondered. 

“The first one was a month or so, maybe?” he said. “I didn’t know what it meant? Then I had another one at naptime.”

Sans and Alphys shared a look, the skeleton seeming like he wasn’t the least bit surprised. Alphys sighed.

“W-Well,” she said, “I’m glad y-you guys, um, at least got G-Gaster out of the CORE.”

“Did he mess a lot up?” Frisk asked.

“E-Enough that it took me a little bit to, um… Well, a-anyway, it’s fine for now,” she said. “We, um… Sans got the program y-you guys needed going again, so it should be fine in, um, a few hours.”

Asriel held Frisk’s hand. She slumped and a relieved smile crept across her face.

“So… So we might even be able to see him today, then,” she said hopefully to him.

He couldn’t help a little prickle of excitement as well. 

Sans plunked down beside his brother and kicked back against the headboard. Alphys sighed heavily again. She waddled stiffly over to the cushy chair near the TV and flopped into it, pulling out her laptop and resting it heavily on her legs. She fumbled with it for a moment and then pushed the toaster off the side table nearby and replaced it with the computer, turning it so the screen was facing her. She took out a second one— Gaster’s, with the holes through either side, and put that on the arm of the chair. She rubbed her temples before turning her gaze on Frisk again.

“I’m, uh… Human? I’m sorry all this h-happened to you. I mean. I know that… y-you’re a human and we’re technically a-at war and all that, but… w-we’re usually not… It’s n-not usually like this here.”

“Yeah, I know,” Frisk said.

“I just… I mean, I n-never thought of Gaster to be so reckless.”

Sans snorted. Alphys shot him a questioning look.

“He made me without consultin’ anyone and dumped me on the King. Same with Paps. Half the experiments he did on my magic were unprecedented and with no prep time. Made that time hole without tellin’ anyone. And he just grabbed that guard girl outta nowhere because he thought he needed more determination for god knows what. He’s an arrogant bonehead.”

“He’s st-still the best w-we have,” Alphys said gently.

“Not anymore,” Sans said.

“Then who?” she asked.

“You. Bet you a hundred gold if he actually let you look at his formulae, you’d be all over it.”

Alphys blushed, but she shook her head furiously. 

“I think you’d do great, Doctor Alphys, plus you didn’t magic attack my new friends,” Papyrus said brightly. “That’s important. To listen to other people even if you don’t think they’re gonna be right. Because they might be. That’s what my brother always says.”

“I said it, like, once,” Sans said with a laugh. He patted the little skeleton on the head, though his eyes drifted over to Frisk. “Never thought I’d say this, but it’s a good thing humans are so durable, huh?” He leaned forward a few inches, raising his brow. “Still seem kinda worn out, kid.”

“Of course she’s worn out, her max HP is only twenty! And Gaster the meany-bones stabbed her all the way through at least three times!” Papyrus said loudly as Frisk stuck her thumb up.

Sans’s eyes went wide. Alphys choked on nothing and her jaw dropped.

“Wh-What?!” she demanded. “That’s a lot!!”

“It’s fine! I’m fine,” the kid said quickly.

“Almost fine.” Papyrus held her hand again. “Just have to finish up these finger bones.”

Sans leaned forward before he could start up again and carefully took Frisk’s hand from him with a curious expression on his face. His eyes darted to the blood on her shirt and he froze. The kid looked back at him, tilting her head. Papyrus took her hand back and held it in both of his again, shooting his brother a smile.

“I think this will be faster, bones are a lot easier to heal than squishy bits,” he said. “It’s almost done anyway.”

Asriel folded his arms tight and pouted, glaring glumly at the wavy wallpaper.

Frisk dozed off and Asriel soon found himself cradling her like she was a lazy puppy. He didn’t mind. When Papyrus finally finished up, the goat boy took her hands and felt the bones. There was a little crookedness left in her middle finger, but not enough that it would be a hinderance, probably. He was flushed under his fur and his eyes watered when he rested his chin on her head and huffed. Papyrus put a hand on his shoulder and shot him a reassuring smile. He tried not to laugh. 

“Kid, I’m fine, don’t worry,” he said. 

Unusual heat was starting to seep from his sister’s skin. He leaned in close. “Frisk?” 

She didn’t stir. He got a lump in his throat, and a racing, worried thought of _not again _shot through his head. He turned to Sans, who was mostly asleep. 

“Yo. Is your magic cold?”

“Hm? Uh. Yeah kinda,” Sans said, sitting up.

Asriel offered the kid to him, though the skeleton looked confused. “She has a fever,” he explained.

“Fever…” Sans repeated the word like he’d never heard it.

Asriel took his hand and put it on Frisk’s forehead. He stared with confusion and Papyrus leaned in as well. 

“Oh. Her skin is… Got it.” Sans’s fingertips lit with cool blue and he accepted Frisk into his lap so he could try to chill her out. “Is it that red magic that does that?”

Asriel frowned. Might have been, now that he thought about it. “Means a human’s gettin’ kinda sick, at least.”

“I don’t blame her,” Alphys said quietly. “I h-heard the whole end of h-her battle with Gaster, it d-didn’t sound very good…”

“Yeah, I could hear a lot of it, too, I was just… climbing,” Asriel said. “She hasn’t pushed herself like that since…” He wasn’t sure. Was it their fight at the end of the world? She actually pushed back on this guy, though. She’d probably never outwardly used that much magic in a battle before, now that he thought about it. “Well, whatever, I dunno, I’m just worried about her, I guess.”

“Well, she’s your little sis, right? Course you’re worried,” Sans said. “…She’s, uh, sleepin’ pretty heavy, huh? This normal?”

“Only when she’s not doin’ great,” Asriel grumbled.

Alphys leaned forward in her chair, biting her lip nervously. “…Do you think we should bring h-her to Asgore?”

“What?! Why?” Asriel asked sharply. “Don’t think he could heal a human.”

“M-Maybe not, but I think the, um, tea he makes might b-be one of the best c-curative foods in the whole underground,” she said. She squinted and readjusted her glasses. “But her HP d-doesn’t look too bad. That’s… odd.” She tapped the side of them and a panel lit up over her eye. “I d-don’t think I’ve ever e-even heard of these d-debuffs before…”

“Then we should definitely bring her to the King, then, right?” Papyrus asked worriedly, eyes wide. “But… B-But why wasn’t mine enough?”

“Humans kinda have different ways of gettin’ sick that we’re not used to, Paps,” Asriel said. He grimaced. Unless Asgore fainted again, he guessed he had a shot of getting her some of that tea without outright stealing it. “But wasn’t Gaster over there?”

“He w-won’t try anything around the King,” Alphys said shrilly, wide-eyed. 

“Hopefully,” Sans said quietly. “Look. Kid, if you trust me, you can sit this out. I don’t mind takin’—”

“No. I mean. No, it’s not… I’m just not letting her outta my sight again,” he said quickly. His insides roiled with nerves and he rubbed his brow.

“Know that instinct,” the skeleton said sympathetically.

“L-Look, I really think it’s the best way,” Alphys said gently.

Asriel turned his focus on Frisk. The skeletons around her looked worried, and she still hadn’t moved. He sighed and nodded. Had to risk it.

\- - -

Asgore’s home was brimming with loose magic by the time they arrived. Asriel’s hackles rose and he cradled his feverish sister close, hanging back behind the other monsters. Alphys pushed her way into the house first, announcing them by clearing her throat. Before she’d said a word, Asgore slid from the dining room to meet her, bed-headed and wide-eyed. 

“Howdy, I—” His eyes shot straight to Asriel, who winced under his gaze. “A-A-Asriel.”

“As… Wait, you’re Asriel?!” Alphys whipped around to look at him with wide eyes. “You didn’t tell me that!!! How are you A-Asriel?!”

Asriel sighed. Sans put a hand on his arm, and he gritted his teeth and stood up tall.

“Yeah. We met before. Sorry. You okay?”

Asgore dipped his head, but he hurriedly closed the distance between them and put a hand on each of the boy’s shoulders. “I-I thought you were a dream.”

He winced. “Sorry. I just… uh… Oh. Jeez, don’t cry.”

Asgore chuckled and wiped his eyes. “You must tell me how this happened.”

“Look. I will. But, Asgore, I really need your help. My sister is sick.”

Asgore’s eyes shot between the boy and the human kid in his arms a couple times. Asriel tried his best not to grimace. He knew the name that was shooting through the King’s head. 

“I-I don’t understand,” Asgore said, his voice croaking, “but please, come in, everyone.” He beckoned and then rubbed a hand through his golden mane of hair. “Th-This has been an, um, absolute shocker of a day, I’ll tell you what.”

He brought them in to the grey table with a grey gingham tablecloth. Though Alphys and Papyrus gladly sat on the grey chairs, Asriel did not, and Sans slumped on the wall closer to the kitchen, folding his arms, eyes fixed on the doorless entryway and the stairs that lead downwards from the foremost room in the house. Asgore bustled around, doing very little and trying not to look at Asriel for too long.

“Did, um, the… the Lieutenant m-make it here okay?” Alphys asked.

“Hm?” Asgore rubbed his beard. “Ah. Undyne. Y-Yes. With my… With Doctor Gaster. She said he was under arrest and Gerson agreed? They’re downstairs. He was, um, pretty stunned, though, so I didn’t have a chance to ask what happened.”

“He tried to kill my sister is what happened,” Asriel growled. “And he tried to drain the determination out of Undyne in the lab.”

“He… What? Oh. I’m not sure I understand,” Asgore said quietly. “I would be a hypocrite if I… Wait, he did what to Undyne?” He rubbed his temples. “Oh dear.”

“Don’t faint,” Sans said.

“I am doing my best.” The King chuckled.

“Can you help Frisk, though, King?” Papyrus asked worriedly. “She’s the good human from before, remember? From another universe? Like my brother said.”

Asgore stared at the little skeleton, and then at Asriel. His eyes welled up. He sighed out deeply and rubbed his palms over his face. He smiled. “Let me make some tea for us all.”

He went to fetch the tea pot, and Sans shot Asriel a look and nodded after him. The boy grimaced, but he knew he was right. No avoiding it now. 

“Well, th-that didn’t go… terribly,” Alphys said, smiling a little. “But… Asriel…”

“Hm?” he said.

“Y-You’re the Prince,” she squeaked.

“Not here I’m not,” he said.

“So is she…?” She pointed at Frisk.

“No. She’s Frisk.” He gently handed the kid off to Sans and slipped away into the kitchen.

It was weird how almost nothing was different in Asgore’s home than what Asriel was used to, with the exception of the colours— or the lack of them. He was hesitant to get too close as the big monster pulled out a jar of tea leaves and flower petals from the cabinet. Asgore was careful placing them into the strainer of a striped teapot. 

“You are my son, are you not?” he asked quietly.

“Uh… I mean, I guess. Not from this world,” Asriel said. “I’m… not your kid come back to life. I’m real sorry.”

“No no.” Asgore turned around to face him with an exhausted smile on his face. “I’m sorry for fainting before. It was such a shock. But it’s so… So good to see you again. You look just like your mother.”

“Pfff, dunno about that,” he joked. 

“It’s true.” He poured water into the kettle and then blew a gentle, magic flame underneath. “Are you… happy? Where you are?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Do you have a lot of family around?” Asgore’s eyes shimmered. “Am I…? I mean… In your world, is it…?”

“It’s kinda similar to this one,” Asriel said. “I… Yeah. I do. My younger sister you met. I also have two brothers, Sans and Papyrus. And another sister, Undyne. And a mom and a dad.”

“Both? I…” He smiled warmly and put a paw on his shoulder. “Sounds like your world is doing very well, my boy.”

“I’m really sorry about all this,” he said. “If I could have made it so you… didn’t know.” He put a hand over his soul spot. “You’re not my actual dad but I never want to hurt you like this.”

“No, son, no, I’m glad,” he said. He grinned despite tears in the corners of his eyes. He patted him on the shoulder heartily. “This is a gift.”

Asriel’s ears lifted slightly. He cracked a small, cautious smile. Maybe this wasn’t the worst thing in the world after all. “Did, uh, all those other monsters with Gerson find you okay?”

“Oh! Yes, they didn't need to have been so concerned,” he said with a chuckle. “But it was nice to see everyone, even if they didn’t have time to stay for tea. But I suppose when the power is out and the King is taking a heavy nap…”

“Yeah… Sorry about that, again,” Asriel said, though Asgore shook his head and smiled. “The power thing, that was Gaster in the CORE.”

“Ah. Yes. And this other world talk,” he said hesitantly. “That’s… Gaster’s doing, somehow?”

“He blew a hole into our timeline.” When Asriel received a blank stare in reply, he rubbed his head and leaned back on the counter. “Okay. Our worlds. They’re like, uh… bubbles, kinda. Yours and ours are pretty close. And this Gaster, he blew a hole from yours into ours in his research, I guess. And it knocked our brother into a coma. So me and my sister, we figured we had to follow the energy to fix our brother, but when we got here, Gaster wasn’t havin’ it and he decided that it would be better to try to kill my sister and take the determination outta her to keep doing time experiments even though it could bring in worse things than us, y’know? Does that… make sense?”

“Gaster was… doing time experiments? Why?” Asgore wondered.

“No clue,” Asriel said.

“Well! Whatever his reasons, I’m sure it was to help us escape the mountain. But, I don’t think he should be harming your home to do so. I’ll talk to him soon, I’m sure we can work something out.”

Asriel doubted it, but he smiled nonetheless. “Thanks.”

Once the tea had steeped, Asriel awkwardly helped Asgore carry mugs back into the other room. Sans had taken an armchair now and was still holding Frisk close. He was gentle with her, holding her hand and inspecting the bones. Papyrus was on the arm of the seat, hands clamped together worriedly. 

“She still hasn’t really moved,” he said.

Asgore put his big paw on the back of the boy’s head. His gaze lingered on Frisk before he turned and placed the ceramics down on the table with a gentle clink and the blub of the sloshing tea. 

“Who is she? That human?” Asgore asked tentatively.

“My sister,” Asriel said.

“She’s, um, f-from another world or s-something,” Alphys said. “She’s, um…! She’s n-not dangerous t-to us, and she s-seems to have magic of some kind. S-So… So…”

“Off-limits,” Sans said.

“She can’t die. By the way. Literally impossible,” Asriel said as he poured tea into one of the mugs. “Time’ll just reverse to… I don’t even know when. So.”

Asgore put his hand on his shoulder and smiled fondly. Asriel felt a prickle of hope. Before he could say a word, though, the floor rumbled and the boy nearly spilled the tea.

“What on earth—?!” Asgore’s eyes got big and he shot a worried look at Asriel. “E-Excuse me for a moment.” He walked briskly towards the downstairs.

Asriel grimaced. He shoved the teacup towards Papyrus and took off after the King. He didn’t like that feel of the magic in the air.

Down below, in a grey stone pathway under the house, Gaster was awake and recoiled against a wall, armourless now as the metal plates lay in a heap on the floor. A shield of spiked bones protected him, jutting into both the floor and ceiling, and his eyes were blazing green and bright. The big turtle, Gerson, had his arms crossed against his chest and a heavy frown with big eyebrows weighing his brow down. Undyne was bristling, spear in hand, fangs bared and gleaming. 

“What is going on down here?” Asgore demanded worriedly. He hurried to his old friends, though Asriel lagged back by the base of the stairs cautiously. “Gaster! Gerson! Come now, what’s the trouble?!”

“Your Highness?!” Gaster’s head snapped over to look at him. “Thank goodness. Your guards are out of control. They arrested me for—”

“Kidnapping, Gaster. And an unfair, dangerous battle situation,” Asgore said gently. He raised his hands. “Please, old friend, relax. We need to talk about this. And what you’ve been up to. Sans said—”

“Sans?! You can’t—! You can’t trust a word from him, he’s compromised!” he snapped.

“He keeps sayin’ that and not explainin’ it one whit,” Gerson said, looking over his shoulder at Asgore.

“She is as well!” He pointed at Undyne, who growled in reply. “The human is out of control, it’s… It’s doing something I don’t understand; it’s turned them all against me, don’t you see?”

“What do you mean?” Asgore asked, wide-eyed.

“A human… An otherworldly human; it’s an imminent, catastrophic threat,” he said swiftly. “The only reason I borrowed this fish girl was because her determination levels were high enough for me to siphon some off. It’s the only way to combat this human, don’t you see? If I can just… handle it, I can defeat it, I’m sure. I almost had it last time, it’s just…! Asgore, you have to understand, it… turns them.”

“Turns us? The hell you talkin’ about, bone man?!” Undyne spat. She stomped forward, but Gerson held her shoulder. “That human you wanna fight saved me from you!”

“See?!” Gaster said urgently, pleading eyes turned on Asgore. “They take its side. It… It speaks like it knows you and it says… things. Things it shouldn’t know. It’s wooed both the boys and this girl and my own assistant! And it’s got this bodyguard, I suppose? It’s meant specifically to hurt us, I swear, but it looks just like—”

“Gaster, enough,” the King said, his voice soft and reassuring. He came closer and he reached across the shield to the skeleton’s shoulder. His big paw held warm and tight. “You must relax. I promise. It’s not all as dire as it seems.”

“You’ve defeated it?!” he asked hopefully.

“Ah. N-No, um, not exactly.”

Gaster looked worried. His eyes scanned the King’s face and then the guards. Then, they settled on Asriel behind him. Shock painted itself across his face and was swiftly overtaken with anger. “No. No! You…!” He pointed a stern finger at the scowling boy and then looked at Asgore. “He looks like Asriel just to—”

“Gaster, please. You must relax,” Asgore said. “I understand. I do. You’ve always been such a good defender for us. But please, if we can just discuss this…”

The skeleton shook his head frantically. He grabbed a red vial out of his coat and popped the top off. Asriel’s hackles raised and he rushed forward, but the skeleton had already downed it. He choked and Asgore immediately pushed his way through the bones to hold his shoulders gently. 

“My friend, what are you—?!”

Gaster buckled forward, but red energy sparked along his skull and arms. Undyne bared her teeth and held up her spear. 

“STAY BACK!” he yelled.

Asriel could feel it before he could see it. Gaster sparked bright red and the energy arced around the room like wild electricity, knocking the King back and forcing Gerson into his shell. Undyne snarled and was struck and sent flying as another burst of magic ripped through the air. She cried out and Asgore dove for her. As red magic burned its way out of the skeleton, Asriel put himself between him and the others in time to catch the brunt of it that exploded like a dying star. He gritted his fangs and held steady as his vision was overtaken by red, the shapes of bones vanishing in the light.

Asriel’s soul pulsed. The melody twisted and burst loudly, and its glow shone through his shirt. He braced himself. The energy poured through him, red binding with red, his vision scrambling with big chunks of extra colours. It was over in an instant. The second the magic was gone, he buckled, coughing up a mouthful of black sludge. He stared at it as it vanished to nothing, chilled to the soul, and then quickly righted himself. There was nothing left of Gaster but red sparkles and a dark, pixelated shattering in the air that vanished quickly. Asriel reached out his hand to the spot. No dust. 

When he turned around, he saw Asgore was cradling Undyne close with one arm and holding onto a thoroughly stunned Gerson with the other.

“What in the hell was that?!” the old turtle barked.

Asriel hurried in close to the King and the fish girl he held. She had her hand clamped over her left eye, but even so it was clear that that there was a deep, shining red wound cut across her face.

“Oh no, no no no.” Asriel put a hand on her shoulder. “Undyne, I…”

“Just catch him,” she growled.

Asriel met Asgore’s eyes. The big, worried King nodded solemnly. Asriel jumped to his feet and raced back upstairs.

There was a small commotion in the living room. Frisk was up, though looking sick, and Papyrus held her steady as she gripped to the table, trying to make her way to the stairs. 

“Are y-you sure you should…?!” Alphys’s words got lost as Asriel entered, and she hurried to him and grabbed his hand. “What h-happened?!”

“He either blew up or he can teleport now,” he said as he bent down to hold Frisk. “Can you walk?”

“Y-Yeah. Just stiff,” she said. “Is everyone okay?”

“I dunno. What now?” he asked.

“Huge fluctuation,” Sans said. “I’m sure we could…”

The lights went out with a loud _thoom_ of energy. Alphys yelped and Sans put a hand to his face to massage his brows.

“He didn’t g-g-go back to the CORE, did h-he?!” Alphys demanded. She dropped her computer from the inside of her coat onto the table and typed on it furiously. “Oh, nooo, no no no, there’s—”

“Breathe,” Sans said. He leaned over her shoulder and gently moved her aside. “Ah… I see.”

“Whatever’s going on,” Frisk said, “we gotta stop him from doing something nuts before he dusts himself or worse.”

The skeleton frowned slightly, but he patted her on the back. 

“Worse? Wh-What could be worse?” Alphys squeaked.

“Tell you later,” Asriel said. “First we gotta find the guy and…”

Fragments of red lit the room. Asriel looked at Frisk, but she wasn’t glowing at all. He grabbed her tight just as a warbling form of a skeleton appeared as if from nowhere, crackling with red energy and distorting the air around him. Alphys screamed. He laid a hand against Frisk’s shoulder and the two of them vanished. Asriel was left clinging to nothing.

“No.” He recoiled, nauseated by empty air.

Papyrus put his hands to his mouth. Sans stared, wide-eyed. 

“Oh shit,” he breathed.

“No, no no no no.” Asriel leapt to his feet, looking all over frantically. “Frisk?! Frisk, are you…?!” He yanked his phone from his pocket, but there was no signal. There was a quiver in his hands and a seizing in his chest. His fur bristled, his eyes welled up, and his lip curled in a snarl. He ran out of the house without another word.

\- - -

All that had been before was replaced with pitch darkness and cold. Suffocating. Frisk took in a mouthful of water and all her senses were reeling. Directions were meaningless. She scrabbled but her limbs wouldn’t cooperate. She’d never drowned before, she thought through her panic. 

A deep, muffled splash caught her and there might have been a voice somewhere. She struggled towards it, but her lungs were burning and her arms were failing. The collar on her shirt got caught and, all of a sudden, her head was pulled out into air. She coughed and retched and gulped air greedily, her whole body heaving.

“Whoa, jeez, kid, are you okay?!” A girl’s voice. Young. Faintly familiar.

Frisk felt a strong grip under each arm and let herself be dragged along the surface of a pitch black lake as she caught her breath. “I-I… I th-think so. Th-Thanks.”

“How the heck you end up in there? I didn’t hear a splash or anything.”

Frisk tilted her head back to look blearily up at her rescuer. It was a lizard monster with soft, friendly features, yellow in colour, and wearing a cozy poncho over her head with pistachio green and light pink stripes. She was sitting on a small, wooden plank of a raft and was holding onto Frisk with her feet. The kid’s mind stumbled. Was that Flora?

“Don’t worry, I’ll pull you out,” she said. “Better not to go to the burbs down there anyway, I hear all the hippocamps just, like, challenge you to a flex-off if you’re new. I heard it lasts hours.”

“B-Burbs?” Frisk repeated.

“Yeah, Bubbleburb, it’s only like five houses and half a gym, so I guess it’s not really surprising if you haven’t heard of it,” she said. “Plus, I bet you’re from out of town, right? New Home?”

“Y-Yeah,” Frisk said.

The plank came to a stop with a gentle thunk and the lapping of water as they connected with a boardwalk. The lizard pulled Frisk onto solid wood, where the sopping kid sat on her knees, panted, and shivered. 

“Aw, jeez.” The lizard girl sat and nestled close to Frisk; grabbed her with little t-rex hands. A sparkle of orange magic lit from her body, warm and soothing. “S’cold, huh? You gonna be okay?”

“Think s-so… You don’t gotta get your coat wet,” Frisk said.

“Don’t worry about it!” She smiled bright. “Whatcha doin’ out here, anyway? Don’t think I saw a single other monster out here.”

“Ah. Y-Yeah. That might be because of the alert.” 

The lizard kid looked back at her blankly. Frisk tilted her head.

“You d-don’t have a phone, huh?” she asked.

“Naw, my dad’s the only one in my house with one, why?” 

Frisk shook her head. “There was a f-false alarm for a human before, I dunno if it got taken back or not yet. Guess n-not.”

“Oh! So that’s why I didn’t find her either…” She grinned bashfully when Frisk shot her a curious look. “I sooorta been sneaking out to watch the new Lieutenant? She’s really cool and pretty and strong, and she’s, like, still a teenager, too, so that’s really impressive. But she wasn’t on her schedule today, I guess it was to do with that, huh?”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah. I guess so.” Frisk straightened up and rubbed her head, brushing her wet hair from her face. “Thanks a million, um…”

“Flora,” the lizard said, smiling as she got to her feet. “No problem, glad to help! You okay, though? You frozen? You look cold.”

Frisk shook her head despite being exactly that, and she looked around to get her bearings. They were on the Snowdin side of the huge, obsidian lake. She couldn’t see a hint of red magic or white bones anywhere. She took a moment to look Flora over. She couldn’t have been older than fourteen or fifteen. She was a little sleeker than Kid, but her resemblance at this age was uncanny. Frisk took a deep breath. She put a hand to her chest and her thoughts went straight for Asriel.

“Ah, jeez,” she said, rubbing her head. “I gotta go back across.”

“There might be a bubble guy who’ll take you, or we can push the raft back,” Flora suggested. “I’ll come with you.”

“What? Oh, no no, it’s okay,” Frisk said quickly.

“But, like, you were just coughing up goo, you probably shouldn’t walk alone,” she said. “I don’t mind, seriously. My dad always says if you see a monster limping, you better walk with ‘em, so that’s what I’ll do! It’s not like I have anywhere to be but home, and I’m sure my parents’ll understand.” 

“Was I…?” Frisk frowned to herself. She sniffled and wiped her face. She stared at the bleak darkness of the water and gulped. “…Okay. Thanks.”

Flora grinned wide.

The bubble monster she mentioned didn’t seem to be around from a quick check, so they used the raft again. Frisk sat this time, holding her shoes in her lap and dangling her feet in the water as they drifted by magic. Flora sat, too, her back against Frisk’s. 

“So, uh,” she said, “what were you doing in the lake again?”

“Think I got thrown in,” Frisk said.

“That’s a bad prank,” she said.

“Tell me about it,” she said. “My brother’s gonna be pretty worried.”

“Oh yeah? Wish I had my dad’s phone for you.” She splashed absently. “You can’t swim, huh?”

“N-No, um, not really,” she said.

“Here’s a trick. If you’re at the surface, just lie flat on it and you should probably float,” Flora said.

“Oh. Okay. Thanks,” Frisk said. “Didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, it’s easy to panic,” the lizard said, nodding understandingly.

When they bonked lightly against the dock, Frisk was eager to get off that raft again. She helped Flora up and immediately took off along the planks, awkwardly shoving her shoes on as she went.

“Whoa, wait up! What’s the hurry?” Flora asked, skipping to keep up. 

“Ah. Sorry,” Frisk said quickly. “I just… I gotta get to Hotland, at least. I was separated from my brother s-so I kinda gotta get back to him.”

“Oh! Okay. But don’t rush, you’re limping for real, actually,” Flora said.

“I gotta, though, he’s gonna be super worried and I…” She stalled in her tracks— red sparks again, dancing in the air. She recoiled a few steps, grabbing to Flora and drawing her back. “We gotta hide.”

“Hide? Wait, what?!” The lizard shrieked as the distorted, glowing form of a skeleton stumbled out into the world.

Frisk tried to drag Flora back towards the lake, but Gaster reached out with long arms, eye sockets burning with red, and he grasped the lizard and ripped her away, holding her up and to the side.

“Leave that child alone!” he growled, glaring down. “She is not your shield!”

Frisk gawked as Flora went limp, the little lizard’s jaw falling open and her expression spacing out. She let out a strange, incoherent sound, and the colour began to drain from her where Gaster’s hands were, leaching from her clothes and up onto her face. 

“Put her down!” Frisk said shrilly.

“I will not let you—”

“OH MY GOD, GASTER, PUT HER DOWN!!” Frisk screamed, hands on her head. “YOU’RE GONNA KILL HER, LOOK!!!”

Gaster froze. He took a cautious look at the child he held. Stunned, he stared as the colour seeped from Flora’s eye, leaving only black and white. He hurriedly placed her on the ground and recoiled, staring at his hands with horror. Frisk raced for the lizard kid and grabbed her in her arms.

“Nooo no no no, oh my god.” She put a hand to Flora’s cheek and lit her magic, trying to turn her back. She could feel the determination flowing just under her fingers; felt scales starting to smooth into a strange texture she’d hoped to never feel on someone new. She gulped heavily. “Why won’t it…? Come on, come ooonnn…”

“What are you… doing?” Gaster asked stiffly. “…What have I done?”

“I told you,” Frisk said, her voice breaking. “The determination is too much.”

“No, it can’t be, I…!” He took a few stiff steps backwards. His red sparkles swirled around his shoulders, dancing between his bones. He started to look glossy with sweat. “I… I can become stronger. I can fix her!”

“Just leave it to me, you’re just gonna make it worse now,” the kid said. “S… Sorry.”

The skeleton shook his head. He stumbled backwards and vanished.

Frisk gulped heavily. She clung to the lizard kid tight and lit her soul. “Flora? Can you hear me?” she asked. “I’m… I’m gonna fix you, okay? H-Hang on.” 

The song whirled around her and she took a few deep, steadying breaths. She focussed; tried to roll back the clock for the monster, but the determination was stubborn and refused to budge in that direction. However, the red in her reached out carefully and little fragments of extra magic seeped from her. The second it hit Frisk’s soul, her stomach tumbled, but she knew what she had to do. She put her hand on Flora’s soul spot and, sticking her tongue out in concentration, drew out the flickering glow. 

Red crept across Flora’s shining soul like snakes. At the touch of Frisk’s fingers, it slithered onto her skin and down her arms, vanishing inside her. She winced, but she let it do its job. She could hear a strange, discordant song fighting hers, trying to twist its way louder; trying to guide the rhythm. Frisk wouldn’t have it. Her hum was steady and solid, and the other one was drowned out and absorbed in, contributing only the smallest of bass notes in an already seamless song. 

The magic calmed. Frisk puffed. Lightheaded, she rubbed her brow and she carefully lay Flora down. Though she didn’t move, colour flushed back into her cheeks and into her eye, the only remnants of what had happened being a white fleck in her green iris.

“Hey. Flora? Can you hear me?” Frisk asked hopefully.

It took a second, but the lizard blinked. “Whoa.” Her voice was soft and groggy.

“Are you okay?!” Frisk asked.

“Y-Yeah? I think so? What happened?” She sat up and crossed her wee arms. There was a dazed look in her eyes. “I thought I was totally gonna puke.”

“I’m so sorry, that was… Really weird,” she said. Her stomach flipped at the thought of crossing that black lake a third time. “Come on, let’s, umm… Let’s get you home.”

“But what about your brother?” Flora asked.

Frisk bit her lip. Her heart ached. She stood and lifted Flora to her feet. “He’ll understand.”

\- - -

Frisk’s heart wouldn’t stop thumping heavily. She jittered at every flicker of energy around her, but she didn’t see any more red sparkles all the way to Snowdin. 

The town seemed to be back to normal. The huge snowfall had receded and monsters were milling about doing normal business, but instead of the festive, colourful lights around town, there were torches and lanterns lit along the roadside. Judging by the windows, the power was mostly still out.

Frisk walked with Flora all the way up to her front door, making sure she got inside safely before turning and booking it back towards Waterfall. Her leg was fighting her again and her hair was getting icy, but there wasn’t much she could do about it now.

A flash of blue near the skeleton house at the end of the road towards the caves startled her enough that she slowed. Through the blowing, misty snow, she walked right into Sans. He caught her and gave her a big, relieved smile.

“Hey, frosty, good job keepin’ your cool,” he said.

“Pfffff, oh man.” She hugged him before she could help it. 

He stiffened under her grip, but he patted her gently on the shoulders. She jerked back, cheeks flushed, and smiled sheepishly.

“Um! S-Sorry, um… Thank you,” she said. “Is everyone still at Asgore’s?”

“You kiddin’? Your bro zoomed off the second ol’ Gas-bag took you,” he said. “He, uh, do anythin’ weird to you? You okay?”

“I’m fine, he almost did the the worse than kill thing to a monster kid, though,” she said. 

Sans looked more shocked than she’d ever seen him. “He what?”

“He didn’t mean to, just by touching her, he… His determination is too high and it’s just leaking outta him,” she said quickly. “I don’t know where he went but I gotta, like, pull it outta him or something or he just has to sit in a room and not touch anyone forever and ever, and that’s, like, best case scenario.”

“Ah…”Sans tapped his teeth. “Welp. Super trash. Gotcha.” He put a hand on her shoulder— her sleeve was stiff like cardboard and made a cracking sound at the touch— and he nodded back down the street.“First. Let’s get you changed and, uh, defrosted before you pass out again.”

“But Asriel—”

“Chill out. You get lost, best thing to do is stay in once place,” he said. “I’ll wait outside. There’s, uh, a cardboard box under my mattress. Should be somethin’ in there you could wear. Sorry if it smells kinda like ketchup, though.”

“Th… Thanks.” 

Ketchup-smelling skeleton hand-me-downs sounded like the best thing in the world right about now.

The mysterious box was right where he’d said in his messy but sparse bedroom, not disturbing the mattress but not squished underneath either. Stashing stuff in her phone and swapping over all her pocket things, Frisk took what little she could find in her size: black slacks, a sleeveless white tee, and a snug blue and light grey striped hoodie. There was nothing quite so nice as changing into warm clothes after being wet and frozen. 

Outside, Frisk plopped heavily down onto the steps beside Sans and slumped. The wind was still blowing specks of snow. It chilled her damp hair. She rubbed her hands through it to brush away the frost.

“You can wait inside if you want,” he said.

“No. Better here,” she said. “Thanks for the clothes.”

“Good thing I’m basically a hoarder,” he joked. “Keep ‘em. They’re too small for my brother.”

“…Thanks a million.” She sighed tiredly and rubbed her brow. “Poor Az. Jeez. I wish I could call him or something. He must be freaking out.”

“We all did, to be fair,” he said.

“Sorry.”

Sans chuckled. He leaned back and shoved his hands into his pockets. “What a frickin’ mess, huh?”

“Yeah.” She pouted. “I’m really sorry about, like… literally all of this.”

He shook his head. “Kinda feel like this was a long time comin’. But, uh, why d’you keep apologizin’ to me?”

“Hate to cause you problems,” she said.

“Me? Nah. I just feel kinda bad that Gaster’s makin’ this so damn difficult,” he said. “Not… that that’s any of my business, but when you’re technically related to someone, I dunno…” He grimaced. “You’re just… such a young kid, y’know? Feels bad you gotta keep dealin’ with this. And more on your own than not, seems like. Not that that’s your bro’s fault; it just keeps happenin’.”

She shrugged. “It’s not new. Kinda got used to it being like that, I guess. Having Az with me now is so good, though, you don’t even know.”

Sans stared at her silently for a while. He got that same look on his face she’d seen in the kitchen. Before she could ask what was wrong, he shook his head, chuckled dryly to himself, and then leaned back, folding his arms. 

“Any idea where the knucklehead ended up?”

“Who, Gaster? I’d guess lab or CORE,” she said. “He… seemed upset. That he hurt that monster kid. Said he wanted to fix her. I told him to leave it to me and he actually didn’t argue and left.”

“Huh.” He folded his arms. A wary, concerned look passed over his face. “She okay?”

“Oh. Yeah. Think so. I, um… He put too much determination in her by accident, and I took it out again and she seemed to mostly go back to normal. She seemed groggy, though.”

“Anyone I know?”

“Flora,” she said. “Little yellow lizard kid.”

“Tiny arms, wears a poncho— I seen ‘er,” he said. “I’ll, uh, keep an eye socket out for her after you leave, I guess.”

“Thanks,” she said. She thought she heard frosty crunching past the wind. She perked up and looked down the road into the blustering snow.

Asriel was upon her like a hurricane, lifting her up into his arms and squishing her tight. He buried his snout against her and she could hear him mumbling rapid-fire swear words into her shirt. She hugged onto him and blew out a sigh of relief. 

“Sorry,” she said.

“I’m gonna kill him,” he growled.

“Not if I kill him first,” Sans said with a wink.

“Not if he turns to slime first,” Frisk said. “Nobody’s killing anybody, okay? But we gotta find him. I kinda got a feeling where.”

“I will run back and forth across this whole damn mountain if I have to,” Asriel said.

\- - -

Guards in shiny armour adorned with festive lights like scarves had cordoned off the way into the CORE with barriers made of tables from the Checked Inn’s restaurant. Asriel ignored them all and rushed into the bleak, dark tower. Felt like they’d been in and out of there all day.

Sans had shifted there ahead of them on Frisk’s hunch— was in the main room, illuminated by the glow of his phone. He paced near the stairway, nodding to himself. He was tense, and the prickle of energy in the air here was like static. Red was pulsing up from the stairwell that lead down as if it opened up to fire at its base.

“Got it. Got it. Okay, Alph, chill,” Sans said into his phone. “No. Don’t come here, it’s… Right. We’ll deal. Take care of him for me, will ya?” He hung up and looked up at them, blue flaring in his eye. “There’s a CORE core below us. It’s goin’ haywire.”

“Knew it,” Frisk muttered. She looked up at her brother. “Let me go first.”

“Don’t be dumb, we’ll go together,” he said. He looked at Sans. “Coming?”

“Ah. Nah,” he said apologetically.

Asriel frowned. His eyes darted between the skeleton and Frisk, though Sans merely shrugged. 

“It’s too dangerous; we gotta do it,” Frisk said, grabbing Asriel’s sleeve gently. “He already stuck his neck out enough for me.”

The boy snorted and folded his arms. “What neck?”

“Accurate,” Sans said. 

Asriel smirked; dipped his head nonetheless and started on his way. “Then let’s go.”

Frisk darted down the stairs, following after him with careful steps.

“Hey,” Sans called. He dropped a phone down from the top of the stairwell, right into Frisk’s hands. “Call if you need a door code or some crap. Elevator’s 6-6-6-G-W and then a thumbs down to get all the way to the core.” He winked. “Not gonna leave you totally high and dry.”

“Thanks a million,” she said, tucking it away in her pocket. When she looked back up for the skeleton, he was gone.

There was a strange glow in the air as Frisk and Asriel delved deeper underground. The place looked almost just like the kid remembered from back home, though now it was coloured stark black and red. Shockingly, when they came upon it, the elevator was not busted. Frisk took a deep breath as she hit the down arrow. Asriel put a hand on her head.

“We’re okay,” he said.

“I know,” she said.

“Just don’t faint this time,” he said.

“No promises.” She shot him a tepid smile. 

The doors opened, blasting them with bright red light, as if it were some otherworldly gate. Frisk winced. Nerves were getting to her, but she pushed them down and hurried inside, grabbing Asriel’s hand. The keypad was high up and was made up of letters and numbers, including ones in the old skeleton script. They seemed to be arranged randomly, so it took the boy an extra, excruciating few seconds to get the code. 

The elevator slammed its doors shut and dropped so fast both of them stumbled. Frisk squeaked and held tight to Asriel’s legs, and he grasped to the wall in turn. The hum of magic got louder the lower they went, but not more coherent. The kid squeezed her eyes shut and hid her face against him, but sunspots dotted the black she saw. Her stomach did a flip.

They crashed to a stop and Asriel grunted as he was thrown into the wall. He buckled and dropped down to solid ground, grabbing Frisk as she lost her footing. They held each other for a minute, catching their breath. The air was speckled with drifting red pixels. When Asriel got up and pried the doors open, they were greeted with more that blew in like the embers off a raging fire against a backdrop of hot orange light. 

This place was different from their world’s CORE. A sleek hallway stretched out before them, walls lined with large windows that overlooked rock and magma. Heavy double doors at the end, framed by a potted plant on each side, quivered with the rumbles of the inner mountain. The leaves rustled disconcertingly.

Opening the doors blasted the two kids with intense heat. Before them were more stairs, going upwards this time, and though it seemed to look a lot like the lab, even from here they could see there were cracks in the walls that let the outside seep in. The air was steeped in heavy magic, the tingle of determination singing faintly.

Frisk’s soul lit up on its own. Asriel’s, too, flickered. 

“So. What now? We jump him?” he asked.

“I got no idea. Maybe,” she said. She started to climb the stairs, grabbing hold of the railing. She squeaked and recoiled, shaking her hand out. “S’hot!” 

Just at the top, a room opened up, painted orange by the light. It was wide and scattered with control panels, and in its centre, caged in by a thick column of glass, was the sparkling, spiralling tower of radiant magic that made up the deepest heart of the CORE. 

A slot in the casing was open. Gaster stood before it, arm already in it up to his elbow. His other hand pushed up on a lever with a handle. Red sparks swirled around him, weaving in and out of any gaps in his frame. His bones were sleek with sweat and his eyes flashed with the colour of determination.

Frisk’s jaw dropped and she grabbed onto Asriel. “Nooo, no no no no, Gaster, wait!”

He whipped around, panic all over his face. The tower of magic pulsed and he stumbled, and the whole room rocked and groaned, rumbling so deep it sounded like a massive creature’s roar. He vanished.

“Oh no, oh my god, we shouldda jumped him,” Frisk said dismally, hands on her head. 

“But what did he do?!” Asriel crossed the room quickly, only to feel a tug on his arm.

Frisk grasped tight, shaking her head. “Don’t touch it. Please don’t touch it.”

“I won’t, I just—”

A wail of pain spiralled around them and Gaster returned, but just for an instant. He disappeared, only to come back on their other side and vanish again. Asriel grabbed Frisk as, all around them, Gaster phased in and out of sight. He was so quick and chaotic, it soon started to look like he was in more than one place at once— a distorted, miserable skeleton, dyed red and orange, forming a ring around them.

“H-He can’t control it,” Frisk breathed. “Oh man. Oh no.”

“So what do we do?!” Asriel demanded.

Frisk gulped. Her vision scrambled trying to follow him, and the reek of magic in the air put pressure in her head. She let go of her brother’s hand. “Gonna tackle him.”

“What?! No, don’t you dare leave me here, I promised I’d—”

“What else we got?” she asked worriedly. 

Asriel winced. He didn’t have anything else.

“I’ll go. You turn this thing off,” she said, pointing at the lever she saw. “And don’t touch that magic. Is that okay?”

“Ugh. Has to be, right?” he said. 

Frisk took a breath and stuck her thumb up. She ran into the ring and tried to grab him, but he was gone. The next one wasn’t right either. She caught only air. 

“Is he even here?!” Asriel demanded.

“I… I think so, I…” Frisk winced.

“Use that future sight crap Sans has,” he said.

“Oh! Y-Yeah, I…” She did her best to focus despite the pounding in her head. Red shone faintly in her irises. She thought of her brother; how he’d shown her how movement could trigger it. She took another deep breath. To the left. 

Frisk reached out and grabbed, and her fingers met bone. She was suddenly nowhere and everywhere at once, her vision scrambling beyond recognizing anything at all. Black, red, and white flowed into puddles of nonsense. She clamped her eyes shut, wrapped her arms around the skeleton, and demanded they stop in her mind.

They did and crashed heavily onto metal flooring of a room almost identical to the one they’d just left. Frisk rolled away from Gaster, nursing her head, but when she got up, she saw he was on his hands and knees, retching up tar. She stumbled to him and grabbed his shoulder. It squished in her grip. He recoiled, scowling despite the tears running down his face, and he stuck out his hand, grasping her soul. In his stuttering grip, he threw her down the stairs and staggered back towards the pillar of the CORE.

Frisk scrambled upright from the bottom of the stairs, grasping tight to the railing, but a burst of energy overtook her, red spilling up from underneath them as if it were magma, flooding the room completely. The floor rattled and the stairs broke off and tilted away from the main floor. Frisk yelped and clung to them tightly. They slammed and rested against the quaking wall.

Gaster staggered at the other end of the room, slumping to the floor before he reached the column. Frisk lit her soul brightly and climbed to the top of the stairs. The magic was persistent in its singing as it clung to her. She gladly let it. There was no way he could take much more of this.

“Gaster, please, stop! You’re not gonna be able stand it!” she shouted. 

Around them, the tower began to calm and the rumbling and whirring, mechanical sounds softened. Asriel must’ve gotten the controls, Frisk thought. The magic, however, had not abated. It pulsed and whipped around the room like a hurricane. It ripped away at Gaster’s clothes and bones as it hit him to the floor. She took a deep breath and allowed it into her soul. The magic burst and her vision was filled with red. The song was so intense it was dizzying, but she wasn’t about to let this go farther. Her soul sung with it, louder and louder until it engulfed it, and, burning red, it sucked all the energy in and then faded into nothing. She took a long, deep breath and cupped her hand over her soul. It felt fine.

Her eyes were watering, but she couldn’t see the skeleton now when she looked. 

“Hey! Are you okay?” She stood on her toes to try to peer over the ledge the cracked floor made. She wondered if she could jump up there and climb. “Gaster! Come on!”

Quivering, the skeleton sat up, but he didn’t seem right, even from there. When he turned to look at her, his face was askew. His jaw hung at a funny angle. He heaved himself up and slumped over to her, eyes burning red. His ribcage exposed, she could see two perfect circles were missing from his bones in a way that looked like they might have trouble holding together. His soul was flickering white behind that. His leg gave out at the the edge and he slumped, mumbling something incoherent. His fingers extended and Frisk felt his grip on her soul, but it faltered and vanished.

“I’m not gonna fight you!” she insisted. “I’m not here to hurt you, or hurt them, or anything, okay? I’m serious, I just wanna… I just wanna help.”

His face began to contort. Dust drained from his palms and his eye socket ran like melting putty. Frisk held out her hand. 

“Please. This isn’t right. I can still help you, but not for long,” she said. “You’ll lose everything.”

“…Just… have to… to protect them,” he muttered.

“I know,” she said. “You can. But not like this.” The second his hand dipped close enough, she grabbed it. She pulled herself up onto the broken floor and sat on her knees before the decaying skeleton. She put a hand on each of his shoulders. “I’m s-so sorry, Gaster. I didn’t… I never wanted this to happen. I’m sorry. Will you let me help you?”

He stared at her with vacant eyes. He put a weak, ruined hand around her neck and his other went to her soul. 

A big femur struck the skeleton in the head and he fell away from Frisk with a grunt. The kid scooted backwards, wide-eyed, and turned to look behind her as soft steps hit the metal.

“Déjà vu, huh? Guess I couldn’t stay away,” Sans said, an amused look on his face.

“S-Sans?! What are you…?! It’s dangerous!” Frisk squeaked.

“Not for me it ain’t.” He winked. “But, this guy…” He looked down at the crumpled heap that was Gaster and tutted mockingly. “Well, well. Ol’ Doctor G, in a heap again, huh? You never learn do ya?”

“Can still… stop it,” he gurgled.

“Nah. Can’t. Nothin’ to stop,” he said. “You shouldda listened. What you call, uh, _determination_, here? I’m callin’ bone-headed stubbornness. Face it. You were wrong.”

“Sans, chill, okay?” Frisk said gently. “He really thought you guys were in danger from me.”

“No offence, but I don’t buy it.” He frowned at Gaster. “He knew. Deep down, he knew, you were no threat. Neither was your brother.” He smiled ruefully. “As if he cared about us. All he cares about is the King and the surface, and gettin’ that soul of yours.”

“…I… made you…” Gaster rasped.

“Yeah, and you screwed that up, too,” Sans said. He leaned on the wall, his jacket steaming, and folded his arms. “He’s yours, kid, do what you want.”

Frisk winced. She edged closer to Gaster. He tried to recoil, but he was starting to become putty. She gently lifted him up against her. She grabbed his face in both hands and pulled his brow in against hers. As she touched on his wracked soul, she shared with him the memories of her father. She hoped he would understand.

After a second, she pulled back, and the skeleton stared at her blankly. 

“It’s really, really bad, I don’t know what I can do, but if I can pull that determination out of you, you might stand a chance,” she insisted. “I… I never wanted to hurt you, I promise.”

His jaw moved but no sound could make it out. He dipped his head. The red around him swirled and Frisk grabbed him and held him tight.

The kid’s vision swam. She could see so many versions of the skeleton all at once as he melted. She grimaced and forced her soul bright, and the determination flowed into her body as she became its conduit. Her resonance sang louder and faster and she squeezed her eyes shut tight until his discordant song had faded away. 

She opened her eyes and drew back from the skeleton. His skull was still broken with a crack inching down from his eye socket, but he wasn’t turning to ooze anymore. Green flickered in his eyes and he swooned backwards and clunked into the floor with a faint grunt. Sans leaned forward to watch curiously. Frisk panted and wiped her brow. Gaster shoved his jaw back into place. 

“Y-You’re… You’re a fool,” he croaked.

“You’re welcome. And you’re a huge jerk,” she said as she settled back to rest.

He coughed and flopped a broken hand down over his forehead. “…What was that…? What you showed me?” he asked.

“My dad.”

“…Sentimental nonsense…”

“It worked, didn’t it?” she said. She forced herself up and stood above him, holding her hands out. “Gimme, let’s see.”

With limp movements, he flopped his hands onto hers. The palms of each were mostly gone, left in a clean, perfect circle where the bone had dripped away. She pulled him upright and he sagged, taking off some of his tattered jacket to wipe his face. He cursed softly under his breath, held his brow. He cut his eyes at Sans.

“You really hate me so much?”

“I told ya. No danger from this one,” he said, pointing at Frisk.

“I have seen… how you die. And it was her,” he said.

“Think I didn’t see that, too?!” Sans snapped. “You think I didn’t think of that? Wrong again, bucko. Ain’t her. Not this one.”

Gaster frowned with concern. He tried to stand, but plopped back onto his tailbone and then collapsed again.

Frisk squeaked and hurried to him, squatting down. She half expected him to reach up and grab her, but he was out cold. She blew out a heavy sigh and rubbed her hand through her hair. She took what remained of his jacket, folded it, and put it under his head. Then, she returned his phone. 

Sans chuckled. He stood up straight and stretched before strolling over to join the kid. He put a hand on her back. “Leave ‘im. We’ll get the King to pick him up, okay?”

“I… I guess.” She stood up and folded her arms. “Why’d you come, anyway?”

“Got at least three reasons.” He winked. “You did good, kid. C’mon. You okay to wait around outside; I’ll grab the King?”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Thank you,” she said.

He stuck his thumb up and then disappeared.

The door outside the room lead into a mostly vacant hallway and the dimmed door to an elevator. The buttons didn’t work, so she sat on the floor and played a game on her phone.

It was only about five minutes before the lights came back on and the elevator split open. She was greeted right away, much to her surprise, by a hug from Papyrus. She had expected Sans to come back, but not alongside his brother, Asriel, and the King as well. To say she was relieved was a massive understatement.

“Oh my. Is everything alright?” Asgore asked worriedly. He hesitated for only a second before kneeling in front of the two kids. He gently took a hold of Frisk’s shoulder. “Human, what happened?”

“Gaster’s okay now,” she said. “Mostly.” She pointed to the chamber door. “In there. The stairs broke, though, sorry.”

Asgore sighed, shook his head. He patted her reassuringly and then headed that way. “We will have to have a very long talk.”

Before she could ask any of the fifteen or so Asgore-related questions in her brain, Asriel huffed and plopped heavily down beside her.

“Jeez, Frisk.” He put his hand on her head. “You okay?”

She nodded and leaned into him. “Buuhhhh, I’m tiiirred.”

“You did a lot, new friend!” the skeleton said. “I’m so happy you’re okay.”

She clung tight to him. “I’m kinda done with today, though, is that okay?”

“So did he melt or what?” Asriel asked.

“No, I took the stuff outta him,” she said.

“Oh. That hurt?” he asked.

She shook her head. Sans shot her an amused smile before his eyes darted back over to the door. He jerked his thumb at it before shoving his hands in his pockets and ambling over that way to join the King.

\- - -

Finally, it seemed like everything was back on track. After Asgore left, gingerly carrying the unconscious Doctor Gaster in his arms, the rest of them made their way back to the lab. Alphys was waiting for them, and was also patching up Undyne as best she could. The side of the fish monster’s face had been badly wounded when Gaster’s determination-tainted magic had overloaded the first time. Her eye was gone in a big, red gash. The concentrated determination had seeped in and stuck for too long; Frisk could not reverse her to bring it back. Undyne wasn’t perturbed, though. She chalked it up as a super cool new battle scar that lent itself to her street cred.

With no more interference, Sans went back to work. Frisk watched on until she fell asleep on his shoulder. She didn’t wake— and no one bothered her to— until there was an audible _woosh _of energy finally be siphoned away back into the core of the CORE, where it belonged. 

In that room, around that gate that framed the rough, starlike rip, Frisk tested the tear into the void cautiously with her fingertips. The flow was stemmed and the energy felt relaxed. The kid wilted with relief and laughed. Asriel sighed out long and loud. 

“Finally,” he said.

“I guess… I guess that means we can go,” Frisk said. She brushed her hand over the tear, feeling the tingle of energy through it. “I’m not sure I even need to shut this now, to be honest.”

“Might be best,” Sans said apologetically. “I mean, on the off-chance you need back in, you can open it yourself, right?”

“R-Right.” She turned to look at all the monsters before her— Sans, Papyrus, Alphys, and Undyne. She smiled sheepishly. “Thank you guys all so much for everything. And sorry to give you so much trouble.”

“Man, it wasn’t like you were the one who stole me and my stuff and punched me in the face!” Undyne said.

“Y-Yeah. I-It was a good l-learning experience, actually,” Alphys said with a bashful smile. “And… And that stuff with G-Gaster, well…” She put a hand on Papyrus’s head. “It was probably f-for the best.”

“Not sure about that,” Asriel said. “But yeah, thanks.” He shot Frisk a look and raised his eyebrows. “So? Should we go?”

“Nyeeehh, waaait, wait wait.” Papyrus dashed over and squished Frisk tight, his voice breaking. “I n-need to give you a… A great hug f-from the great Papyrus, first!” 

“Aw, don’t cry!” she squeaked. She hugged him tight, gently holding his head. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Aaah, I’m gonna cry.”

“S-Sorry,” he said, snickering through the tears. He pulled back and wiped around his eye sockets with his knuckles. “I’m j-just… going to miss you, is all. N-Not that I’ve never had another friend outside of my house, or anything, not at all, b-because that would be very embarrassing and—”

“Heeeey, hey, hey, hey,” Frisk cooed, holding his face gently. “Just take your time. You’re great. And anyone would be lucky to have you as a friend.”

“I know,” he said. He wiped his eyes again. “You’re right. Yes. For sure.”

Frisk smiled fondly. A thought occurred to her and she quickly reached into her pocket. “Hey. You said you sorta liked my big brother’s style from those pictures, right?”

“Nyeh! I did!” he said.

Frisk grinned. She pulled out her red striped scarf and placed it around his neck, gently adjusting it and flipping one end over his shoulder. “There! What do you think?”

“OoooOOOOOH!” Papyrus held the red cloth in both hands, eyes sparkling. “For me?!”

“Yeah! You keep it,” she said. She put an arm around him, scooted over to his side, and snapped a selfie of the two of them. She showed him with a big smile on her face. “Like it?”

“I LOVE IT!” He threw his arms around her shoulders. “Nyeeehhh, thank you, good friend!!”

She laughed. “You’re super welcome.”

Papyrus beamed. He ran to his brother and posed proudly, then ran to Asriel to hug him as well. The big monster laughed and bent down to squish the little skeleton. Frisk smiled apologetically.

“Sorry I don’t have much to give you guys, but—”

“Oh, jeez, don’t even,” Sans assured her.

“You don’t owe me nothin’,” Undyne said.

“Y-Yeah, gosh, this place g-gave you so much trouble,” Alphys agreed. 

“But you guys all helped a lot.” She frowned to herself and tapped her foot. “Oh! I know! Can I borrow your phones? And if you have any transfer cable thingies?”

Sans shrugged and handed his over without question. Alphys patted her pockets down and gave her what she had on her, and so did Undyne.

Frisk hurriedly connected her phone to theirs. For Undyne, she transferred over a bunch of the music files her own Undyne had given her a while ago.

“Here,” she said, handing it back. “I think you’ll like it.”

“Whaaaat?! Music?!” She stared at it, wide-eyed. “Music from another dimension?! Cool!!”

Frisk grinned and went to work on the others’ stuff. She transferred SOULSCN over for both Sans and Alphys and booted it up at the same time. Somehow, the program ran exactly as intended.

“Whatcha doin’?” Asriel asked.

Frisk held the science phones against her chest. “Just a second.” She held still for a moment and then checked the screens. Her soul imprint recorded onto each program, bright red. She offered them to Asriel. “What do you think, good enough?”

“Oh… Shit, yeah, that’s probably…” He smiled and copied her, recording his own soul’s information into the program before handing them back to her. “It work?”

It only took a second to check that it had. She returned their stuff with a smile on her face.

“There. Um. That might help? If you still study timeline stuff after this.”

“What is…? Oh. OH!!” Alphys’s eyes went wide. “But your…? Oh wow, it’s…” She tapped furiously on the screen with her fingertips. “This data, it’s… Oh m-my god…”

“It’s a good app too, for soul research stuff,” the kid volunteered. “Our Alphys made it. It had to be built special because my soul info used to make her computer turn off.”

“She’s good,” Alphys said. “This is… Th-Thank you, human.”

“No problem,” she assured her. “Could I… Um… Could I take a picture with all of us?”

The monsters agreed. After shoving Asriel in with them, Frisk took another selfie, careful to get everyone in. At Papyrus’s request, she took another on his phone, too. She gave him one last hug, then pointed back over her shoulder. 

“Guess we better go.”

“Have a good trip, however the hell that works,” Undyne said, shaking her hand so that she jittered up and down like in a paint mixer. She did the same to Asriel.

“S-Sayonara,” Alphys said with a sheepish grin. “It was, um, good to meet you two.”

“I’ll m-miss you guys,” Papyrus said.

“We’ll miss you, too,” Frisk said gently. “But you’re gonna do great.”

“You’re gonna be okay out there, yeah?” Sans asked, brow furrowed. 

“It wasn’t too bad last time,” Asriel said.

Frisk edged closer to Sans. She hesitated for a second, but then gave him a hug, too. “Thank you so much. For the CORE and… and for everything.”

Sans stared at her blankly for a few seconds. He was hesitant, stiff-armed, but hugged her regardless. She hadn’t expected that. Her soul hummed and his joined her despite his cautious pause. A soft entwining of energy conjured a purple spark. The skeleton, finally, relaxed. 

“I guess, uh…” He coughed, as if clearing his throat. “Guess I filled his shoes okay for a day, hm?”

“You mean slippers,” she said, grinning up at him. “Thank you.”

His cheekbones flushed blue, but he smiled wide in return. He squeezed her and then playfully mussed up her hair. She laughed. 

“Don’t go easy on the other ones, though, okay?” she said.

“What? Never,” he said. “Hopin’ they go easy on me, though.” He winked. “Probably not.”

“Hey.” Asriel raised his brows. “Me neither, huh?”

“Goat-cha, kid,” he said.

Papyrus squawked in dismay. Alphys rubbed her brows. Undyne snorted and Sans shot her a wink.

Asriel smirked and offered Frisk his hand. She took it, raised her other to wave, and then reached out for the tear in time, despite her heart thumping hard. 

“Bye, everyone. Thank you. And be careful!” she said.

The world vanished, replaced by endless black and stars. Asriel clung to her and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked like a kid again, just a bit taller than Frisk. She hugged him tight and couldn’t help a tired laugh.

“Oh my god. I’m so glad they were nice. What a dumb day,” she said. “Thank you so much for coming with me, holy crap.”

“Duh,” he said. “You gonna shut that thing?”

Frisk floated around to look back at the gap back into the other timeline. She could hardly see the shadowy shapes that had to be the monsters they’d left. She rested her hand against it and focussed. With a little red glimmering from her fingers, the edges of the blow-out smoothed and reduced, contracting until it more closely resembled the classic, four-pointed star they were used to. She tilted her head back to look at Asriel. 

“What do you think, looks good?” she asked.

“And the stream is gone, right?” 

She nodded. He grinned. 

“Well, then. Guess we can head home.” 

Frisk tried to temper her excitement. She wasn’t even sure if this would work, but the chance that Sans would be awake when they got back put a smile on her face.

Asriel jerked forward slightly and, startled, turned and rubbed his head. “Huh.” He pulled some small, black and green object out of space and looked at it inquisitively. “Is this a phone?” He squeezed on it and the screen lit up. He snorted out a laugh and handed it to Frisk. “It’s your dad’s.”

“What?! That’s weird,” she said, stashing it away in her pocket. “Thanks! I wonder how it…?” She thought she caught a glimpse of something over his shoulder— white, and moving quickly. “Hey, is there, like, supposed to be a bunch of junk floating around out here?”

Asriel turned to follow her gaze, squinting into the dark. “I dunno, I don’t think I see any—”

A massive, draconic skull appeared before him in a flash of white. Its maw split, opening into a gaping void; the only reason he wasn’t struck by a laser that spewed from it was that Frisk grabbed his hood and dragged him out of the way.

“What the HELL?!” he yelled.

“I d-don’t know, I…!!” She yelped with shock as a second burst from nowhere ripped the blackness just in front of them. “Are these freakin’ Gaster Blasters?!”

White beams of energy pounded in around them like the bars of a cage, and Frisk weaved through them, pulling her brother along. The skulls moved so quickly she couldn’t tell how many there were, and she could have sworn a skeletal shape flittered behind them. 

A beam from above struck them and sent them tumbling. They did their best to cling to each other, and Frisk focussed to send them elsewhere. As they stopped somewhere new, she was confronted with more skulls— an orb formed in an instant, each one staring in with big, dead eyes.

“What the heeeeeeck,” she said shrilly. “How did he…?! Did he follow us?! He’s still mad?!” She gulped hard. “We can’t let him follow us back, right?!”

The jaws began to open and split apart, focussing energy between the bones. She took a deep breath, determination sparkling on her fingers. Asriel held out his hands and his magic did the same, forming up into two sabres with uneven, claw-shaped blades and a guard like flared wings. He frowned deeply and braced himself against her. 

White magic beamed out at them, utterly blinding. Frisk’s soul pulsed and she caught it all in a halo around them, twisting the energy back on itself. Asriel grinned. He tightened his grip on the blades and they pulsed, lighting with red along the edges. 

“Still got it,” he said. He raised one up high. “SHOCKER—!”

“Are you gonna shout it like an anime move?!” Frisk asked.

“Man, I can do what I want.” His sword flared brighter still. “SHOCKER BREAKER!”

Lightning crashed down from nowhere and he used a swipe of his sword to direct it through the oncoming magic, destroying blasters left and right, their beams bursting into blazing sparkles. The second a dark spot appeared, Frisk grabbed Asriel and whisked them through it. She flew them away as fast as she could, though she had no idea where they were going.

“I guess he’s still real mad, huh?” she asked worriedly.

“Since when did he get this strong?” he wondered.

“Should I try to talk to him? Maybe time’s been weird and it’s been a while, and he thinks we’re someone new?”

“That’s a pretty big benefit of the doubt, though, isn’t it?” he asked, frowning. “He’s probably just a huge jerk still.” He cast a cautious glance behind them and grimaced. “He’s right on our tails.”

“What?!” Frisk yelped. When she turned to look, a massive draconic skull loomed just feet away. She turned, throwing out her hand to freeze it— it was replaced by three more. 

Asriel whipped around and leapt at the incomers, slamming one blade into the forehead of one and raising the other, calling down more lightning. The energy slammed into the others, piercing through them. He bounded back, stabbing the one stuck in stasis as well. All four shattered to glittering dust.

“BAM!” he cheered. He grinned and turned back to his sister, only to gawk at another skull looming behind her.

Her eyes were flared with faint red. She was turning; not fast enough. 

He reached for her but she was snapped up in its jaws. Every inch of him sunk. He roared and launched himself at it as it tried to back up and speed away. Asriel plunged his sword into it to hold on. It was impossibly fast. His ears blew into his face and he snarled. Grasp tightening on the hilt of the sword stuck into bone, he swung himself towards the jaw and stuck the other blade partially between its teeth. 

“Frisk?!” he demanded. “Frisk, can you hear m—?!”

The skull exploded in a shower of white. Asriel toppled away, winded; heaving for breath. His swords slipped from his hands and vanished into red sparkles. His vision spun. He struggled upright, eyes scanning the void. His soul sang and shone bright red, and far in the distance, a red light answered. Frisk. Hurtling like a comet towards nothing, her form limp as she dropped. A shadow cut the light of stars to follow her.

Asriel’s vision tunnelled. He snorted flame, his fur bristled, his horns sharpened; the shadow of wings burst from his shoulders. Another set of four blaster skulls phased into the darkness before his eyes and they spewed magic without windup. It hurt tremendously. He roared and flew straight through one of them, smashing it to pieces. 

Panicked, his eyes scanned the darkness. The red light deep in the void called to him. He dove for her, plummeting like a falcon at a speed the pursuing skulls couldn’t match.

Black hands crept up on him and crushed into his shoulders, pulling him back. He was spun around, a hand at his throat, to face some horror in a shroud, pinpricks of blue and gold boring into him. His assailant froze, and Asriel breathed a roaring flame into its face. It peeled away from him and he rammed forward, head-butting the thing as hard as he could. It spun and he lost it in the void; he didn’t care. He cast around for the red and caught a glimpse of it at a dizzying distance.

He launched himself at it. Tunnel vision set in. All he could see was the soul of his sister. All he could hear was their song struggling to sing a round. The red light was consumed in the white of a star. He aimed straight for it.


	25. good morning i guess

_Tap tap tap_. Bone on bone. To the beat of a song. What was it? Felt like he knew it by heart, but he couldn’t recall.

The world was soft and warm, mostly. Felt stagnant, though. Boring. Sans opened his eyes a crack and waited through bad focus and weird pixels of colour until he could see again in the low light. A ceiling. Not his. Not Papyrus’s. 

His eyes cast to the side. Computers and cables and a pink comforter. The lab. Weird. The tapping got him again. He scanned himself, and turned out the tapping was him. His own finger on the back of his palm. His hand was wrapped in wires. Looked medical. It felt sluggish and heavy. He thought he heard music in the back of his head, a hum that felt like his own but absolutely wasn’t. He rolled his shoulders and sat up slightly. He was surprised to see his ribcage was fully exposed and more wires were entangled with his bones. Definitely medical. He carefully began to unfasten anything non-critical and his mind slowly came unfogged. _Oh right_, he’d fainted. Just like his kid had warned. He sighed and laughed tiredly. Hoped it hadn’t been too long.

No sooner than he began to get his bearings, he heard a high-pitched shriek, and he was abruptly pulled into the boney arms of his brother. It was warm and overwhelmingly comfortable.

“Nyeehhhhh, are you okay?! You’re up?! How are you?!” Papyrus demanded.

Sans smiled at him groggily and let himself go limp. “Not bad.” His voice was raspy. “You?”

“Much better!” Papyrus’s eyes were alight and shimmering with tears, and he wore a big, goofy grin on his face. “B-Brother, you gave us quite the spooking!”

“Ah. Hah. Sorry ‘bout that,” he said. “Don’t cry, huh?”

“I’m not!” The skeleton quickly wiped his eyes. “Everyone’s going to be so happy to see you.”

“What’d I miss?” he asked.

“Not much, honestly.” Papyrus loosened his grip and took his hand, gently helping to unhook wires from around his fingers. “Us moping and dad working a lot. Not very interesting but highly emotional anyways!”

“Hm. Sounds about right. Sorry to give you guys such a hassle,” he said. 

He peered past him and around the room. There was an odd hectic sense about the place, despite it being so still. Reminded him of when his kid’d been out for a few days after getting blasted in the CORE. He guessed he knew how she felt. Weird that she wasn’t here, as far as he could see. Maybe that was good, though. Knowing her, they’d probably had to drag the poor little dork away for her to get any sleep at all.

“Hey, uh, where’s the kid?” he asked. 

“Which kid?” Papyrus asked.

“You know. The kid,” Sans said. “Kiddo. Y’know?” Her name was slipping from his mind. Must’ve been more out of it than he thought. 

“Ummmm…” Papyrus tapped his teeth.

Sans raised his brows. His soul’s pulse sped up just a fraction of a beat. “You know. Kiddo. Squirt. Short little nerd. Our sister. Where’s she at? She get some rest at least?”

“Uhhhh, Ssaaaans?” Papyrus frowned worriedly. “We, um. We don’t have a sister.”

Sans stared at him blankly. A chill sunk through his bones. “What?”

“What what?” Papyrus asked.

The short skeleton couldn’t keep the incredulous frown from his face. Couldn’t be a joke. That wasn’t anywhere in the realm of Papyrus’s sense of humour. Flummoxed, his eyes flicked around the room. No little human kid. No sister. No kiddo. “No. Nope. That’s not… Hm…” His soul ached, pulsing hard against his ribs. “Gotta be dreamin’, right?”

Papyrus looked down at him with wide, worried eyes. “N-No, Sans, you’re awake. Finally awake, after, um… I actually don’t know how long it’s been, but I guess it was long enough to be a worry? Would you like some tea? That might help.”

“That’s… This… Nah, it can’t be real, right? No way.” A sick chill rattled him. His voice caught. “We have a sister.”

“Sans, we don’t—”

“No. Nope.” He raised his hand and he tried to get up, though his body was stiff and weak. 

Papyrus hurried grabbed him and gently helped him up. He looked around for any sign— a hint of blue and pink, or red, or anything. 

“Paps. Listen. I dunno what’s goin’ on but this ain’t right, she’s supposed to be here,” he insisted.

“Nyooo, brother, I’m sorry but I… I really don’t know who you mean,” Papyrus said apologetically.

Sans looked like he’d been slapped. His grin became strained and he huffed out an exhausted, disbelieving laugh. He stumbled away from the bed, dragging wires with him. Papyrus quickly slapped them away from one of the monitors they’d been hooked up to. Sans put a hand to his brow, his shoulders sagging.

“It’s a dream. It’s gotta be a dream,” he muttered under his breath, eye sockets darkening except for a distressed flicker of blue in the left. Every inch of him ached. “This ain’t funny. She’s not… He… He needs her.” He took a deep breath. “Fine. It’s fake. I gotta wake up.”

“Sans? Sans!” Papyrus grabbed tight to his shoulders, eyes beaming like warm sunlight. “Sans, snap out of it!”

Sans stared at him. The wide-eyed, earnest worry on Papyrus’s face stunned him still. His mind flipped, trying to piece it together. How could she be gone? It was a nightmare. He grimaced and then whirled around, heaving in a deep breath.

“My shirt around here somewhere?”

“Um! I’m sure it is, but Sans, what’re you—?!”

“If she’s not here, she’s gotta be somewhere else,” he said. “Maybe I… gotta play it out in here, then I’ll wake up? Shit.”

“Sans…” Papyrus said softly.

“S-Sans?!” Alphys screeched into the room, eyes wide, glasses fogged. Her jaw dropped and she sprinted, stumbling, for the skeleton and she wrapped him in a tight hug. “Thank g-god you’re o-okay!! How are you f-feeling? Do you n-need anything? Are you h-hungry? Thirsty? Can I g-get you anything?!”

“You know where my sister is?” he asked.

“…Uh. What?” she squeaked. She held his face gently. “Oh, S-Sans, are you okay?” She turned to look at Papyrus. “Is he okay?”

Papyrus shrugged sheepishly.

“I’m fine,” Sans said. “I just gotta find my kid.”

“Y-Your kid?” she repeated.

“My kid sister,” Sans said, only to receive a blank, startled stare. “C’mon. This is nuts. Neither of you…?” He sighed. “Whatever, it’s fine. Shirt?”

“Oh! Um…!” She reached into his ribcage. “L-Let me get you unhooked first and then—”

“This is a friggin’ terrible dream,” Sans muttered.

“You’re awake,” Alphys said gently.

“Sans, we’ve been waiting for you for…! For days!” Papyrus insisted, pushing in closer. “You’re awake. We promise! I wouldn’t lie to you, you know that!”

“Then why don’t you…?” His head throbbed. Why wasn’t her name coming back to him? He rubbed his temples. “This doesn’t make sense.”

“Let me call dad,” Papyrus suggested. 

Sans’s eyes went wide. He held out his hand. “Give it.”

Baffled, Papyrus pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it over, and Sans turned on the screen and swiped through the contacts. It was all completely legible. Not a word was gibberish. His bones began to rattle, the cold returned, and a sinking, heartbroken nausea permeated every note in his soul. He could place every phone number Papyrus had in there. None of them were his kid. Fingers shaking, he dialled hers and put the phone to the side of his head. It only rang once, and then disconnected with a strange, soft note saturated in white noise. Sans held the phone back and stared at it, the blue from his own eye reflecting back at him off the casing. 

“Can’t be,” he breathed. “It’s… No. No. She’s… She can’t be gone, we’re still here, and she’s…” He held his skull, heel of his hand pressed hard into his brow. “I’m… here. I’m awake.”

“I tried to tell you,” Papyrus said gently. He put a hand on Sans’s shoulder. “Let me make you something, okay, brother? Spaghetti and ketchup? Hmmmm?”

“Your dreams must’ve b-been really vivid, right?” Alphys said sympathetically. 

Sans couldn’t answer. He rattled and tears pooled in his eye sockets until they began to leak. That was his kid. His sister. Part three of his soul. He’d lost her all over again. He put a hand to his mouth and buckled. Alphys cooed worriedly, cheeks flushing, and Papyrus let out a shrill caw. He bent to hug Sans tight. 

“It’s okay! It’s okay. I promise. I super duper promise,” Papyrus said. 

“What did I do?” he muttered.

“Do? What do you mean?” his brother asked.He gently took the phone back. “Look. I’ll get dad over here and he’ll make you feel a lot better, I’m sure!”

Sans’s mind raced. He brushed his eye sockets with his knuckles, patted Papyrus on the shoulder, and then walked off. There was a pile of folded clothes shoved up on top of a keyboard near one of the computer sets. Might be his.

Alphys chased him over, hurriedly picking up the wires that trailed behind him. She fretted over him, gathering them into bundles until he picked up a grey hoodie and threw it on. There was a tuft of white fur near the pocket. He plucked it off and stared at it with an incredulous frown. His heart sunk and he grimaced. There was another kid. Looked a lot like Toriel; was usually around his sister. He was important. They’d fought hard for him. He was supposed to be here.

He looked at Alphys and Papyrus. Though his brother was pacing and chattering urgently on the phone, Alphys was still close, staring at him with worried expectance.

“I-Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Nah, not really. And where’s…?” The name was slipping his mind. This was getting more serious than he’d thought. “The…? Ah, damn.”

“Where’s what?” Alphys asked.

“Don’t suppose you’ve seen a goat kid around here?” he said.

“N… No? No, I don’t, um…” Her eyes were wide and swimming with guilt. “I-I’m sorry, S-Sans, I just don’t… I don’t know what to tell you.”

Puffing out a sigh, Sans nodded and leaned back against the table. He wondered where he had to start. Maybe back home. Or back in the Ruins. Maybe not even that far. Maybe deeper into the lab? Or maybe in the CORE? Then again, the underground wasn’t all there was. She could be shoved out onto the surface somewhere, like when the goat kid had messed up her grasp on the world. What the hell could have yanked them from everyone else’s memories? He hardly noticed Alphys plucking wires out from between his ribs.

Though his soul stuttered, he picked the Ruins. If this was some kind of weird, soft reset, it seemed like the most likely place to find his sister. 

He was about to shift, but a heavy, potent nausea shot through him and black sparks flickered through the few wires still inside his ribcage. Alphys squeaked and jerked back as he held a hand over his soul spot.

“AAAAH! SANS! ARE YOU OKAY?!” Papyrus called from across the room. “DON’T WORRY, DAD AND MOM ARE ON THEIR WAY AND THEY WILL DEFINITELY HELP SO JUST RELAX.”

“I, uh… I don’t have time for this,” Sans said under his breath. He barely got a step towards the door before Alphys held his shoulders to stop him.

“Wait, w-wait, where are you going?!” she asked.

“Guess I’m walkin’,” he said.

“Nooo, no no no, please w-wait,” Alphys said quickly. “Please. Y-You just woke up f-from a coma or something, your d-dad is going to want to check on you and—”

“He can wait. Gotta find my sis.”

“But Sans, you don’t…” Alphys took a deep breath.“I’m j-just worried about you, okay? I mean… I mean, I’m sorry, I don’t know how else to say this, but… but you don’t have a sister. You n-never did.”

Sans sighed. He reached into his ribcage and tore out what was left of the cables and, though Alphys winced, Sans handed them to her gently and stepped around her. He peeked at the floor. Couldn’t see any of his stuff anywhere.

“Bro, got my slippers?” Sans asked.

“As always!” He whisked them from his phone with a snap of his fingers and a sparkle, a proud smile on his face. He tossed them over like pink, fuzzy frisbees. “I always carry a couple extra pairs, you know!” His expression switched to suspicion as Sans put them on his boney feet. “Heeey, wait, are you going somewhere?!”

“Just, uh, _slippin_’ off,” Sans said with a wink.

“To where?!”

“There’s some kids I gotta find, s’important,” Sans said with a shrug.

“BAAH! Right away with this again!!” Papyrus cawed. He bounced over and held his brother’s shoulders. “Brother, pleeeease, wait here! Dad’s on his way! And he will be happy to see you and hopefully he will help your poor head.”

“My head’s alright,” he said. “Not worried about that.”

“But you haven’t made sense since you got up!!” Papyrus said. “Which, I mean, admittedly is only a few minutes, but they were clearly very distressing for you to think we have a sister when we don’t and—”

“Look, I get it,” Sans said, raising his hands and carefully sliding away. “You, uh… You don’t remember.” Hurt his soul more than he thought it would to say it aloud. “S’fine. Somethin’ screwed up. Probably my bad. I just gotta find them and we’ll fix it. Might take a bit of walkin’ but I guess I’ll deal.”

“Find…?! Oh, brother, come on, please. You’re really worrying me with all this. And now you want to go where?!”

“Ruins, I guess,” he said.

“R-Really? The Ruins?” Alphys asked sheepishly. “That’s so far, though…”

“You can’t go all the way there on your own in this state! You’ve been unconscious for literally days and you want to walk…?! Wait. Why do you want to walk?”

“Eh, shiftin’ ain’t cooperatin’,” he said with a shrug. He winked. “If you’re so worried, come with me.”

“Out. Of. The. Question!” Papyrus insisted sternly. He plucked Sans up in blue magic with a twirl of his finger. “You just want me to carry you. You should sit down and let me make you a nice big plate of pasta instead of this other weird stuff. Honestly.”

“Look, bro, I appreciate it,” Sans said, “but finding our sis is kinda more important than—”

“Then why have I never met her?!” he said with shrill insistence.

Sans winced. His soul flickered pitifully. Papyrus’s jaw dropped and he fumbled for words for a second before he pulled his brother into a tight hug.

“I’m sorry! I am! Really,” he said quickly. “You’re so upset and I can’t help you if you’re looking for something that isn’t there.”

“How am I gonna know if I don’t look?” His voice came out weaker than he would’ve liked. He touched his brother’s skull with blue, hoping that any bit of his memory magic might trigger something. “You really don’t…?”

Papyrus sighed. He shook his head. “I was so worried about you, you know,” he said quietly. “I actually missed you quite a lot, so… So, let’s not fight.”

“We ain’t fightin’,” Sans said.

“Oh good! So you’ll sit down and relax?” he asked hopefully, plunking him gently into a chair near the bedside. 

“I wish.” The short skeleton leaned up and out of his seat, only to have his head spin in response. Black spots and chunks of colour blurred in his vision and he swooned. 

Next thing he knew, Papyrus was holding him upright in his chair and Alphys had a cold compress squished in a dishtowel up against his forehead. 

“I’m okay,” he said.

“Shhh shh shush, you’re okay,” Papyrus said hurriedly.

Sans laughed wearily and rubbed his palm against his eye socket.

“I-I mean… You have energy, I guess that’s something,” Alphys said with a weak smile. She put a hand against his skull and patted him consolingly. “We’ll make you something to eat. Just rest. Don’t, um… Don’t stand up too fast.”

She went over to the table beside him and popped a hotplate out of her phone, and plunked a pot on top of that. Sans sighed and massaged his temples. His brother patted his back gently and then stood up straight, hands on his hips.

“What is taking him?” he grumbled, tapping his foot swiftly. He looked back at Sans. “Oh! Your eyes…! You’re not actually okay at all, are you?”

“You know I don’t like lyin’ to you, bro,” Sans said with an apologetic smile, wishing faintly that his own face wouldn’t betray him like that. “I just, uh… I really should get lookin’, though.”

“Sans please!”

“Paps please.”

Papyrus groaned. “Sans, I don’t want to be harsh, but this is really impossible! I mean. I’d know if we had a sister, right? I would! I’m sure I would. But we don’t.” He tapped on his palm. “Dad only has two holes, not three. Where would she have even come from?!” 

“His soul,” he said.

“His s—?! How?!”

“You know, when he died in the CORE and stuff.” Sans shrugged.

Papyrus’s jaw dropped and his eyes seemed to bug out. “D-DIED?! WHAT?! That… What?! He grabbed Sans’s head in both hands and started to feel it over quickly. “D-Did we miss a spot?!”

“Don’t remember that either, huh?” Sans tapped his teeth. “Interestin’…”

“How could I remember…?! SANS! Oh my god.” Papyrus rubbed his face and whipped around to Alphys. “Is the something nearly ready? He is not doing good.”

“I-I was m-making it fresh, should I use a packaged something?” she asked shrilly.

“Guys, I’m fine.” He wasn’t, he felt sick and there was a frozen ache in his bones. He had to find those kids. “So… If dad didn’t…? What about the barrier?”

“What about it?” Papyrus asked.

“It’s down, right?”

“WHAT?! No, of course it isn’t!” he yelped.

“Really?” He pointed at Alphys’s fingers, where there were some little orange scars he knew she’d gotten from the goat kid’s soul. “How’d you get those?”

“What?” Alphys looked at her hands. “Oh. I dunno, I h-have a ton of magic burns, t-to be honest. B-But what does that have to do with—?”

“I’d take a look at it later, if you want, just, uh, don’t faint.” He got to his feet despite his head spinning. He stuck his hand up and then strolled towards the door. “Alright, I’ll be back eventually.”

Blue grasped gently to Sans’s soul, freezing him in his tracks. He sighed.

“Dude,” he said.

“I can’t let you just wander off when you’re like this!” Papyrus insisted worriedly. “What kind of irresponsible, good-for-nothing brother would I be? And the great Papyrus is the most responsible, good-for-everything brother, in fact.”

Sans winced. Though his soul hurt, he pulsed it gently and his brother’s magic detached. He rubbed the back of his head. “Gotta find the kids, sorry.”

“But there is no…! Sans!” Papyrus ran over to park himself in front of him again. “I’m so sorry, but there’s no kid! There’s no goat kid and no sister kid; there’s no kids.”

“There is, it’s just some weird time crap. It’s gotta be,” he said.

“Time…?! Saaans, I don’t understand.”

“That’s fine. When I find her I bet she’ll fix m—”

“There’s no her!”

“Look, I get it, you don’t remember—”

“There’s no sister to remember, Sans.” Papyrus grabbed his shoulder tight, brows bent with worry.

“There is, but—”

“We don’t. Have. A sister.”

“We do.”

Papyrus frowned. “Sans. I’m serious. We don’t have a sister.”

“Listen, I’m not arguin’ this with you,” he said. “But I need to find her and if I gotta teleport and pass out from it to get around you, bro, I’m gonna do it.”

“But…! But!! Fine!” He glowered and pouted. “What’s her name, then?!”

Sans froze. His mind raced back— she’d told it to him through sniffles over the phone for the very first time, but he still couldn’t recall. He’d said it a hundred times. Papyrus had, too. The memories had big, black voids in them.

“It’s… Ah…” Sans’s bones rattled and his eyes glazed. Panic sunk through him. He put a hand to his brow. “I…” 

His memories were clear and precise otherwise— when he met the kid for the first time, outside the Ruins, back when she was nervous to be there but excited to see him. How she and Papyrus had bonded; how she’d settled into the family. Grabbing the kid when she revealed herself to be his anchor. Normal stuff like snowball fights, cooking dumb hotdogs, and watching bad TV. Big stuff like their fight to save that goat kid and their never-ending stream of conjoined dreams. He remembered the moment, that night she’d first fully remembered the “shadowman”, as she slept in his arms, that he’d realized exactly who she was. They’d shared souls. He knew everything she ever knew as if it were his own. He remembered everything, except her name and something about her face.

“I…” The words stuck. “I can’t… Why can’t I…?” His sockets welled up again as blue flared in his left eye.

“Ahh!! Oh no! Oh no no no, Sans?! I’m sorry!” Papyrus dropped down to hug him tight. “I’m so sorry, I thought maybe tough love would snap you out of it but that was clearly not the right way to go.”

“S’okay,” he said quietly.

“Noooo, no not really.” He gently bumped his brow against his brother’s. “We will get you sorted out. Okay? I promise. And I l—”

The kicking in of a door announced Gaster’s arrival; he was at the skeletons, pulling them both into a crushing hug before anyone had even said hello. He mumbled frantically in Creatlach, too fast and low to catch, before pulling back and beaming at Sans. His eyes were glittering bright. 

“Welcome back,” he said.

“Uh. Thanks,” Sans said.

Gaster’s brow furrowed slightly. He brushed a hand under the younger skeleton’s eye. “I heard you were having some troubles. Are you alright?”

“He’s nooooot,” Papyrus whispered loudly.

Sans frowned. “Troubles? Yeah. My little sister. Where is she?”

“Wh…? What?” Gaster asked.“Sister? Wh…? Are you…? Are you alright?”

“Are you kiddin’, I feel like I’m losin’ my mind,” he said. “They keep tellin’ me I don’t have a sister.” Sans stared at Gaster with certainty in his eyes but faint desperation on his face. “I have a sister.”

Gaster gulped. He put a hand on Sans’s shoulder. “Come. Let’s talk, just you and me, okay? You’re still a little dazed, aren’t you?”

“Don’t you dare say she’s not real, too.” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “I can’t handle this right now, I’m serious.”

Gaster grimaced. He nodded. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. Come.”

Sans allowed Gaster to guide him into a quieter section of the lab— a room mostly disused, though it could serve as an examination room. There was a counter and two chairs, and a golden flower in a clay pot sitting on a cabinet. An old-fashioned radio was buzzing incoherently; Gaster reached over to turn it down. Other items had been packed away into cardboard boxes. The shorter skeleton all but collapsed onto a spinning chair, holding a hand to his head. Gaster pulled up the other chair and sat down across from his son. He tilted his head inquisitively.

“_An bhfuil pian ort?_” he asked gently.

“Course I am. Head’s splittin’,” he said. “Look, I don’t care about that. Seriously. The kid’s missin’ and I can’t just sit here anymore with people tellin’ me she ain’t real.”

“Relax. Breathe,” Gaster said. “Tell me everything.”

“I thought it had to be a dream,” he said. “Another timeline or somethin’. But it’s… not. My sister’s gone. That other kid, the goat one; him too. I remember ‘em but…” He looked up hurriedly. “You remember, right? You, of all people…”

Gaster stared back at him blankly for a few seconds.

“You don’t,” Sans said disbelievingly. “Welp. Shit.” He rubbed his head. “You probably think I’m losin’ it, too, huh?” 

“Explain it for me,” Gaster said gently. “Start with your sister. How old was she? Quite young?”

“She’d tell ya eleven, which is technically accurate ‘cause of time loop crap, but she’s ten. Looks about five, though: she’s as short as I was at that age,” he said.

“And her…” He put his hands on his head. “Skull shape. Much like mine, or yours, or…?”

“I’m, uhh… not totally sure, to be honest,” he said. “She’s not a skeleton.”

Gaster tilted his head quizzically.

“She’s a human,” Sans said. “You made her by accident.”

“I…?” Gaster stared back at him, taken aback. He put a hand over his soul spot. “How on earth…?”

“She was the red line. M… Our anchor,” he insisted. “She was born on the surface and came to us. Look, I know it sounds nuts, but—”

“It does, but it’s…” He looked at the palms of his hands. “It’s familiar, I…” He shuddered and put a hand against the side of his head. His soul let out a miserable chime, unpleasant to the ear and static in its touch. He jerked and peaked down the front of his shirt. “…_Cnámha m’anam.”_

_“_It’s weird, right? Black? Because you were out there. Out in that messed up time void place,” Sans said. “You died. In the CORE, ten years ago. She came outta you. Do you remember any of that?”

Gaster shuddered. His fingers ran up the crack above his eye. “It’s… The void, I… remember that. I… was lost and you pulled—”

“No. It was her,” he said. Sans held out his hands, shimmering blue in his fingertips. 

His father nodded quickly and Sans tapped his temples. The cool, seeping energy touched something. Gaster choked. Tears came to his eyes and he wiped them quickly. 

“I… Oh. My god.” His jagged soul sung a heartbroken song so strong it made both their eyes water. He lurched forward and pulled Sans into his arms. “I-I’m so sorry I didn’t… I didn’t doubt you, but I… _chuaigh cos, _I can’t believe I forgot.”

“You remember her,” Sans insisted.

“I… I don’t know what came over me. I’m sorry, Sans,” he said quickly. He sat back quickly and wiped his face. He looked, somehow, paler and gaunt, like he hadn’t slept in weeks. “But her name, it’s—”

“Gone,” Sans said, nodding quickly. “Yeah, exactly. Her, too.” He frowned. “This is real bad, huh?”

“It might be,” Gaster said weakly. “The others don’t… Not even Papyrus?”

Sans shook his head, baffled. “She can’t have left. She wouldn’t. This doesn’t make sense. No reset. She has to be here. Right?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted quietly. “I’ve… I’ve only heard of one way for this to happen aside from that.”

Sans frowned. “You don’t think she’s out in the void, do you?”

“That is all I can think of,” he said.

“Then we gotta go.” He got to his feet and stumbled. He put a hand on the counter to steady himself. “C’mon. We gotta check.” 

“Sans, wait!” Gaster grabbed his shoulder and held him still. “Wait. You’re still not well, you’re—”

“I don’t care.” His voice was steady but there was something frantic in his eyes. “There’s someone else, too.A kid. I mean. Heh. Literally a kid. A goat kid. My…” He clenched his fist over his soul. “I don’t know. Brother, maybe? I think I didn’t like him. But now I do. Now he’s, uh… He’s family.”

Gaster’s brow furrowed. “Wh…? Him too?” Panic shook his bones. “I’ve known that child since he was born and still, somehow, I can’t…” He shook his head.

Sans grimaced. He tried to go again but Gaster held him still. 

“Please, wait. Stay. You’re still weak.”

“I’m always weak,” he said.

“You know what I mean,” he said. “Please. Let me deal with this. I… I’m sure this is my fault. I’ll bring them back.”

“Not lettin’ them just get stuck out in the void,” he said, shaking his head. “So. Just gotta find a way in and—”

“Sans, please,” he said desperately, grasping his hands. “Please let me handle this. We don’t know if that’s the answer. And it could kill you. I can’t bring you back without her.”

Sans’s brow furrowed. He looked down at his feet. His energy bristled and Gaster sighed and pulled him into a hug.

“Stay. For Papyrus. He needs you,” he said.

“He needs her.”

“He doesn’t even know her.”

Sans winced and his frown deepened. He huffed out a harsh laugh. “That’s low.”

“I know. I’m sorry. There’s nothing for you to do but rest and heal. Let me deal with it.”

The short skeleton didn’t answer, but didn’t protest either. His father snuggled him gently, bumping his brow on his. 

“I know. I know. You’re heartbroken,” he said softly. “I am as well. It’s okay. I’ll find them both. Can you endure this for a few days?”

“Have to, right?” he said quietly.

“Go home with Papyrus and Toriel. Just… Relax. Take a breather. Focus on feeling better,” he said. “And before you know it, we’ll… We’ll remember their names and they’ll be back home with us.”

\- - -

Sans was numb, his eyes dull. He let his chattering brother take him back to the house— let Toriel gently massage his skull with healing magic after she’d come home and they’d settled him back in on the couch. He was freezing and nauseous. None of that mattered, though. 

His soul ached. The pain wasn’t intense, but it was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. He did his best not to look at the others incredulously as they walked around like nothing was wrong. They were so happy, in fact. Happy to see him. That didn’t make sense. This was his fault somehow, he knew it.

His father texted him a few times. Listed some things he was trying. Testing the void; maybe building a tracking device. Sans didn’t answer. He felt like the hours were crushing him. He could barely even pluck up the energy to stand anymore.

“Sans. Sans… Saaaaaaans.” 

It was creeping through late afternoon when Papyrus edged over to Sans and sat beside him, resting his hand on his head. The short skeleton could hardly raise his hand to wave in greetings. 

“Brother. Do you need anything? You haven’t eaten all day,” he said.

“Can’t,” he muttered.

“What’s wrong? Can I help?” he asked.

Before he could answer— or even decide if he wanted to or not— Toriel appeared with a cup of tea. She dragged over the small nightstand that was usually wedged up near the window. She put the tea down and knelt, stroking his head.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Take your time. You’ve been through a lot,” she said.

Sans couldn’t make his eyes focus. He clenched his fingers into the cushion. Toriel’s magic injected a little bit of warmth through his bones.

“Your dreams must have been very disturbing,” she said softly. “Does your head hurt, my child? Is there anything I can do for you?”

“…Nah,” he said quietly.

“Well. Drink if you can get up.” She kissed him gently on the head. “Don’t forget. We all love you very much.”

Sans’s skull felt heavy. He forced himself up on his elbow. “Hey.”

“Yes, hun?” She looked back at him with sympathetic eyes.

He didn’t know what to say. He wanted to ask her if she remembered her own kids. That seemed needlessly cruel. He forced a smile and grabbed the mug of tea. “Thanks.”

She smiled and nodded before moving away and up the stairs. 

It took a lot of effort for Sans to take a sip. Papyrus hugged him proudly and bumped his brow against his head. 

“You’re going to be just fine, I promise,” he said.

Sans held that cup of tea tightly in his hands. His fingers traced over the old cracks in the surface. He lifted it and took a good look. A white mug emblazoned with a red heart. One had broken it, the other had fixed it. That meant something. That had to mean something.

His eyes began to leak. He grimaced and slumped forward, putting a hand on his face. His chest hurt. Papyrus squeaked with alarm and held him tight.

“Oh no no no, don’t cry! Don’t cry…” He held his face gently, eyes glowing. “My gosh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look this bad ever, brother. What’s wrong? Come on. It’s okay. You’re okay. Aren’t you?”

Sans didn’t know what to say. He felt like a chunk of his soul had been taken out. He wasn’t crazy, right? He shook his head. Papyrus cooed sympathetically and held him tight. 

“You look exhausted from all that sleep,” he said. “Why don’t you take a nap? Nobody would blame you. How about I go set up a bed for you?”

He shrugged. Papyrus gently bonked his brow onto his brother’s.

“Are you still feeling sick? Can I help?” he asked.

“You really don’t remember them at all, huh?” he asked quietly.

“What? Oh! Nyeh… Brother, I _am_ really sorry, but I don’t know what to tell you,” Papyrus said. 

Sans choked out a laugh. He rubbed the tears away from his eyes, but he still felt like he could shake apart at any moment. 

Papyrus pouted. He drew back. “Okay, maybe we can talk this out? How can I help you feel better? Can you think of anything at all?”

“…Sorry, kiddo.” He smiled tiredly. “Dunno what to say.”

“Wow. That’s new.” Papyrus folded his arms tight and he drummed his fingers. He clacked his teeth. “Well! How about this! I’ll get everything all nice and cozy! Hold on just a little, okay?” He hopped to his feet and ran upstairs. “Don’t worry, we can talk all about this after and maybe we can get you feeling better!”

Sans sighed. He put his mug down and leaned back against the arm rest. His head was heavy. He felt like he’d only blinked for a moment, then he was staring up at a different ceiling. His chest felt tight and he laid his hand over his soul spot. It ached. The house was deeply silent. 

It took him too long to heave himself out of blankets where he’d been tucked in. He was in a bed, but it wasn’t his. No, this is where the kids were supposed to be. It hit him like an anvil, and the quiet wasn’t helping. He pulled a book from the shelf and opened it. Words were clear. He sighed. Wished they weren’t. Wished they hadn’t been before, either. 

He tried shifting up to the attic, but a sickening chill shuddered his bones before he’d even moved and he decided against trying again. He slowly dragged himself up there to the shimmering starlight still glowing in the unfinished bedroom. He stared at it questioningly. He cautiously extended a hand. Skimming it with his fingertips sent a jolt through him like nothing he’d ever felt and he recoiled quickly. He flinched. He wanted to try again but just the thought of it gave him such a heavy sense of foreboding that he was left standing there, clutching his hand.

“What are you doing up here?”

Sans turned, startled, as Toriel came in close, putting her hands on his shoulders. He hadn’t even heard her approach. He didn’t really have an answer for her, either.

“What time is it?” he asked.

“Just a bit past six,” she said. “Why don’t you go back to bed for a while? You’re looking awfully grey.” She smiled. “And you didn’t answer me.”

Sans cast a look back at the light. He shrugged. “Checkin’ somethin’, I guess.”

She cupped his head and a gentle, healing wave seeped through his bones. “How’s your head? Papyrus mentioned you might be a little delirious.”

“Nah,” he said.

“But you had a hard time believing you were awake, did you not?”

He shrugged. She had a contemplative look on her face. She knelt down and hugged him tight. 

“You can always talk to me, honey,” she said.

He knew. He felt faint even so. “S’okay,” he said quietly. Didn’t feel right. Didn’t feel quite like himself. “Y’ever…? Ever lose someone you were supposed to take care of?”

“I have,” she said.

“I’m havin’ trouble dealin’.”

The huge monster sat down on the floor and pulled him firmly into her lap. She cradled him against her shoulder, holding him like a child. The world was warmth and white fur. Sans didn’t have the energy to protest, nor to regain any composure. He wilted into her. She started to hum the tune that belonged to her vanished son like a lullaby, and the skeleton lost it. He hid his face in his hands as his shoulders shook, and Toriel cuddled him gently. 

“You feel like you failed, don’t you?” she asked softly.

“I’m used to that,” he said. “This is like… a whole ‘nother level of… boneheadedness.”

“I’m so sorry you’re feeling that,” she said.

“But you don’t believe me either, huh?” he muttered.

“It’s irrelevant,” she said softly. She kissed his head. “Your hurt is as real as anything.” She lifted his face in her huge hand and brushed the tears away from his eyes with her big, soft thumbs. She smiled at him fondly, warm sympathy in her gaze. “I know you’re grown, but rest with me a while. Let me help you.” 

“C-Couldn’t get up if I tried,” he joked.

She chuckled. “Then there’s no need for it.”

\- - -

Sans woke up completely disoriented again. He couldn’t see a thing, but he could hear quiet, conspiratorial whispers nearby. He rolled just enough to let dim light in. Of course, he was on the couch again, his head stuck up against the back cushions. No wonder. 

“Calm down, sweetheart,” Toriel said— her voice was soft, but she didn’t sound very far away at all.

“I want to!!” Papyrus was shrill and a little too loud. “I do. But he’s just… In and out and weird and he keeps wanting to go to the Ruins and I’m just…! I’m just really worried, still.” He sighed heavily. “I thought everything would be better once he woke up, but now I’m nervous every time he even moves!”

Sans rolled onto his back to see the two monsters at the threshold to the kitchen. He sat up slowly, rubbing his face. Though his brother’s back was to him, Toriel caught his eye and smiled faintly.

“I don’t think you need to be too concerned,” she said.

“But what about all this “_sister_” stuff?” Papyrus asked, making dramatic quotes in the air with his fingers. “I have no idea where that came from. It’s not like him to get so upset about a dream like that.”

“Mm. Maybe it’s real enough to him,” she said. “Be gentle with him, alright?”

“Alllrighhht…” Papyrus pouted and folded his arms tight. “It’s just… I missed him a lot. And he was just so upset that we couldn’t really celebrate that he was awake again and all.”

“Aw, jeez, Paps, sorry ‘bout that,” Sans said.

Papyrus whipped around at the sound of his voice and broke into a smile. He bounded over on bouncing feet and squished Sans’s shoulders. “Are you feeling much better?”

“Sure am,” he said.

“And your head?” Papyrus’s eyes glowed faintly as he put a hand to the side of Sans’s skull.

He knew what his brother meant. He nodded. Papyrus beamed and hugged him tight. Sans weakly grabbed him in return. 

“Sorry to worry you,” he said.

“It’s okay.” Papyrus leaned back and grinned. “Alphys and Undyne and the King said they wanted to come see you, so now I can tell them they can, right?!”

“Yeah. Sure, Paps,” he said.

“EEEEE!! Good!! I’m so glad!” He leapt up, whipping out his phone. He pranced around the room like he’d had too much coffee.“I’ll call them right now!! This is going to be so great, and I’ll reheat the pasta, and I’ll make some hot chocolate, and—! Oh, right, I have to call, nyeh heh heh!!”

As his brother rambled on, Sans sat back and rubbed his head. He caught Toriel staring at him, thoughtfully chewing a claw. He shrugged weakly.

“I’ll make you more tea,” she said.

He wasn’t sure he could handle even that much, but he was going to do his best.

\- - -

Determined not to spoil Papyrus’s day any more than he already had, Sans shut up about the missing kids for a while, though they were all he could think about. Asgore and Alphys arrived just a little later, and they were all hugs and cheerful platitudes. Alphys brought more of the ramen she’d made at the lab and said that Gaster was fervently back to work again, though she wasn’t sure on what. The King brought tea and flowers, and Toriel was tepidly pleasant with him.

It wasn’t hard at all to put up a grateful, but tired, front— he was both of those things. He let Alphys check his bones again, forced down some soup; zoned out watching whatever TV thing the others wanted. He could have gone for some _Under Ground Hearts_ but it didn’t feel right without his sister there to dunk on it with him.

They stayed until around ten at night, when the short skeleton legitimately started to doze off. Papyrus saw everyone off before tucking Sans in and then heading to bed himself.

Sans’s dreams were vacant and dark. When he woke again, it was to the sound of the front door. He blinked. Undyne was squatting in front of him. She grinned wide.

“Heeeeey, dude. Sorry I’m super late. I got you this.” She held out a red milkshake for him, which he sat up and took with a grateful nod. “How you feelin’?”

“Is, uh, just totally wrecked an option?” he asked with a sideways smile.

“Guess so.” She sat down beside him. “Need anything?”

“Nah.” He looked around— house was quiet. “Hm. Late, huh?” He sipped his milkshake.

“Yeeeeah, I, uh, was sorta on the surface when Paps called. Some Tem dispute, ended up just bein’ one lost its hard-boiled egg and thought another one ate it, big load of nothin’. But, hey, good for community relations or whatever,” she said. “Good to see you. Everyone was real freaked out, y’know? Glad you’re alright.”

“Thanks,” he said. “I’m, uh… I’m… not, though.”

“What’s up?” she asked.

“You sure? Everyone already thinks I lost it.”

She shrugged. “Eh. Whatever. I’m here for it.”

Sans smiled tepidly. “My memories are messed up, but it’s not just me,” he said. “It’s everyone.”

“Okay…” she said somewhat skeptically. “Explain, or…?”

He looked her up and down. Actually, maybe she could recall more than nothing. Determination was burned into her in a way that it wasn’t even in Toriel or Asgore.

“Surface, huh? What about the barrier?” he asked.

“What about it? It’s been down for months,” she said, raising her brows. 

Sans nodded. “Does anything feel missin’ here to you? Like… someone else should be here?”

“Uh… Not Paps, though?” she asked.

“Not Paps.”

“Hmm.” Undyne folded her arms. She tilted her head from side to side. Her ear fins lifted and she shot a cautious glance back up the stairs. “I’m not… sure.”

“That’s better than nothin’,” he said.

“Why, who are you missin’?” she asked. “And where’s she at?”

Sans’s eyes went wide. “Why’d you say _she_?”

“…Uh. I dunno,” Undyne said. Her eye darted back up to the bed room. “Hm.” She got up, folding her arms tight to her chest. She thumped her foot on the floor in a rhythm that matched a hum neither of them could quite place. She grimaced, then stomped off towards the kitchen. “You mind if I make tea?”

“As long as you _leaf_ some for me,” he said.

“Pffff. Bad.” She paused. “I’ll see if anything comes to me.”

It took a lot of effort for Sans to shove himself to his feet. He slouched into the kitchen as well. The much taller monster was supporting the counter, frowning at the wall as the kettle blurbled behind her. 

“To be perfectly honest with you,” he said quietly, “I feel like I’m goin’ nuts.”

“I figured. Sorry. You tell your dad about this junk?” she asked.

He nodded. “He knows what I mean. So… That’s better than nothin’, I guess, but stuff’s still… wrong. If that makes sense.”

“Sorry,” Undyne said. She patted his shoulder.

An uncomfortable, heavy chill rattled his bones. He put his chin on his fist. “Hey, uh… You busy?”

“Not really,” she said.

“I gotta check the Ruins for somethin’,” he said. “Paps is… bein’ kinda overprotective. Keeps stoppin’ me.”

“So teleport,” she said.

“I, uh… I can’t,” he said.

“Oh shit. Still not good. Gotcha,” she said. “This about your missing whoever?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Okay. Drink your junk first though.” She laughed. “Sorry to mom at you.”

She was right, though. Milkshakes made for strong bones, or so the saying went.

\- - -

Snowdin was dark, peaceful, and quiet. No monsters were on the main road with the exception of the big blue fish and the short, lethargic skeleton, crunching their way through a thin layer of fresh snow. The sight of those golden, shimmering stars hovering in spots they passed made Sans sick with nostalgia. None of this felt right.

“So.” Undyne shoved her hands deep into her jacket pockets and shot Sans a cautious look as they ambled. “Who you missin’, anyway?”

“Sister,” he said.

“Huh. Didn’t know you had a sister,” she said. “Older, or…?”

“Younger,” he said. “Also, there’s another kid. I think he’s, uh… Tori’s.”

“Huh?! Okay, now that’s messed up,” she said. “And nobody remembers these kids?!”

“Seems like it,” he said. “My, uh, dad does. And I do. But not their names. I don’t get it.”

“And you think you’ll find something in the Ruins?” Undyne asked, raising her brows.

“Dunno. Probably not. It’s just… my sis has kinda a… weird connection to that place,” he said. “I honestly got no clue if this’ll help even a little bit, but I’d like to look.”

“Feels better than just sitting around doing nothing. I gotcha,” she said.

Sans cut his eyes at the fish monster. “So, uh… You believe me?”

“Well… I mean. I dunno, exactly.” She scratched the back of her head. “I think so. I mean, obviously it’s important to you either way. I don’t get this time stuff, though.”

“Yeah, seems like everyone forgot that,” he said. “Which is, uh, kinda a pain in my tailbone, if I’m honest. Haven’t even bothered tryin’ to explain that part again ‘cause it sounds even more nuts than just, _I have a sister nobody remembers._”

“I bet.” She folded her arms, frowned ahead, and bit her lip. Her ear fins drooped. “I dunno, I just… I mean, don’t get me wrong, I don’t remember any of these mysterious kids or whatever, but something… I dunno, something for sure feels off, y’know?” 

“Tell me about it,” he said.

\- - -

There had never been a time before when Sans’s power to shift where he pleased had made him sick. It was odd to trudge through the puzzles out on the dark cliffs entirely on foot. Slippery, too, but he wasn’t opposed to being dragged.

Undyne hadn’t been to the Ruins much aside from Toriel’s old house. It was now occupied by colourless frogs. They followed the river through, though she was particularly preoccupied by the red and orange leaves fallen from dark trees. She acted as if she’d never seen them in her life.

Sans wished he could somehow pick her mind about what she remembered and didn’t. What Alphys and Papyrus had said about the barrier was bothering him, but it also meant that the memories of living on the surface for almost a year had to be gone again as well. Maybe they were just transposed to an equivalent underground version. He couldn’t be sure how much had actually changed, or if it were just the memories that were different. He hoped he wouldn’t have time to check.

The deepest cavern in the Ruins was a field of golden flowers. They sparkled and glistened as if dewy and touched by moonlight, though none reached them from above. The opening in the rock was deep and black, revealing nothing.

The air was fresh with a floral scent, strengthening its sweetness when the two monsters stepped into the field. Undyne walked around curiously, a little more careful with her big, stomping feet than usual. Little yellow puffs, glowing faintly, kicked up behind her. Sans walked slow, eyes down, searching.

“See anything?” Undyne called.

“Not yet,” he said. He tilted his head back and squinted at the top of the cavern. “Kid? You there?” His voice bounced coldly around the stone. 

“Yeah, kid, you here?!” Undyne called. “Uh, would she answer to me?”

“Yeah,” Sans said. “Kiddo?”

“Why you lookin’ up?” Undyne leaned back and squinted up at the opening high up in the roof. “Somethin’ up there?”

“She might be?”

Undyne frowned. She rolled up her sleeves and walked to the wall, cracking her knuckles. She grabbed the rock in a big bear hug and dug her nails in. With a grunt, she hefted herself off the ground.

“That’s brave,” Sans said.

“Yeah, well…” She grunted and heaved herself up with her big burly arms. “I figure maybe I can scale it.”

“Didn’t know you were into that kinda scalin’,” he said with a sideways grin. “Just, uh… Don’t fall, huh? You might be _fin_-ished.”

“Man, that’s a stretch.” She huffed and growled and clawed her way upwards.

“Need any help?” he asked.

“NGAAAAH I GOT THIS!!” she yelled back.

Sans stood back, hands in his pockets. 

The rock wall was pretty forgiving at first, but soon went vertical, and Undyne lost her grip and slipped back down into the flowers. She leapt up again with a roar, scattering petals, and jumped up the wall again with increased fervour. 

“How’s it goin’ up there?” Sans asked.

“I could do this all night!” She fell again and grumbled the whole way down. Her claws left deep streaks in the rock. She kicked off her boots and then jumped the wall again, digging in and scrambling up with a grumpy, scowling energy.

She was making good time and getting quite high up, but still lost her grip once more. She yelled at the wall and ran at it, using her own gouges to help her get farther.

“Need a boost?” Sans asked. He held up a hand that glittered with blue.

“Man, why didn’t you say that sooner?!” she called down.

“You looked like you were havin’ fun,” he said. He lit her soul in his magic. He was still weak— he could feel her weight straining on him. Even so, he could gain her a little extra height, past the part that had been lacking in grips. 

“Yeeeeeah!” She clambered up higher, far off the ground though still not even close to the top. She grappled for a handhold and then looked around. “Son of a—! It’s gettin’ slippery!” She leaned her head back. “HEY KID, ARE YOU UP THERE?!” 

Sans waited, eyes fixed on the opening. Hoping beyond anything to see a little face peek down at them. His breath caught in him.

“KID?!” Undyne called again. “IT’S, UH, UNDYNE! IF THAT HELPS?! HELLO?!” 

They were met with only silence. She looked down at Sans, brow furrowed.

“Hey, I don’t think anyone’s there!” she said.

Sans wilted. He slumped and rubbed his brow. “Guess not.” He turned to look over the field once more, rubbing the back of his skull. 

The cavern suddenly seemed so small and enclosed. Not many places for a kid to hide. Heavy heartache struck him again. He clutched one hand with the other and took a deep breath through the sickness that roiled through his ribcage. 

Feet hit foliage behind him and Undyne traipsed over, the pollen dusting the air drifting and shining like little gold and white sprites around her.

“Hey. Sorry,” she said.

He shook his head. “I shouldda known better.”

“Well…” She thumped his shoulder. “Anywhere else you wanna check?”

Sans’s brow furrowed slightly. He wasn’t sure he saw the use, and lethargy was starting to set in again. He shifted his weight and the glittery specks puffed into the air. Some of them were a bright, vibrant red. He held out a hand as they floated around, watching that fleck of colour sparkle over his stark white palm. He nodded.

“Maybe just a couple places,” he said.


	26. i changed my mind its not a good morning at all

  
It was long past midnight by the time Gaster dragged himself back into the house. He was heavy-legged and weak in the shoulders. He peeled himself out of his thick faux-leather jacket, put his shoulder bag onto the floor, and pulled his sweater straight, sighing deeply. 

He caught sight of bone on the couch and he sat on the arm to peek down. Sans was kicked back, arms folded behind his head, though the light in his eyes was dim and he looked grey around his sockets. 

“Why aren’t you in bed?” he asked worriedly.

“I think this counts,” he said.

“You know what I mean,” Gaster said.

Sans laughed quietly. “Feels wrong, somehow.”

The older skeleton’s brow furrowed questioningly. He reached down and touched Sans gently on the shoulder. “Unfortunately, I haven’t made much headway.”

“Same,” he said, and he shrugged slightly when Gaster shot him a questioning look. “Checked her usual spots down here. Just in case. Nothin’.”

“…I’m sorry,” Gaster said. “I suppose… my issue is, I’ve forgotten exactly what I need to be looking for.”

“That’d do it,” Sans said. He sat up stiffly and rubbed his back, grunting quietly. “It’s… weird, I can… every once in a while, I think I hear her hum in my head but I couldn’t repeat it.”

“I know the feeling,” Gaster said, cupping his chin thoughtfully. “Any other ideas?”

“Dark Model stuff,” Sans suggested. 

The old skeleton folded his arms and tilted his head thoughtfully. He nodded. He retrieved his bag from near the door and pulled out a chunky laptop that had several stickers of colourful cartoon food and round dogs on the top. He sat down, cross-legged, close beside Sans, opened it, and booted it up to a loading icon that looked like Mettaton’s box-like form doing a stationary cartwheel. 

“It just needs to sync up again,” he said.

“I know, I made it,” Sans joked.

Gaster chuckled. He leaned back to wait. “I… am sorry about all this, you know.”

“What for?”

“It must’ve been bloody awful for a little while. When not even I…” He shook his head. “I don’t suppose you’ve convinced any of the others, have you?”

“Funny enough, Undyne seems to feel more than nothin’,” he said. “Tori’s taken the approach that it doesn’t matter if it’s real or not if I’m outta it because of it. Paps is… worried.” He grimaced and rested his cheek on his fist. “He thinks I’m nuts.”

“I’ll talk to him later,” he assured him.

Sans shrugged one shoulder.

It took another minute or two before a plain-text program on black with the big letters “DM” onscreen opened up. Gaster cycled through tabs curiously. 

“What were you thinking, exactly?” he asked.

“Kiddo was the red line, so that might lead us somewhere,” Sans suggested. He tapped his teeth. “But…” His eyes flicked to a small, blinking exclamation point in an outlined box in the top right corner of one of the tabs. “Hey, go back, what’s that warnin’?” 

Puzzled, Gaster followed his finger when he pointed it out. The older skeleton tilted his head and clicked on it. It plunked them into the middle of columns filled with numerical readings of energy. 

The numbers the alert highlighted showed a point of energy that had spiked dramatically, tapered off, and then shrunk swiftly down to almost nothing less than a full day ago. Sans’s eyes began to sparkle.

“That’s stuff in the void, right?” he said.

“It is, but I… Oh, damn it, I need to make these alerts bigger. And louder!” Gaster rubbed his brow. “It’s—”

“Weird as hell.” Sans stole the computer and scanned all the data points he could see. It instantly gave him a headache, but he ignored it. He rushed through the numbers near it, to compare; none of it repeated that type of reading. “That’s gotta be her. But how…? Why the heck are they gone, though?”

“I wish I knew.”

“Is there any way to know where this is?” Sans asked.

“It’s not in our world or my network would already be able to predict that,” Gaster said weakly. “But… theoretically, we can, if I can build some probes that I can send out there that won’t just fall into a time stasis.”

“So can we do that?”

“It may take more determination than we have.” He cut his eyes at him. “And don’t even think about suggesting yourself, it’s far too dangerous.”

“Same to you,” Sans said. He grimaced. “Maybe we can… Okay, maybe this’ll sound nuts, but what if we retune the NOCTURNE. To, uh… look for a hum.”

“A… Hmm…” Gaster tapped his chin. “That sounds possible. But, if it’s the one we’re both thinking, but can’t recall…?”

“You can use the red line as a placeholder until we figure it out,” Sans said. “It’s a start, at least, right? Until maybe we can pinpoint somethin’.”

Gaster stared hard at the screen for a solid few seconds. He nodded, smiled, and then squished his son into a tight hug before snatching the computer back and jumping to his feet. He put it back in the bag and grabbed his coat.

“Whoa, you’re leavin’ now?” Sans asked. “You just got here.”

“The less time I waste, the better,” he said. He shoved his feet into boots and then pulled the door open, a few snowflakes tumbling in around him. “Get some rest. And come to the lab first thing in the morning, I’d like to check your health ratings again.”

The door closed with too loud of a bang. Gaster shouted a muffled apology back through it.

Sans sighed. He flopped back on the couch. Pollen that had clung to his hoodie and pockets fluffed up around him, sparkling in the dark, white and gold, and a single red light, drifting. He caught it in his hands and felt an unusual warmth from it. He squinted at it sceptically. It wavered up and down between his palms, gravity meaning nothing to it.

He caught a glimmer of amber near the dark peak of the stairs and sat up, the little spec of red floating up and bouncing in the air beside his head. “Paps, that you?”

The shadows wavered and Papyrus crept down to meet him, looking like a puppy who’d been caught ripping the stuffing out of pillows. He nervously rubbed the back of one hand with the thumb of the other.

“Sorry, bro, we wake you?” Sans said.

“Of course, I’m an incredibly light sleeper, you know that.” His eyes darted downwards and he pouted. “I don’t think you’re nuts.”

“That makes one of us,” Sans said with a wink.

“Brother, I’m serious!” He bounded over, but froze at the sight of the little red sparkle. He shook his head. “It’s not that I think you’re crazy or lying or anything, it’s…” He flinched. “What dad said. He’s looking, too, right?”

Sans nodded. Papyrus groaned and threw his hands up in the air.

“And here I am, telling you not to—! Nyeeehhh, I should have been looking with you instead!!”

Sans raised his brows. “…Really?”

“Yes, of course! I mean! Even if it was only humouring you, I should have! Right?! This is all just so weird. So, I’m…!” He sighed. “Sigh. I’m sorry. I really thought that if I could snap you out of it, you would actually be feeling better.” He dropped down heavily onto the couch with a determined frown on his face. “Okay! So! Please! Tell me again, who is missing and why?!”

Sans stared. Slowly, like light creeping over him, he began to beam, stars shining in his eyes. Papyrus’s cheekbones flushed and he bashfully rubbed his chin. 

“Oh come on,” he muttered. “It’s not… I mean…” He sighed. “This is really very important to you. So. Of course it’s important to me. I am the greatest brother in the whole underground, after all.”

“You sure are. Alright. Here’s the thing,” Sans said, holding up two fingers. “We got two kiddos missin’. One’s ours. Human kid dad made by accident. Other’s Tori and Asgore’s.”

“Wait, a human—?! What and how and who and why?!” Papyrus said shrilly.

“Too complicated; doesn’t matter. What matters is she’s our sister and she’s super friggin’ important.”

“Ooookay,” Papyrus said. His tone was heavy with skepticism but he nodded anyway. “And what… was she like?”

“Well…” Sans tapped his fingers together. “She was…” His grin twitched upwards. “She is. Great. Funny. Kinda a crybaby. Smart as heck and just, like, the nicest kid. Got no reason to be that nice, honestly; didn’t have an easy life. She has all this stuff twisted up inside from that. But she was good. Like you, y’know? And she likes the same dumb crap I like, so that was a bonus.”

“And what did she look like?” Papyrus squinted, like he was trying to see some form of her.

“That’s, uh… Little bit of a problem,” Sans admitted. “My memories are kinda messed up too. Can’t super remember her face all the way. Like I can see it in my mind but it’s not processin’, does that make sense?”

“No, but that’s okay. Try your best?”

Sans focussed, trying to pull out what he could. “Sure, uh… Cute, y’know? Like a puppy, sorta. I can’t remember her eyes. Feel like she has a good smile. She has hair and skin, like a human, I guess. She’s this sorta warm brown colour, and her hair is darker. Straight, uh, with a bit over her forehead, and the rest goin’ not quite to the shoulders.” He mimed with his hands. “Does that, uh, make sense?”

Papyrus nodded, but his eyes were closed completely now. “I am trying to picture it, brother, keep going.”

“She’s short. Real short, like three foot nothin’, y’know? She likes sorta cozy clothes. Pink and blue, I think. You made her a scarf like yours.” He rubbed his thumbs over his fingers. “She has all these little scars all over her hands. From everything. And one here.” He traced a line across his cheek. “On her face, uh… from the corner of her eye and down a bit. That was from me. Tryin’ to shove a piece of soul back in ‘er. It was a big deal, at the time.”

“Hmmm…” Papyrus nodded. “I see I see…” He opened his eyes and pouted. “That was a fib, I don’t see at all.”

“Hm. Sorry,” Sans said.

Papyrus tapped his foot. He got up and paced the room. “The other kid, he looked like mom? What was he like?”

“Complicated,” Sans said. “Rough past, too. Kinda edgy, but he was doin’ his best to be good, y’know? He, uh… He’s real protective, too, especially of the kiddo. White fur, short kinda pointy horns in a different white. I’m havin’ trouble with his face, too, but for some reason I’m thinkin’ his eyes are pretty pale. Either blue, or green, or white, even. They both have red magic, by the way. This ringin’ any bells?”

“Nnnno, no, not really.” He rubbed the back of his hand.

Sans raised his brows. “You remember what I told you about time loops?”

“Time loops? What? No, I…” He paused. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a time…” His eyes glazed over. “…Time loop. Have I?”

The short skeleton leaned forward. He held out his hand and pointed at his brother’s. “Gimme.”

Snapping from his stupor, Papyrus gave over his hand. Sans checked the back of it and smiled faintly. He tilted his head to the side.

“Paps. Why d’you keep rubbin’ your hand like that?”

“Hm?! Oh! It’s just that there’s a scar there and I got in the habit of it, is all,” he said.

“Really? How’d you get that?” he asked.

“Oh! I lifted up part of a car, I think,” Papyrus said.

Sans nodded. “And where’d you run into a car?”

“On the surface, obviously, where else would a monster run into a car?” Papyrus said matter-of-factly. He froze and raised his brows. “Waaaait a second.” He ripped his hand back and stared at it, wide-eyed. “Whaaaat?! Wait! I thought… Waaaait…”

“Memory’s kinda off, huh?” he said.

Papyrus clutched his hands together tight. “But I could have sworn I…! Wait. Waaaait wait wait. Nyeehhhh…” He rubbed his skull. “Okay. Okay okay. I think I miiiiight be kind of sort of starting to get what you mean, brother.”

Sans knew better than to get his hopes up. Nonetheless, he smiled. Papyrus checked the back of his hand again, frowning at it insistently.

“Okay, now this is weird, now I remember having it and then not having it,” he said. “…But! I kept the habit. Didn’t I? Ooooh, this is silly!! Do you think there’s other things like this?! Is this what you were talking about? Are these mystery kids the same as this scar I clearly don’t have?!”

“Well, I mean—“

“Where did they stay in the house?! Mom’s room?”

“Yours,” Sans said.

Papyrus squawked. He took to the stairs two at a time and rushed for the room. “I’m checking!!” He slammed the door a little too hard.

When Sans sluggishly followed him up, he paused as the door at the end of the hallway creaked open. Toriel poked her head out, rubbing her eye sleepily. 

“You boys alright?” she asked.

“Hope so,” he said. “Sorry for wakin’ you.”

She yawned and stretched, and then walked the hall to join him. She patted him warmly on the head. “What has Papyrus so worked up?” she asked.

“Long story,” Sans said.

“Is this about the children from your dreams?”

“Guess so.”

Toriel nodded thoughtfully. She put a hand on Sans’s back. “Listen, Sans. Something like this… I’m not sure I understand. But, I trust you. This isn’t the first time your dreams have shown you something real, isn’t that right? We will wait until you’re feeling better, and then we’ll see if we can find these two children, okay?”

He frowned to himself— they were supposed to be here now, so what had happened? He nodded. “Thanks.”

She smiled fondly, leaned in and smooched his head. “Well. I’ll head back to bed. Good night, honey, and if you can ask Papyrus to lower the volume just a tiny bit?”

Sans stuck his thumbs up, and Toriel retreated back into her room, hiding a wide yawn behind her hand.

Sans folded his arms tight and leaned up against the banister. This stuff didn’t just happen for no reason. Gaster’d vanished when the CORE upended on him, and that was a huge deal at the time. That kid was smart. Maybe this was intentional. Not the vanishing from time part, that wasn’t right, but there had to be some reason for it. Something worth screwing with the timeline a bit. He couldn’t wrap his mind around it.

“Sans?” Papyrus stuck his head out of the bedroom. “Ah! You’re right there, come here! I found something.” He grabbed his brother’s arm and yanked him into the room. He closed the door tight, gazed around suspiciously, and then held out a round, multi-legged, many-winged plush dog. “I have no idea where this came from! But it makes my soul ache when I touch it.”

“Oh yeah?” Sans took it carefully. “Makes you actually feel somethin’?”

“Yes! Well! Nyeh! It’s weird, it’s like…” He put his hand over his soul spot. “I know it’s not mine. But it’s been here for a while.”

“Interestin’. So… I guess that’s good,” Sans said. “Means she’s not as gone as dad was.”

“As dad was what where?” Papyrus asked blankly.

“Ah. Long story. Don’t worry about it,” he said.

“Is that when he vanished for ten years but nobody remembered he existed except that didn’t happen but it did and… I’m… not making sense, am I?” he asked, cheeks flushing.

“No no, that’s fine.” Sans couldn’t help a laugh. “That’s good, actually. Yeah, that’s the time void stuff. Thinkin’ same thing happened to the kids.”

“Is that… what you meant when you said he died in the CORE?” he asked. “I don’t think I remembered at all at the time.”

“Hopin’ that’s a good sign, then,” Sans said.

“But…! Nyeh! But wait, that’s not all I found!!” Papyrus said. 

He raced for the closet and yanked out an armful of clothing. He dumped everything, t-shirts, slacks, shorts, sweatshirts, and more on the bed. “Not mine!! Also! This!!” He tossed a notebook on top, the cover grey except where the skeleton’s fingertips somehow dyed it amber. “None of this is mine! And I know it’s not yours. Well, I mean, some of it is? Or it was? But it’s all different now.”

Sans grinned. Papyrus clapped his hands against his own skull and his jaw hung agape for a few seconds. 

“I think maybe you might be correct, brother,” Papyrus said. “Aaaaand I’m not sure how to feel about that?!?”

“Well, it’s somethin’,” he said. He flipped through the notebook. The writing inside was grey and nonsense, and his eyes skimming it could process nothing.

“My gosh, no wonder you were so low…” Papyrus rubbed the back of his head. “I mean, if you went missing somewhere like that, I’d just… Hey!! Wait, so… Why are they missing, then?! Shouldn’t we go find them?! There has to be something, right?!” He paced anxiously. “If you’re the only one who remembers, do you know when they vanished?”

“Don’t think so,” he admitted. “Figure somethin’ must’ve… Uh… They mightta gone outside of time or somethin’, right? So I guess if we can narrow down why—”

“Why?” Papyrus paused and stared at him with a worried frown. “What do you mean, why?”

“See, I know you don’t remember all that much, but the kid is super powerful,” he said. “This… I mean, this whole thing, now that I’m thinkin’ about it, it wouldn’t just happen to her. She had to have needed to go out there for whatever reason. Maybe figurin’ out why would help us find her and the other kid. I mean, what could be so important that she’d yank herself out of time? Anything weird happen the last few days?”

“Uhhh… Sans.” Papyrus put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You, remember? You were unconscious? For three days. At least. That was weird.”

Sans blinked back at him with a vacant expression. Papyrus’s eyes went wide.

“Oh! Oh, my gosh, I bet, if she’s really super powerful, she fixed you,” he said.

“…Fixed me?” 

“Yes! Fixed you! When you were sick, we didn’t really know what was wrong with you at all except I… Um… I can’t remember who, but someone said it was outside your head but was making your head heavy, and you had all this black goo coming out of your eye sockets,” Papyrus said. “But then yesterday you just got up and you were mostly better, right? But you started asking for sister. So! Maaaaaybe…” He gestured towards Sans as if he held the answers.

The short skeleton’s cheekbones flushed faintly. Papyrus patted him on the back. 

“She must’ve gone out there to help you!” he asserted. “It’s what I would have done if I could!”

“C’mon, you really think she’d…?” Sans’s eyes started watering again. His soul ached. He quickly wiped his face on the back of his hand. “…You’re probably right, bro.”

“I know! My sense of deduction is fantastic, you know,” he said proudly. “Oh, come on, brother, don’t look so shocked! Look at how you react just thinking about it, right? You obviously care about this sister a lot, right?”

“I, uh… Heh…” He clenched his fingers into the cloth of his shirt over his soul. “Yeah.”

“Nyeh heh!” Papyrus scooped him up and glowed warmly for him. “So! If you, of all people, feel that strongly! She must feel just as strongly! I bet she’d do anything to help you.”

“Y’think?” he wondered.

“I know so!” Papyrus insisted. “Because that’s what I’d do, of course. And! It’s what I’m going to do. Anything you need.”

“Jeez. Paps, you don’t have to—”

“But I do! Right?! Because, honestly, just look at you, you’re a complete wreck,” he said. “Plus! If I have a sister that I just don’t remember, that’s weird!! I bet we’d get along and we could do puzzles together and I don’t want us to miss out on that!”

Sans snickered. Maybe this wouldn’t go so bad, after all. Papyrus suddenly looked rather bashful.

“She, um… She liked me, right?” he asked.

“Course she does,” Sans said.

“Yes! Yes of course! I mean, who wouldn’t, right?! Nyeh heh… heh.” The skeleton smiled sheepishly. “Is it bad that I’ve gotten my hopes absolutely up through the roof already?”

“Nah,” he said. 

“Because now that I’m seriously considering it, I’d really like to have a little sister, I think!”

“Good news, you got one,” Sans said, shooting him a wink. 

“Nyeeeehh!” He scooped up the round, plush dog and stared at it in its little beady eyes. “Hmmmmm. Brother? What’s her name?”

“Ah. That’s an issue,” he admitted. “Can’t remember that.”

“And the… other one? He’s…?”

Sans shook his head. “Kinda frustratin’, honestly. I remember him less. He’s gotta have a lot of determination for him to have left with her. But I feel like he’s… family?”

“A brother, too?!” Papyrus asked.

“Uh… Yeah. I think so. That’d make sense,” Sans said.

“Ooh.” Papyrus lightly squished the plushie and he paced the room. “So… So what should we do?!”

“Do? I don’t, uh…” Sans blinked. His vision started to swim and he reached out to catch himself on the bed. Everything went dark.

A foggy image of a worried Papyrus replaced the blackness after what only felt like an instant. His grip was tight and warm with magic.

“Did you faint?! Are you okay?!” he demanded.

“I’m fine,” Sans said. “Sorry ‘bout that.” He was pleased to see he was still on his feet. 

“Maybe we shouldn’t do anything, yet,” Papyrus said quietly. “Maybe you should just rest for a little longer? We can get started in the morning, can’t we?”

Sans’s brow furrowed and he tapped his teeth. Papyrus scooped him up under his arms and stared him in the face. He lost a slipper.

“You are giving me a solid spooking, brother!” The tall skeleton insisted. With a shot of blue magic, he left Sans hovering casually in the air as he pulled a blanket off the bed and gathered up pillows and the dropped slipper. “I thought you were feeling better. I mean. You are, right?”

“Sure just, uh… A little_ light-headed_.” He smiled. “Hope I don’t bonk on the ceiling.”

“Oh for…” Papyrus rolled his eyes and floated Sans closer. “Now. Would you like to be up here in the quiet or downstairs near the kitchen?”

“Welp, you ain’t _kitchen_ me complainin’ about bein’ closer to food,” he said.

“Pfffff, well, that’s a good… terrible… sign, at least,” he said.

\- - -

In the morning, before even his brother had woken up again, Sans dragged his rattling frame all the way back to the lab in Hotland. Gaster had been working all night without a single ounce of progress on any probes, but he’d started composing the new rhythm for the NOCTURNE, which was better than nothing.

Wrapped in wires from eye to ribs, Sans recapped what had happened with Papyrus as his father set to work analyzing his health rating again. Results were inconclusive. His determination was throwing the machines off, which was unusual. Gaster could have sworn he’d calibrated them to compensate. Second round, redoing that compensation, would need a little more time to produce an answer. No big deal for the short skeleton. He felt like crap; didn’t need to know much more.

He fainted on the boat ride home. Or, at least, he probably did. He didn’t remember half the trip, nor getting back to the house, for that matter, but the next thing he saw was his brother setting a meal down on the table outside the kitchen and pulling out the chair. 

“Come on, now, lazybones,” he said, gently grabbing Sans under his arms. “Are you awake now?”

“…Think so?” he said. “What time is it?”

“Earlier than I think I’ve ever seen you up,” Papyrus joked. “Ready for some breakfast? I made you some nice spaghetti.” He plunked Sans into the chair and pushed him in close to the steamy plate of noodles and sauce. He put the fork in his hand and then hopped back to the other side of the table, leaning the whole front of his body over it and watching intently.

It didn’t smell quite right. Sans took some anyway, and it was about all he could deal with. It wasn’t that it was bad. It wasn’t good either. Felt weird to be sitting here with such nostalgic food when he didn’t know where those kids were; if they were hungry or lost out there somewhere. 

As his brother’s eyes glimmered with anticipation, Sans forced down another few forkfuls. 

“It’s good, right?!” Papyrus asked.

“Yeah, bro, it’s great. Thanks,” he said.

“Nyeh heh!!” Papyrus jumped up straight and put a hand against his chest. “The great Papyrus does it again! I knew you’d like it. You can have as many plates as you want!” He patted him firmly on the shoulder and then dashed into the kitchen to get a plate for himself. “How was it at the lab?”

“Dunno.” He rested his cheek on his fist. “Gotta wait a little, I guess.” 

“And did dad, um…? Did he say anything about the mysterious kids?”

“Not much,” he said as his brother joined him at the table again. “He’s gonna try to find them out in the void place. I guess… I dunno, I guess I’m just worried that they’re lost or somethin’. This isn’t like them, especially not our sister, to just go off and not…” Sans hesitated. “Maybe she left a note?”

“A note? Where? On what?” Papyrus asked.

Sans pushed his plate aside and headed straight back upstairs and into his brother’s bedroom. He checked under beds, finding his worn and familiar blue hoodie underneath the spare. He checked the pockets, though there was nothing but his usual bunch of junk in there. He sat back on the floor and tapped his teeth thoughtfully. Where else might she have left a note for him? Other than directly on his face, of course.

Cringing, he stuck his fingers into his eye socket. It was unusually chilly in there, but other than that, he couldn’t feel anything out of the ordinary. Papyrus slid into the room and his brows immediately shot up. 

“What are you doing?”

“Ah… Nothin’, I just thought…” He realized he’d made a mistake. He was out for days, right? It wouldn’t have been a message left for him at all. “Bro, you got a place you keep your letters?”

“Letters?! Pffff! What letters?!” Papyrus said. “I mean! Not that I don’t have a special place to put letters, but it’s just that nobody has ever—”

“Gimme.” 

Papyrus looked bamboozled but, regardless, he grabbed a small folder from on top of his puzzle binders and handed it over to his brother. Sans flipped the flimsy thing open and, right on the top, there was a letter written in the old skeleton script. The glyphs were large and simple, and had been scrawled a pen that seemed to run in between red and grey, as if the ink were fading somehow. There were a couple hearts drawn on it, too.

“_Love you, too, see you soon_,” Sans read under his breath. His soul stuttered. 

“Hmm? What? Are you going somewhere?” Papyrus asked.

“Look.” He held out the note to his brother.

“What’s th…?!” Papyrus held it up so close to his eyes that it smacked him in the face. “A…?! A love letter?! I mean! A letter with love in it?! From whom?! GASP!” He gasped after saying the word aloud. “This…? This is from sister? For me?!”

“It was in your folder,” Sans assured him.

“She… She loves me?!” he said shrilly.

“Course, you’re her brother.”

Papyrus shrieked; Sans winced and grinned sideways. 

“Jeez, dude.”

“Oh. My. God. Sans! I don’t remember putting this there!!” He snatched the folder back and put the letter inside it again very tenderly. “But I… must’ve. Right?”

“Is there more?” Sans asked. “Sounded like she was sendin’ a reply.”

“I don’t… ummmm…” Papyrus leafed through the folder’s exactly one other piece of paper. “Not in here, but maybe I…” He dashed over to his desk and peeled through old notes and binders. “I don’t know, I’m not sure, nyeeehhh…” He opened up the drawer and peered inside. “This is so weird, honestly.” He gasped and slammed his hands down on the top, making his computer and keyboard and desk cube hop. “This is crazy, isn’t it?”

“Well, yeah, the whole thing is messed up,” Sans said. 

“Nyoooo…” He held his head in both hands. “Okay. Okay okay.” He hopped around to his bed and began to pull through his bookshelf, checking between every tome and novel on it. “I don’t see anything interesting though.” 

Sans thoughtfully tapped his teeth and then folded his arms. “So… Let’s think… She went out. Both of them went out. And they did it on purpose.”

“To help you,” Papyrus said.

“Maybe.”

“But… maybe this is normal.” Papyrus leaned back on the wall, a thoughtful frown on his face. “Maybe they go out, do whatever it was to help you, and we just all… forget for some reason, until they get back?”

“See, but my issue is, if it’s… If it was me they were fixin’… Hey. I’m fixed. So where are they? If I just had a way to…” Sans’s eyes went wide. “Oh. Maybe…”

“You’ve got a schemey look, brother,” Papyrus said.

“Might have a scheme,” he said.

Papyrus followed him closely down into the basement through the door under the sink. He flicked on the light and moved over to what might have been his best shot. A capsule cockpit; a metal orb with open sides and little flat, treaded feet on the bottom, hidden under a bedsheet. As he pulled it away, Papyrus gasped. He circled it quickly, squishing the singed, grey cushioned seat inside curiously. He knelt down and peered at all the switches and slots on the inside, and the bags of chips stashed away under the dashboard.

“I’ve seen this before, right?” he asked. “Oh! Yes! I did! I borrowed the crystals out of it but… I um… I don’t think I got them back.”

“No problem. We used all the ones in the attic?”

“I think so,” Papyrus said.

“Eh. We can just go grab some from Alph.” Sans patted the old clunking machine. “Hopefully I can get it to target the kid and—”

“Wait, what is this thing?” Papyrus asked.

“Oh. Time machine.”

“WHAT?!” The tall skeleton recoiled and put both hands on his head. “SANS. WHY ARE YOU MORE FULL OF SECRETS THAN USUAL?!”

“Maybe you just forgot, bro,” Sans said with a wink.

“But what do you want to do with a time machine?!” he demanded.

“Welp. Kinda wanna see what happened, right? Might get some answers.”

“Isn’t that kind of extreme, though, to literally go back in time?!” Papyrus yelped.

“Got any other ideas?” Sans asked. “I don’t.”

“Nyehhhh, I guess not…” He folded his arms. “It’s safe, right?”

“Sure. Perfectly safe. Might need to borrow that letter, though. Back to the lab?”

“Siiiigh, yes, okay, back to the lab,” Papyrus agreed. “Though if I never had to see it again, that would be pretty nice, also.”

\- - -

For the second time that day, Sans trudged into his old workplace, though the upper floor was lifeless and a little emptier than before. Where boxes of stuff to be moved used to linger, the floors were relatively clear except for crumpled up pieces of paper that had missed the trash basket. 

Down a level was equally clear. It was a lot more orderly than when Alphys was the sole worker inside. Sans wondered if Gaster’d even had time to clean or if this was some other strange effect of the kids’ time-hopping. Maybe the world felt as if that old skeleton had never left it. 

They poked around the computer room extending back from one of the main hallways on the first basement floor, the one that had been abandoned until somewhat recently. It wasn’t very dusty at all. Another radio here was acting up with strange, rhythmic white noise. They turned it off.

“So, Paps,” Sans asked curiously as he peeked through some cabinets and not seeing much but doodads and pens, “what is it that you remember about dad goin’ missin’ and stuff?”

“Well. That. But also not that?” He peered through cubbies stuffed with mostly binders but a few spare boxes of computer parts as well. “I mean. He didn’t… go. But I remember him not being here, too? It’s confusing.”

“Ah. Sorry,” Sans said. He rubbed the back of his skull and and looked around. “I’m gonna go see if someone was actually on the ball and shoved ‘em in a charging port.”

As he stepped into the hall, he would have run smack into Alphys had his extra sight not shot him a warning. She squeaked with surprise and stumbled over his foot. He caught her, snorting out a snicker, and propped her back up. 

“Jeez, Alph.”

“Aah, s-sorry! Sorry!” Her face flushed red in her cheeks. “I, umm… I d-didn’t expect you there. Um! H-How…? How are you?”

He shrugged. “Bone tired.” 

She nodded, her cheeks flushing even brighter. Sans tilted his head and brought some cooling magic to his fingers, and then plunked a hand onto her head.

“You’re burnin’ up, Doc.”

“AAAH! Aah. Um. Y-Yeah, um… Must’ve just been, um… r-running around too much,” she stammered. 

“Whatcha up to anyway?” he asked.

“Ah, w-well, Doctor Gaster, umm… Your dad, he’s… I mean, we! We’re running y-your numbers from this morning and y-your dad mentioned h-he was trying t-to compose something new f-for the NOCTURNE?” She was still red, but she was finally catching her breath. “Kinda w-weird, I guess. We haven’t t-touched it in maybe t-ten years, so…” She shrugged sheepishly and, even more sheepishly, grabbed his hand in both of hers. “But s-seriously, are you okay?”

“Will be,” he said with a nod. “Question. Got any old power crystals around anywhere?”

“Ummm… M-Maybe? I’m not sure. Check n-near the big chambers downstairs?”

Sans nodded. He thumped her on the shoulder and turned back to the room. “Goin’ downstairs, bro.”

“I’ll keep looking up here!” Papyrus shouted back.

“Oh! Um… What, um, do you n-need that stuff for?” Alphys asked, trailing behind Sans as he wandered off for the elevator. She tilted her head to the side. “S-Some sort of… experiment or something?”

“Guess you could say that,” he said.

“It’s just that, um… They’re pretty old. They’re p-probably not charged, so…”

Sans shrugged.

She accompanied him into the elevator. He used the moment to take a breather. His head was pounding and he wanted to sleep standing. He folded his arms and slumped against the wall. Alphys was still looking red and sweaty. He wondered if she was getting the overworksies again or something.

Gaster was holed up in a room with one wall that was entirely computer screen and switcher-like consoles. Crumpled notes were all over the floor from missed dunks on the trash and the old skeleton was leaned over his desk, his computer running numbers too fast to catch as he scribbled on a pad of paper, his magic flaring in off-key sparks from between his fingers.

“Hey,” Sans said, gently kicking one of the balls of paper. “Progress?”

“Ah. Some.” Gaster looked up and wiped his brow. “What can I help you with?”

“Power crystals. Outdated kind. This big.” He held out two fingers to mark the length. “Got anything like that?”

Gaster tapped his teeth. He pulled open his drawer and then shut it again. He turned to Alphys. “Do you recall seeing any around?”

“Not in a while,” she admitted. “I usually k-keep some of most kinds of… Well, I mean, I think there m-might be a couple in the broadcast blaster, b-but I think Mettaton needs those.”

“Hmm…” He perked up after a moment of thought. “Oh! Do you remember, I had that extra apartment as workspace in Dandelion Plaza? The one right behind ours.”

“Sure,” Sans said. “There? Last I saw there was just some old desk.”

“I believe I kept a few in a box in the cupboard. In a false wall.” 

Sans raised his brows and Gaster chuckled.

“Your brother would not stop putting them in his mouth,” he explained. “They will not have been charged in a decade or more, though.”

“I c-could warm up one of the docking pods if th-that would help?” Alphys suggested.

Sans looked thoughtful. “How long’s that take?”

“M-Maybe two days?” Alphys suggested. “For a hundred percent, anyway.”

“Hm. Don’t have that kinda time,” he muttered. “Any other way?”

“Unfortunately, they were designed to charge quickly in sunlight only,” Gaster said apologetically.

“Oh. Okay. Perfect,” Sans said. “Got your key?”

Gaster’s brow furrowed and he patted his pockets down. His computer let out a chime and he leaned over to click something, but as his eyes hit the screen, he froze, his jaw falling open. His eyes flickered and he looked ashy all of a sudden.

“G-Gaster? A-Are you alright?” Alphys asked.

“I…” He shot back upright, his voice croaking. “I… I’m fine. I apologize.” His hand had a shudder in it as he checked his pockets again. A key tinged into his finger bone and he grabbed it and tossed it to Sans. 

The short skeleton caught it in one hand and gave him a skeptical look. “You sure? You look like crap.”

“Don’t worry yourself about me,” he assured him quickly. “Go on. Alphys, will you go with him?”

“Oh! Y-Yeah, of course,” she said. She patted Sans on the shoulder, her scales flushing again. “Are you f-feeling well enough now?”

He wasn’t. “Sure.”

\- - -

The old apartment was more furnished than the last time Sans and Papyrus had been there. They hadn’t hung out there much as kids at all. Sans and Gaster spent enough time in the lab as it was; their home apartment was supposed to be the one reprieve from any work stuff. Seemed like it hadn’t served as one for Gaster, though.

The room was a little dark when opened to the air, and the desk was still there, unmoved, but there was a rug with fanciful knot patterns forming bones along its edge covering the floor. There were also some bookshelves, a houseplant near the door, and an old phonograph alongside a stack of records with cardboard cases so water damaged that they were just abstract smears of colour.

“Hmm, I don’t remember this much,” Papyrus said as he strode inside. “Is that time stuff?”

“Time stuff?” Alphys repeated curiously. 

“D’you remember lookin’ in this desk?” Sans asked, thumping his hand on top of it.

“Oh, yes, it was full of paperclips, I think,” he said.

Sans nodded. His head felt heavy all of a sudden, his vision going fuzzy, but he blinked and squinted through it.

He headed for the closet that was built into the wall and pulled it open. There were a couple sweaters hanging in there, and on the one shelf at the top there were a few mugs and a teapot. The loose board on the inside wasn’t even a secret— there was a handle made of chord built in. Sans pulled it forward and, just as Gaster had said, there was a cardboard box in there. One of the tucked flaps at the top had some small skeleton toothmarks in it. He fished it out and checked inside. There were six of exactly the type of crystals he needed. Finally, at least one step was easy.

“Got ‘em,” he said, holding up the box slightly. “Let’s go.”

“Go where?” Alphys asked blankly.

Sans pointed a finger upwards. “Sunlight, right?”

“Uhhh…” She leaned towards Papyrus and whispered, “Is he okay?”

Papyrus shrugged widely. “Strange things are happening constantly already this morning, Doctor, so maybe he has a way?”

Sans’s certainty faltered for a second. Surely the world couldn’t have physically changed so much, right? He shrugged and smiled sideways. “Won’t know unless we head up, huh?”

\- - -

Asgore wasn’t at home when the three monsters arrived, so they passed through quickly and down the hallways towards the chamber that broke out into the surface. Alphys was looking a little tired from all the walking and strangely nervous as well. She grasped her own hands, running her fingers over the little orange scars on her scales. 

Papyrus had an anxious, eager energy about him as well. He kept shooting Sans cautious glances as if expecting him to suddenly claim that it was all a joke. The short skeleton just plodded along, though. Everything was aching, but hopefully this would be worth it.

As they stepped through the archway into the cavernous room that had once been half sealed with the odd, translucent energy, instead they were greeted by nothing at all but an ancient door at the other side. Alphys screamed, dropping to her knees. Papyrus put his hands on his head, his eyes bugging out and his jaw falling agape. Sans scratched the back of his head and gestured to it.

“Well, that’s normal at least,” he said.

“N-N-NO IT’S N-NOT!!” Alphys yelled. She curled up on the floor. “I’m gonna b-b-be s-sick. Oh my god, OH MY GOD!!” 

Papyrus gestured to the lack of barrier, and then to Sans, and then back and forth, making shrill, incredulous scoffing sounds. “HOW?! BROTHER!! What on earth did you—?!”

“Wasn’t me,” he said.

“How did this happen?! Why did nobody notice this?!” Papyrus demanded.

“I-I’m literally d-dying,” Alphys croaked.

“You’re alright,” Sans said.

She scrambled up and grabbed him by the shoulder, glasses totally fogged and shaking like she was freezing to death. “H-How did you…?! How d-did…!? Why aren’t you f-f-freaking out?!”

Sans smiled and shrugged. He nodded his head towards the threshold in the stone. “Think I, uh, gotta bright idea.”

“B-But…” Her jaw dropped. “A-Asgore?!”

“He’s fine,” Sans said.

“Are you SURE?!” she yelped.

“Sure.” He grabbed her arm and beckoned to his brother. “Just, uh… maybe start squintin’ now.”

The little lizard was like lead going up the dark, stone stairs, clinging to San’s arm with a vice-like grip, but Papyrus was doing his best not to sprint. Light was seeping in from the top, dripping down the steps. Alphys started breathing so hard she was snorting.

“I-It’s okay, Doctor, we’re almost there!” Papyrus skipped up the last few steps and then reached back to drag the short monsters up with him.

It wasn’t quite the peak of the mountain. There was a little more just above them. Sans remembered his first time seeing it, barely able to comprehend being so high up and then seeing even more rock stretching up behind him and the endless sky beyond that. He knew he’d been out before he met his sister, but those times were mostly just a shadow at the back of his mind. Her second time there, the first time breaking the barrier, was the one that mattered to him. He was slow; she’d pulled him out by his arm with a proud grin on her face as if she’d put the setting sun in the sky herself. She might as well have.

The morning light was a little blue, with wisps of white and gold scattered across the sky. A fresh, cold breeze whispered by the monsters as they blinked in the sunshine. Papyrus gawked. His eyes watered and he stretched his arms up high over his head as if to grasp the warmth of the sun’s rays. Alphys dropped to her knees, stammering incoherently. Sans thumped her on the shoulder and strode over to his brother. He had to admit, seeing him so happy was a bit contagious. He patted him on the back and Papyrus burst into laughter, scooping him up and squishing him tight, spinning him around. Alphys caught the laugh like a cough and Papyrus grabbed her, too, prancing around the plateau in a jubilant dance.

Sans was dizzy when his slippers hit the rock again, but he couldn’t keep a grin off his face, especially as Papyrus started tossing Alphys into the air and catching her. They laughed and hugged each other.

“I can’t believe it!!!” Papyrus shrieked as he finally let the lizard back down. “THIS. IS. AMAZING! Are you two seeing this?!”

Alphys was a giggling mess. She stumbled back a few steps, eyes on the horizon, until she bumped back into the skeleton. She grabbed his face and kissed him on his mouth. He froze, wide-eyed, and she sniffled and giggled, wiping her eyes as her scales flushed bright red and she turned back to gawk up at the sun. 

Sans watched her with bafflement. He brushed his sleeve over his face and hoped it was just some spur of the moment thing and that it didn’t mean what he thought it might. 

“L-Look at how huge everything is up here,” she said, awed. “We… W-We gotta tell Asgore. We g-gotta tell everybody! I mean…!” She paced the cliffside and shielded her eyes with her hand to peer farther off into the distance. 

Papyrus mimicked her stance, standing up on his toes. “This has to be at least ten times as big as the mountain out here, right?”

“At least,” Sans agreed.

The tall skeleton grinned. His eyes roamed the plateau and he prowled across to the right, peering down between rocks to the valley below. “Are those houses down there?!”

“Probably. Heard some Tems are already out,” Sans said.

“What?! This is…! Hey, there’s a path here!! Should I take a look?”

“Just don’t go too far, bro,” Sans said. 

“I won’t! Nyeh heh heh heh!” He bounded down along the rocks, his nyeh-hehs fading ever so slightly into the wind.

Sans took a moment to lean on the mountain and catch his breath. He rubbed his eyes. He pulled out his box of crystals and wandered a little closer to the edge. He picked out a rock that was higher than some of the others and then laid the crystals out on top of it. They began to shimmer with magic within seconds. He rubbed his head again. This was all leaving him pretty exhausted, if he were honest, and it still wasn’t even close to noon yet by their time.

He sat down on the rock to rest and caught Alphys’s eye. She blushed furiously and then, tapping her fingers together, she got a little closer. Sans could foresee one of two things coming.

“S-Sans, um…” She rubbed her headspines. “I, um… I’m, uhhh… n-not sure… how to say this, but… Uhmmm… Maybe this isn’t the right time, but I, um…” She looked around cautiously. “I r-really like you. I’ve kinda… had a crush on you f-for the longest time.”

As Sans’s mind noped off down the road, he smiled with awkward sympathy. “Alph, uh…”

She took a deep breath. “W-Would you, umm… I mean, I know I’m… w-weird and… d-dorky and… I’m… breathing w-way too hard, oh my god.” Her face was getting redder and redder. “W-Would you… maybe, um… like to, uh… g-g-go out sometime? With me?”

Sans wished that Papyrus would have stormed back up the hill, yelling about some exciting shrub or something, but he had no such luck. He rubbed the back of his skull. The timeline must’ve been way more out of whack than he’d thought, but not consistent enough to predict. Kiddo’d been the one to finally convince her and Undyne to get over their trepidation and give it a try, right? And if Gaster hadn’t gone, he probably had never really left work in the lab himself. “Alph, I can’t.”

“O-Oh. Oh. Of… Of c-course.” She shrank back. “I m-mean, why would you w-want to b-be with someone like—?”

“I don’t like girls,” he said.

“You… what?” She blinked at him blankly.

“Or guys. Or anythin’ else,” he said with an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I, uh… I know workin’ yourself up to that probably wasn’t easy.”

“But… You don’t…? Wait…” She looked confused and thoughtful now, cupping her chin. “Really? Nobody?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

She let out a ponderous sound and the shame-filled blush across her snout faded down a few shades. “Oh…Wait, I guess that does make sense. You never found M-Mettaton hot, right? But e-everyone thinks h-he’s hot! S-So…”

“Sorry.”

Her eyes went wide, her scales flushing beet red again. “Oh MY G-GOD I K-KISSED YOU?! G-God, no, I’m s-s-sorry, I-I—!”

He held up a hand and shook his head. She wilted.

“W-Well now I j-just feel silly,” she said bashfully. 

“S’okay,” he said, and then, once more— “Sorry.”

“A-And… And look where we are!! O-On top of the f-freaking world!” She stuck her hands in the air and breathed in deeply from the fresh air. “I’m sorry, I d-didn’t, um… mean to make this all about m-me.”

“S’emotional, I guess,” he said. 

He ventured a glance as his crystals. They were shimmering gently in the sunlight. Still had a ways to go, but things were looking good. Alphys sighed and sat down on the next stone.

“I’m sorry,” she said again.

“Nah, don’t be.” He shot her a wink. “Kinda questionin’ your taste in partners, though.”

“Oh s-st-stop,” she stammered, cracking a smile. “…You’re cute, I d-dunno.”

He burst out laughing so hard that, despite the blush in her scales, she snickered along, too. He huffed and wiped under his eyes with his sleeve.

“Ah, what a day,” he said.

“You’re telling me.” Alphys leaned back and turned her gaze out over the horizon. “This is… s-something else,” she said. “You’re sure A-Asgore’s okay, right? Some h-human didn’t slip by…?”

Sans held up one finger. He pulled out his phone and called the King. “Hey, uh, Asgore?”

“Howdy, Sans, my boy, what can I do for you?” answered Asgore from somewhere that sounded an awful lot like a park. 

“You doin’ fine?” he asked.

“Of course! I’m down in the city, giving a couple lessons to some children today. How are you?”

Alphys smiled sheepishly and Sans grinned.

“Fine, thanks. Talk to ya later.”

“Have a good day, my boy; get some rest!”

As he pocketed his phone again, Alphys let out a deep sigh.

“I guess… this k-kind of changes everything, right?” she said. “I… thought we would’ve all f-felt something. You know?”

“Happened overnight?” Sans suggested tepidly.

“But h-how did you know?” she asked. “Y-You knew to come here. You… said this was normal? Right?”

Sans shrugged one shoulder. “Ah, y’know me, weird dreams sometimes tell the future, I guess.”

“I… guess,” Alphys agreed, though she didn’t sound entirely convinced. “Why, um…? Why do you have those again?”

“I’m a weird science experiment gone wrong,” he said with a wink.

“Oh… Yeah. I mean, b-but I don’t think you’re weird!! B-But…”

“It’s weird.”

She nodded. “Really weird.”

“Guuuuyyyss!” Papyrus stormed back up the hill, peeking around the rocks. “Are you coming down here or what?!”

“To do what, bro?” Sans asked with a tired smile.

“Well! I mean! Aren’t we supposed to head out into the world once we’re out?” he asked.

“What about your stuff?”

“My stuff?” Papyrus stared back at him blankly. “Oh. Right. So… I shouldn’t be trying to find things to make a house with then, right? Of course not. Right?”

“Right,” Sans said.

Papyrus disappeared and the sound of twigs and leaves tumbling down the rocks bounced up the mountain. The skeleton clambered back to them and draped himself across a stone beside his brother. He levelled his finger at a geometric form far, far in the distance. 

“Is that a castle?!” he demanded. “It’s HUGE!”

“Hm? Oh. That,” Sans said. “It’s actually part of a city. Built, uh, all around a mountain.”

“Can we go there?” he asked.

“Welp. Did in the undone stuff. We can go again, I guess. Used to be ours,” he said. “Monsters’, I mean.”

“Oh?! I don’t, uh… Well! Okay. Can we live there?” he asked.

“You wanna live in a big mountain again?” Sans teased.

“Well! Maybe. No. I don’t know,” Papyrus said.

“It l-looks pretty far,” Alphys said.

“Oh yeah, sure is,” Sans said. “Also humans live there now.”

Papyrus _hmmed_ thoughtfully. He reached over and plucked up one of the crystals and tapped his teeth on it.

“Don’t chew it,” Sans said.

“You can tell the charge!” he said defensively. He raised his brows as Alphys and Sans shot him puzzled looks. “What, don’t tell me you two didn’t know that?”

“I, um… didn’t, actually?” Alphys admitted.

Sans shrugged. Papyrus cackled and returned the crystal to its place. 

“Just a little more.” He stared out at the horizon and sighed. “…This is nice.”

Sans followed his gaze. He didn’t feel much, except seeing the grin on his brother’s face. He nodded, but the sun was a bit cold for him today.


	27. past me is a moron and present me isn’t much better

Alphys wasn’t sure exactly what to do about a surface announcement. Sans couldn’t have cared less, but he nodded along and listened patiently to her chatter on about it on their way back, even if he did it partially from over his brother’s shoulder.

He tried to keep it sorted in his head who remembered what. Weird how inconsistent the barrier stuff was. According to Undyne, the Tems were still out there, and she’d gone, too, without freaking out. Papyrus remembered his missing scar, but other stuff was confusing. Alphys didn’t have a clue. 

His mind drifted away to his sister. He wished this was all just some messed up dream like it usually was. That she’d burst out of somewhere weird and hang out until it all blew over. Or that a beacon of her red magic would appear and all he would have to do to pull himself free was to have the strength to hold onto it.

He had to take a breather and rest his eyes before he headed on back home, so he took one of the spinning chairs in the main room of the lab and plopped himself into it. He drifted in and out, listening to Papyrus and Alphys yak on about the surface.

When he woke up from a dreamless nap, it was only because his brother was shaking his shoulder. 

“Come on, lazybones, are you awake?” he asked.

“Mhm. Sorry, bro, you were sayin’ somethin’?” he asked.

“Oh, no, it’s just, dad asked to see you downstairs.” He smiled. “He finished your health readings, I bet! I’m sure he just wants to give you the good news! Or! He wants you to help him find something he put somewhere silly, again. Either way, I’m sure it’s a good thing.”

Sans staggered to his feet. Papyrus patted his back reassuringly. 

“Alph gone?” Sans asked as he rubbed his eyes. 

“Ummm, I think she’s around here somewhere,” Papyrus said. “Why?”

“Just wonderin’ if she ran off to Mettaton right away or not,” he said.

“Nooo, no, I think she was going to talk to the King, first,” he said. “Buuut, she is short, and I sort of lost track of her.” He raised his brows. “Brother? Is… Is this all happening because those kids are missing? It is, isn’t it?”

Sans shrugged, nodded, and plodded to the elevator. Couldn’t wait for teleporting not to make him sick deep in his bones anymore.

Gaster was waiting for him in the room he’d been working in before. He was pacing; didn’t notice him at first. Sans leaned against the doorframe with an amused grin on his face. When Gaster finally caught sight of him, he rushed over, putting a hand on his shoulder as he leaned his head out into the hall to peek around. He pulled back, guiding Sans over with him towards the desk.

“Bad news, huh?” Sans asked.

Gaster froze. He grimaced. He beckoned to his chair, but Sans copied him.

“Looks like you need it more than me,” he said.

The old skeleton took a deep breath, pressing clenched fists into the desktop as he leaned over it. “Did you find what you needed?”

Sans shrugged. “Sure.”

“So you have a plan, then.”

“Kinda.”

Gaster gestured for him to continue. 

“Wanna power my, uh, time machine,” he said. “Got a letter Paps kept from the kiddo from back when he could remember her.” He passed it over for his father to see. “Think usin’ that as coordinates can get me back to before she left. Not tappin’ the CORE for obvious reasons, so I don’t think I can interact, but I might be able to get an answer or two. Might give us a next step, who knows.”

“Right. Right.” Gaster nodded. He brushed his fingers over the note tenderly and then handed it back. “That’s… That’s good. The way was still open, then?”

“Yeah. Others didn’t remember it, though. Which is weird ‘cause Undyne was literally up top doin’ work the other day.” He rubbed his face. “Alph, uh… doesn’t remember she and Undyne are together, by the way.”

“Wh…? Oh. God. That’s not good,” Gaster said. He rubbed the back of his skull. “Hopefully, when this is settled, things’ll go back to normal. But…” He sighed. “You’re right. The results are… not good.”

Sans wasn’t surprised, with how he’d been feeling. “How bad?”

“Would you like to see or—?”

“Just gimme a summary.”

Gaster’s soul let out a dark-toned flicker. “It’s… low. And getting lower.”

“What else is new?” Sans joked.

“Rapidly.”

“Oh.” He laughed tiredly. “Welp. That’s trash.”

Gaster straightened up and circled the desk back to him. “Worse than trash, _a stór. Ta bron orm._”

Sans titled his head. “So… How long I got?”

“At the rate you’re dropping? If it stays consistent. A week.” 

Sans nodded. That would definitely complicate things. Gaster held his shoulder. 

“Sans, I’m—”

“It’s fine,” he said. “She’ll be back. Even if I go, it won’t be for long.” He grinned sideways. “So, uh, if it runs out, hide my dust from Paps until she gets here, alright?”

“Sans, don’t—”

“I’m serious,” he said. “Listen. Been through it. S’not so bad. But I told him I wouldn’t leave him so, uh… make sure it’s only a white lie, okay?”

“I will fix you,” Gaster said.

“Honestly, don’t focus on me. It’s a bit heavy, but I’ll deal with it.” He shrugged, grinning tiredly and rubbing the back of his head. “What a day, huh?”

“Do you need anything?” Gaster put a gentle hand against his head. “Can I do anything for you?”

“Keep it on the down low?”

Though he grimaced, Gaster nodded. A clunk, static, and a loud, wet snort broke the air and the tall skeleton jumped. Sans leaned to peek around the corner and saw the edge of a trembling form. 

“Alph?” he asked. He slid off the counter and shot a look at his father. “There goes that, huh?”

They found the lizard buckled against the wall, her hands clamped over her mouth, the piece of computer and the buzzing stereo she’d been carrying laying on their sides on the floor. Before Sans could say a word, she lurched at him and grabbed him into a tight hug. Her breath was ragged and she hiccoughed uncomfortably. Sans sighed and held her shoulders.

“S’alright,” he said gently.

“N-No it’s not! It’s NOT! N-Not this time, you’re…! Y-Y-You’re…!” She choked. “It’s n-not f-fair…”

“Aw jeez, Alph. Relax, will ya?” he said.

She jerked back, hiccoughing, and stared up at Gaster with blazing, watery eyes. “Y-You have to fix him! You have to!”

Gaster sighed and bent down to hug them both. Sans huffed out a tired laugh. 

“M-Maybe…? Maybe I c-can heal you?” she asked. “M-Maybe I… I know I’m n-not the best, but… Oh, n-no, you p-p-probably already had y-your brother… I c-could try a-a-anyway?!”

“Alphys, please, calm down,” Gaster said. He held her face gently. “You’re burning up.”

“Save him,” she squeaked.

“I will do my best,” he said quietly, “although…”

“D-Don’t! Don’t even. You will.” She grabbed his hands and stared at him steadily. “You will f-for sure.”

Sans snickered and rubbed the back of his skull. “You guys don’t gotta be so dramatic. Honestly.” He pointed at the stereo on the floor. “Anyway, what’s up with these things? They been buzzin’ all over the lab.”

“Forget that!! Sans, I h-heard e-everything,” Alphys insisted, whirling on him and wiping her eyes quickly. “You d-don’t have to hide it, I—!”

“I know. Dude. It’s fine,” he said.

Alphys’s jaw dropped and she looked up at Gaster. “I-Is…? Is h-he in denial?” she asked at a whisper.

Gaster shook his head. He patted her shoulder reassuringly. “Either way… It will be alright.”

“What?! G-Gaster?!” Alphys squawked. “You c-can’t be s-ser—?! Sans! Oh my god.” She put her face in her hands. Her voice came out weak and warbling. “What d-do we do? How d-d-do we help?!”

“I have an answer,” Sans said. “You won’t like it.”

The lizard lifted her head, eyes watery, frowning skeptically. Sans grinned and shrugged.

“My sister.”

Alphys winced and shot a look at Gaster. He looked grim, but he nodded nonetheless.

“We will have to count on her returning before… If I can’t…” He put a hand to his mouth. “God. I… Sans. I’ll—”

“Like I said, it’s fine,” he said. “Honestly, I’d rather you put your focus into findin’ her rather than fixin’ me.”

“You’re in this universe, at least,” he said. 

“I literally only need until she gets here,” he said, shooting him a wink. “Could cut it as close as five minutes if we gotta. Otherwise, put me inside somethin’ funny at least. I’m votin’ for either a ketchup bottle, a sock, or a trash bag. Ooh, or my trombone might be kinda funny if I don’t, like, shoot outta it and all over the room. But then again—”

“Gaster, what’s he t-talking about?” Alphys hissed worriedly. “Sister? I-Isn’t that—?”

“I have to assure you, I’m not humouring him when I say she is, in fact, quite real,” he said.

“Sans, why wouldn’t y-you have ever introduced me to your sister, though?” Alphys asked worriedly. “I’m… n-not that weird, right?”

“Pfffft, Alph, c’mon,” Sans scoffed. “She knows you. Loves you, actually. Just, if she left our place, we figure it’s like what happened to this guy, if you remember that part.” He jerked his thumb at Gaster. “So. Memories are kinda wonky.”

“I…” Alphys squinted. “I… Oh. Wow, that’s w-weird, yeah.”

“That is the working theory,” Gaster said quietly. He clenched his fingers into his shirt and his soul pinged sorrowfully. He gulped. “A-Anyway. I should get to work. Unless, Sans, do you need anything?”

“Nope. Gonna give it a shot though.”

Gaster nodded stiffly; gathered up his notes. “I’ll join you in a few hours. Wait for me.” He hurried from the room. 

Almost as soon as he had, Alphys fell onto Sans, hugging him tight to her chest. “It’s g-going to b-be okay,” she said.

“I know,” he said.

“H-How are you so calm?!” she insisted.

“Eh. I’m not worried,” he said. “Just don’t want Paps in on it. Dyin’s not exactly a new thing for me, so…”

“What do you mean?” She looked up at him with big, watery eyes. “Why d-do you keep saying that?”

Sans tilted his head. “Oh. Oof. Guess some of that mightta been pulled outta you with the kid. Sorry  ‘bout  that. Not sure exactly what that did. Anyway, long and short of it is I was stuck in a crap time loop with a bunch of psychopaths who thought it was real funny to try to gut a skeleton. So dyin’ ain’t exactly a foreign feeling to me.” He shrugged. “Besides. I know you don’t really buy it, but my kid sister is the one that broke the loop to begin with.”

“Wait… Wait, what?!” she yelped. “You don’t mean… Like, the Dark Model?”

“Kiddo’s the red line, yup,” he said. “Don’t worry, once she’s back, you’ll remember everything.”

“W-Wow… You’re, um… Really serious about this, huh? Well. Alright.” Alphys took a long, deep breath. “If she was… is that strong, was it her who b-broke the barrier then? That’s why n-nobody noticed? If our m-memories really are a-all wrong.”

“Now you’re gettin’ it,” he said.

“Ooookay. Okay.” She gripped her hands together tightly. “So. T-Time machine, you said?”

“Yeah.”

“And it w-works?”

“Kinda.”

Alphys cracked her knuckles. “Then… Th-Then let’s go.”

\- - -

The time machine stored in the odd basement of the skeleton house was oddly light. It needed a bit more room, so Toriel widened their doors for a moment to haul it out and into the garage. As Papyrus dragged in some places to sit and their table from the living room and Sans tossed bags of chips out from under the machine’s dashboard, Alphys inspected the contraption with intense curiosity. She let her magic trace the hull and listened to its reverberations. 

“So it… it really works?” Alphys peeked under an outer panel at some dead gauges that had been soldered inside. “You’ve u-used it before?”

“Yeah,” Sans said. “I mean… Where I was tryin’ to get to before was real volatile, though. So. It worked. But it didn’t end well.”

“Do you think this will be similar?” Toriel asked worriedly. She folded her arms and eyed the machine warily.

He smiled and shrugged. “I’m just headin’ to the house a couple days ago. And the way I made it, it’s theoretically a sort of phantom travel. So, no paradoxes.”

“O-Observational only,” Alphys said approvingly.

“In theory,” Sans said again.

He socketed in three of the crystals he had and plopped tiredly into the seat. Toriel knelt down to peek inside with him as a flurry of small lights blinked on in the console. 

“You’re certain about this, honey?” she asked. “This will help you find the dream children? It cannot wait?”

Sans smiled tiredly. “I can’t.” He flicked on a red primer switch near a repurposed laptop screen and piano keys. He hit two of them in harmony and a few more lights responded. “Don’t sweat it, you won’t even notice I’m gone.”

“Oh Sans…” She leaned in and gently smooched him on the forehead. “I’m just worried about you moving too fast, that’s all.”

“That’s a first,” he said with a grin.

Alphys knocked on the metal and stood on her toes near the opening on the opposite side. “Y-You don’t leave this open, do you?”

“Doors come down from up here.” Sans tapped the top of the inner cockpit. 

She ducked down and peered in. “Oh w-wow…” She squinted at the console; readjusted her glasses. “All these p-parts… You did this on your own?”

“Yup.”

“How long did this t-take you to make?”

“Uh… Dunno. Six months?” Sans shrugged. “Wasn’t doin’ much else at the time.”

Alphys pulled back and folded her arms, tilting her head thoughtfully. Toriel smiled proudly. 

“It’s quite impressive. I am anxious to see it in action. And I hope it does what you want.”

“Same,” Sans said with a laugh.

“But y-you’re positive it works?” Alphys insisted again.

He shrugged. She began to sweat.

With a burst of snow billowing in, Papyrus kicked in the door, carrying a box full of whatever he happened to think would be useful. Gaster followed him, bundled up warm, his glasses fogging over the second he entered the room.

“Ah, there you two are,” Toriel said, straightening up. She turned her gaze on Gaster. “I’m glad you’re home. Hopefully now you’ll be able to get a little rest.”

“I’m afraid not,” he said, using his scarf to clear the mist from his lenses.

She put his hand on his shoulder. “And if I insist?”

“There’s still a lot to be done before we’re sure Sans is out of the woods,” he said apologetically. 

Alphys’s face flushed and her eyes shot over to the short skeleton, though he was nonplussed. 

“You can take a break right now, y’know,” he suggested.

“He will! I didn’t let him bring anything sciencey at all,” Papyrus said proudly. “Now it’s just a matter of sitting back and watching Sans do something completely weird and possibly crazy.”

“L-Let me take care of the science stuff f-for now,” Alphys said. “Guess w-we can, um, get started, then.” She popped a set of magic cables out of her phone and then snagged Sans’s out of his pocket. “Let me j-just synch ours up.”

Gaster hurried to Sans’s side and he grabbed his arm gently. “Wait. I can go for you.”

“Nah,” he said. He grinned and tapped the roof. “Not really your size.”

“If we pulled the seat out—”

“That’d be a pain the ass,” Sans said with a wink.

“Saaaans,” Papyrus whined. He walked over and peeked inside as well. “…This is pretty snug. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Sure,” Sans said.

“Come on, old friend,” Toriel said, grabbed Gaster’s hand gently. “Let the boy be. He knows what he’s doing.”

“I know he does, it’s just that—”

“You’re exhausted. Come. Sit for a while,” she said. “Worrying off your feet is only marginally different than worrying over here, right?”

“Hmmmm, she’s got a point, dad,” Papyrus said. “And your eye sockets look all grey around them, so you should probably take a break.”

“Go ahead,” Sans assured him. “You’ll know pretty quick if it goes wrong.”

Though Gaster looked a bit uncomfortable, Toriel guided him to a chair and all but placed him in it. His eyes roamed to the time machine, and though his curiosity was clearly piqued, he folded his arms and forced himself to stay where he was. It wasn’t hard with the huge monster holding onto his shoulder. “Are you… almost ready, then?”

“N-Nearly there,” Alphys said. She finished with the phone before attaching the cables to it and handing it back to Sans. “C-Can I, um…?” She pointed at his chest.

He shrugged and nodded so she reached under his shirt to hook it up to his ribcage near his soul.

“I sh-should… maybe be able to monitor you,” she said as she pulled away, clutching her own phone close.

“Hope so,” he said. He flicked a few more switches and the machine hummed gently.

The crystals brightened in their holders. He flipped up the cap on a metal capsule built into the top of the console and then carefully placed the mysterious note inside and closed it. The screen nearby showed a loading bar that took a few seconds to charge, and then flashed over red with a thumbs up and an exclamation point appearing in its place. The hum got louder.

“Is it working?” Papyrus asked.

“Should be,” Sans said. He waved at Alphys to back up and she hesitantly did. “See you in a few.”

“Be careful,” Gaster said.

“We’ll be waiting,” Toriel said.

“Good luck, brother!” Papyrus said with a grin. 

Alphys shot Sans a timid smile. She stuck her thumb up and took another few steps back. He waved at her to move again and she scooted across the room, sweating nervously.

Sans pulled a lever on the roof and the doors slid down in a sheet, shielding him inside a metal bubble. The warm-up sequence actually had a few more minutes to go, but the machine needed one more thing to get moving. He hadn’t told them. They would have never let him go this far if they’d known. Now, to be honest, he wasn’t sure if he had enough energy for it. Didn’t have much of a choice, though.

He opened a compartment under the console and pulled out a tube of Frosti-Gel, a roll of white bandages, and a half-homemade hand drill, then flipped up the compartment’s cover so it lay flat like a small table top. He put the stuff up in front of him and flicked open another small capsule beside the one with the note inside. There was a slot in there for a test-tube, but that wasn’t exactly what he intended to put in there. He uncapped the gel first, and then rolled up his right sleeve. Grasping his arm tightly, he popped it off at the elbow and then laid it flat on the makeshift table. He pushed a blue button on the lefthand side of the console and the machine let out a loud, magical burst, and at the same time, he unhooked the wires from his ribs. 

Quickly, he slathered his detached arm in the numbing goo and it, indeed, went fairly numb. Working quick, he grabbed the drill; checked the bit. It was bigger than he recalled. He’d used it on his ribs in his undone last attempt, and he wasn’t making that mistake again. He matched it up with his radius and then his ulna. Nope. It’d compromise the integrity. He sighed. Palm it was, then. 

He flipped his detached palm over and also flipped himself off. A bit more goo, and he powered up the drill and let it buzz in the air for a second. This was crazy. He held his hand down and aimed for a spoton the side of the palm, under his pinkie. He felt the drill bit make contact and it still hurt enough to make him curse under his breath. He pierced the bone, a cold sweat chilling him, trying to contain a rattle through his body until he could go no longer. The bit slipped downward as he pulled back, scraping along the side of his hand. He grumbled a curse and turned the drill off, chucking it onto the floor. He’d succeeded, though. He could see red in the gouge. 

Carefully, he poured a few drips of the red magic into the capsule before sticking his arm back on. As the time machine powered up, he carefully wrapped his hand in bandages.

The second he had any feeling back in his fingers, he set to work, programming a destination and a tracker into the machine via the energy on the letter. It wanted to align him just a day in reverse. That had to be good enough. He hoped it would work. He’d definitely cut a few minutes off his countdown, but he didn’t have any other choice. 

The time machine signalled it was good to go. Sans took a deep breath. He pressed three slider switches upwards, pulled a throttle back, and then engaged a final locking button beside his seat, and then pressed the fingers on his good hand against the musical keyboard keys in a D4 chord.

The world pulsed and his vision doubled, tripled; became an incomprehensible mess. Recollections pulled out of his head and raced before his eyes as if they were happening in reality before him, seeing himself from the outside.

Nausea shot through him as the visions blurred into a distorted mess until it was a smear of red only. A cold shock threw him into another realm; an old version of his own body, memories running uncontrollably like they were his natural thoughts.

He caught himself strolling down the dark, snowy road towards the massive, sealed Ruins door. He’d seen a movement in his mind’s eye, and he couldn’t help the excitement. He reached the rock wall and leaned up against its side. He tapped his foot. 

Within a minute, grinding rock growled and, carefully, the door opened a crack. He found himself grinning. The shadow of a small figure seeped out onto the snow, and his vision wiped over red before he could see the kid it was attached to. 

The memories ran on, dazing the skeleton as it shoved him through somewhere else, inserting him into a scene from years earlier, when Papyrus was much younger. They were in the living room of the Snowdin house, bare as it was, and the little skeleton— probably no older than ten— lay on the floor surrounded by binders of notes and a clear plastic sheet that he called a colour puzzle. He kicked his feet lazily back and forth. 

Sans leaned over to take a look. The colour puzzle was really pockets of ink droplets layered on top of each other so that they could be pushed together to create new colours. Really, it was a baby’s learning toy, but Papyrus was good at working with unorthodox materials.

“Sup, bro?” Sans asked. He put a mug of hot chocolate on the floor beside the kid.

“Puzzle crafting, what does it look like?” the little skeleton teased. 

“Oh yeah?” Sans plunked himself down to join him and patted him on the head. “Colour combos?”

“Yes exactly! Nyeh heh heh! All the other kids will be so impressed this time!” 

Sans hesitated. They wouldn’t. They hadn’t been the last dozen times, either. They weren’t those kinds of nerds. Puzzles were outdated, old-monster stuff to most of them. When his brother looked back at him expectantly, he smiled. 

“Sure will,” he agreed. “So you got a bunch of combos or what?”

“Every one imaginable! Or. I will.” Papyrus went back to his notes, scribbling frantically.

Sans picked up the colour sheet and absently rotated it around, watching the ink seep between spots. Blue and red swirled into purple.

Sans lost his sight again and plunged into chaos. His head felt like it was exploding and red filled his eyes. When other colours began to emerge, they were dark and moody, and lit by candlelight on one side and bright hotel lighting on the other. There, before him, just across a table, sat a human kid. His human kid. He could see her clearly, but the features of her face wouldn’t save in his mind. It was like skimming a passage of a book only to realize paragraphs later that he hadn’t retained a thing. 

He slumped into the memory from about a year and a half ago. Her first run-through. He could tell she was giving him an odd look. Almost hurt. Maybe resigned. Probably shouldn’t have joked about killing her just then, now that he thought back to it. She hadn’t touched a scrap of food on the table and now she definitely wouldn’t. Scrawny little nerd. Looked like she needed it.

“Hey, lighten up, bucko,” he said, words spilling out the same way they had all those months ago. “I’m just jokin’ with you. Besides… Haven’t I done a great job protectin’ you? I mean, look at yourself. You haven’t died a single time. That’s right, isn’t it?” He winked. “Well, chalk it up to my great skills.” He smiled sideways. It was pretty well rehearsed. He was waiting for a reaction and, just as he thought, he got one. 

The kid looked confused for a moment, and recognition flashed in her eyes. Then, she looked oddly incredulous. He grinned a bit wider. 

“Hey. What’s that look supposed to mean? Am I wrong…?” He knew he was. He’d seen it a hundred times. Couldn’t help feeling just a little bad, though— the kid wasn’t awful. Maybe didn’t deserve to get bodied. Still, that was all he needed to know. He got to his feet and stretched. “Heh. Well, that’s all. T—”

“Wait,” she said. “Um. Please. If that’s okay? Could you stay a little?”

He paused and shot her an amused look. He’d hardly heard her string that many words together since he met her. Hadn’t expected her to ask something like that, though. “Got things to do, buddy,” he said. “Books to read. Wursts to sell. Naps to take. Y’know how it is.”

“O-Oh… Okay.” She looked down at the table. “Sorry.”

Sans stared at her for a few seconds as her shoulders slumped. She oozed loneliness. He shrugged widely and then plunked back down in the chair.

“Then again, what could a few minutes hurt, huh?”

She perked up right away. “Thank you.”

“Funny thing to ask,” he said, drumming his fingertips on the table. “You desperate for company or somethin’?”

“W-Well, um…” She looked shyly back at him. “I know maybe you don’t… super like me or anything, but—”

“Oh. Nah, kid, I like you just fine,” he said. “Y’know, can never be too careful. But, you seem alright.”

She smiled bashfully. “You think so?! Th-Thanks! Because I really like you. I… I like you a _skele-ton_!”

“So. You know more than a dozen words. That’s good.” Sans couldn’t help a grin. “I already used that one, though.”

The kid smiled back. Her cheeks flushed and she tented her fingers. “W-Well, _tibia-_nest, I was trying to think of a few that c-could be _humerus. _You’re n-not too _stern, um_, so I thought you w-wouldn’t mind, um… a good natured _ribbing_?”

Sans stared back at her blankly. He felt strange. He was beaming before he realized. “Dude. That was kind of great.”

“Y-Yeah?!” she asked shrilly, her face lighting up. “You liked it? I… I did some r-research and I, um…! I tried pretty hard!”

“Good job,” he said. “Kinda nailed it.”

The kid started to absolutely glow with pride. “Thanks! Alphys helped.”

Sans couldn’t help but snicker. Bashfully, the kid reached across the table and put both her hands on his. It was an odd feeling for an instant. A human — this red-souled human— grasping to him like it was normal. Like she wasn’t the least bit dangerous at all. Maybe there was a chance that she wasn’t.

“Um… D… Do you think…? Would it be okay if we’re friends?” she asked.

“We’re already friends,” he said. He was a little surprised with himself that, in the moment, he meant it. She was a funny little weirdo. Hard to help liking her.

“R-Really!?” She grinned. “Thank you! Thanks so much! Th-That really means a lot to me.”

“Huh. Weird. Why?” he asked.

“B-Because I think you’re super great!” she said brightly. 

He tilted his head. That was funny, too, wasn’t it? Maybe even a better joke than the puns. But, no, the kid was serious, he could see it in her face. 

“You’re a strange one, kiddo,” he said. “So. You’re still pushin’ forward, huh?”

“Y… Yeah.” She nodded, and then looked into his eyes with a sort of steady resolve. “I just want to… It’s hard to explain. But if I can help, maybe… Maybe it’ll all be okay.”

“Welp. Don’t do anything too crazy,” he said.

“I won’t.” She frowned thoughtfully. “I really like all you guys. Like, a ton. So… I want to help.”

He chuckled. “You really are weird, huh? But. You know, you’re alright. We’ll see how this goes, for now.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “Hey. So. Was wonderin’. Why talk to me now?”

“Oh.” Her cheeks flushed. “I just… um…”

“Was bein’ a baby?” he teased.

“I’m just not used to it,” she admitted. “Is… Is that okay? Am I really annoying?”

“Just normal annoyin’.” He winked. “I’m jokin’. You’re fine.”

The kid grinned wide. “I’m gonna try real hard not to let you down. I really owe you.”

“Me?” He laughed. “You don’t owe me anything, kid.”

“Kinda do,” she said.

“How d’you figure?” he asked.

She shrugged a little. “Well, it’s just… No one’s… No one’s ever kinda… you know.” She rubbed her head, her cheeks flushing again. “You’re so helpful, and I… I have this feeling like, maybe you feel like you have to be? B-But… I just want you to know,I really, really really appreciate it. And everything you do, really. B-Because no one’s really, um, treated me like that before.”

Sans couldn’t have helped the startled look on his face if he’d tried. The kid tilted her head.

“What?” she asked.

“S’funny,” he said.

“What is?” The kid looked increasingly puzzled.

Sans put his chin on his fist and looked her up and down. “Guess it’s just a myth, right? That the surface world is really so great.”

“Guess so,” she said quietly. “You guys all really wanna go there, right?”

“Seems important,” he said with a nod.

“Do… _you_ wanna go? Out there?” she asked.

“Sure. Kinda like to see the sky at some point,” he said.

“But Papyrus, he… really wants to go,” she said.

“Yeah. Honestly? Think he’d love it,” Sans said.

The kid smiled. She nodded. “Bet he would. He’d like the nice parts. He’s too good for some of it, though. Hey. If you guys get out, are you gonna make a new town and stuff?”

“Dunno, not sure if we thought that far ahead,” Sans said with a laugh. 

“You should! Don’t… Don’t go to a human town, though,” she said. “I mean. Unless the whole super monster king thing is true, but… be careful, okay?”

He shrugged. “No big rush.”

The expression on the kid’s face went a little weird. She seemed sad, but only for a moment. She looked as if she wanted to say more, but she held back.

Sans felt the vision waver. He detached from the old and returned to himself, staring at the kid from across the table with an ache through his soul. That had to have been the moment she decided her fate with Asgore. Of all the things, he hadn’t guessed that. He’d all but doomed her with his answer. 

He reached across for her hand. She was real small compared even to him, and her skin was all marked up. She jerked her head up to look at him with surprise.

“Just, uh… be safe, okay?” he said. “Wherever weird place you end up?”

“Me? Um! Okay! I will,” she said.

Wasn’t real. Didn’t know why he bothered. Even so, he shot her a tired smile. “You’ll be alright.”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah. I think so,” she agreed. “You too, okay?”

He laughed. “Yeah, sure hope so, kiddo.” He hesitated; decided it was worth a shot. “Hey, uh… Weird question. What’s your name, pal?”

Magic around them bristled as she opened her mouth to answer. Red sparkles flowed through like a bluster of snow on a strong wind. It wiped away the vision and built one anew. 

It was just for a moment— barely something he had time to grasp. A little flicker of the kid standing amongst shelves of books, staring at an odd, magical cube. Then, it was gone. 

The time machine clunked back into normal consciousness. Sans shook his head and rubbed his eye sockets. He felt stiff and awful.

He stumbled out into snow. His body was off-colour— his entire being awash in a faint layer of the same blue as his soul. Interesting. He recalled something similar from when he’d tried to push himself back to find out what had happened in the CORE all those years ago. He hadn’t had time back then to really figure out what actually happened to him with this kind of time travel though. What happened in the CORE had been too powerful. It’d killed him. Repeatedly.

All of a sudden, someone shot by him in a blur. Sans turned just in time to see the kid again, sprinting down the snowy road, kicking up powder as she went. She wasn’t wearing a coat, and she was headed for the house. He could see himself back there, at the mailbox. His soul sputtered for a moment and, cautiously, he followed her. 

“Sans?!” she exclaimed loudly. She grabbed the skeleton at the mailbox by the arm and he turned to her with a tired grin.

“Hey, kiddo. What’s the rush?” he asked.

“You don’t remember? No, no, of course you…” She took a deep breath. “D-Don’t panic. Um. You’re gonna faint.”

Sans remembered this perfectly, with the exception of his missing details of the kid herself. It was surreal and a bit nauseating to see it from outside. And, judging by the lack of reactions, he was truly looking in from somewhere else. Passive, observing time travel. He guessed that was probably the safest way. At least he’d gotten that right. He edged closer and circled them. 

“Maybe don’t panic yourself.” His other self’s brow furrowed as he gave the kid a worried look. “What happened?”

“You’re not gonna remember; you fainted and… And. I th-think you went into a coma.” Her voice was breaking. She looked like she might cry. “We couldn’t get you up. I tried to reverse you and you j-just passed out again and… And it’s not good.”

“Oh. That’s… soon, then?” he asked. 

“Really soon,” she said.

“Welp. Guess that kinda explains a lot. Hey.” He poked her in the middle of her forehead. “Jeez, kid, don’t cry about that.”

“B-But Sans—!” she protested.

“Look. It’s okay. Don’t worry,” he said. “S’good thing you told me, actually. Probably hit my head last time, huh?”

“Yeah, it c-cracked open and everything,” she said softly.

He snorted and laughed, and rubbed the back of his head. “Figures.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “Ah. Yeah. Feelin’ a little dizzy, actually. Okay. Guess I’ll lie down.”

“Okay, b-but… But. I… I’m gonna save you,” she said. “I’m gonna fix you.”

“Course you will.” He shot her a grin. 

Fix him, Sans thought. That was her goal? Something she was actively working towards. He put a hand over his brow. Maybe Papyrus was right. Whatever had caused her to vanish was to try to fix him. That made him sick.

The kid’s eyes welled up and she wrapped her arms around him. “I missed you so much. I… I don’t know when I’ll see you again.”

Sans knew that feeling. Didn’t feel good having a kid like that just out there somewhere with hardly a clue to follow.

“Aw, jeez, kiddo.” Past Sans rubbed her head gently. “Knowin’ you, it’ll be soon. Hey. You can drag me back a little if you really gotta, okay? But you’ll figure it out.”

“I love you,” she said. 

“I know. Love you, too.”

For some reason, Sans was overwhelming relieved that he’d actually told her that. The other version of himself paused to a moment; he could see the tinge of worry on his face.

“How… uh… How many days—?”

“J-Just, um… Just three so far,” she said. “It feels like forever.”

“Hah. Spooked me for a second there,” he said. “Hey, I slept more than that only havin’ a cold, okay? Chill out a bit. ” He chuckled. “Okay. Yeah. Vision’s startin’ to go. Can’t see this goin’ well. Heh.”

“D-Do you have any idea what’s wrong with you, though?” she insisted. “How do you feel?”

“Like there’s, uh… a pressure. In my skull, I guess.” He shrugged. “Sorry I can’t be more help, kiddo.” He tilted his head. “You gonna be alright?”

“Me?! What about you?!” she yelped.

“Welp. I’m in good hands. Not really worried.” He raised his brows. “Take care of yourself, hm?”

“Ah… I… O-Okay. I’ll t-try,” she said.

He grinned. “Okay. I’ll be in bed. Hey. See you when I see you.” He pulled back just enough to gently bump his brow on hers, stuck his thumbs up, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

The kid was left trembling, alone in the snow. She looked cold. Sans frowned sympathetically. He edged closer as she slumped forward with her face in her hands.

“Poor kid. Sorry to put you through this crap,” he muttered. Cautiously, he reached out a hand and patted her on the head.

Quickly, she perked up and, to his surprise, stared directly at him. He jerked back as her eyes locked on his for just a second.

“Sans?” She looked spooked, then stared right through him and wilted. She sighed and rubbed her head. “Okay. Okay okay. Get it together. Jeez.” She took another deep breath. “Okay, okay, stop crying, stop freaking out. Oh my god.” She wiped her eyes and then sat down heavily on the steps. “He’s fine. He’s gonna be fine. It’s gonna be okay.”

Sans stared at his hands. “What the hell…?” He recalled this from his dream a while back. How she’d jumped and looked at something that wasn’t there. He’d predicted this already. “Welp. That’s creepy shit.” He plopped himself down on the step beside her. “Sorry, pal. This is just some weird mess, huh?”

The kid wiped her eyes again, but didn’t acknowledge him. Must’ve been a pretty fleeting thing. Sans hesitantly reached out to her again and put a hand on hers. She suddenly lifted her head and looked off to the left. Sans followed her gaze to see another kid booking it towards them from down the road. This one was a monster, one that looked a lot like Toriel. When he realized that he couldn’t process this kid’s face either, he knew he must be the other one that was missing. 

The monster kid skidded to a halt and sat down beside her, rubbing his hands over his face. “I missed him, huh?” he said. “Sorry. It takes me a bit to get through one of the rips.”

“That’s okay,” she said.

“Did he say anything?” he asked.

“Not much,” she said. “He said his head felt kinda heavy, I guess? And he didn’t want us to, um, worry too much.”

“Typical.” He rubbed his hands over his head and puffed heavily. “So… what now? Got a plan yet?”

Sans perked up. This was what he wanted to hear.

The kid folded her arms and gritted her teeth. She tapped her foot in the snow. “I… I guess I wanna check on him first and then maybe check the outside of time stuff? See if there’s anything more I can do there. I dunno.”

“Anything your dad came up with give you any clues?” he asked.

“Just that I don’t think Sans is _sick_ sick, know what I mean?” She tapped her fingertips together and bit her lip thoughtfully. “What do you think we should do?”

“I think you need to eat something before we do anything else,” he said.

“Oh! N-No, I’m okay, I’m not hungry,” she said quickly.

The monster folded his arms and stared her down dryly. “I don’t care. I’m gonna make you a sandwich and you’re gonna freakin’ eat it.” 

The kid smiled awkwardly. She rubbed the back of her head. “Aw. Jeez. You’re worried, huh? Sorry. Okay. But only if you eat something too, okay?” 

“Deal,” he said.

The two of them stood and went back inside. Sans heaved himself up to follow, only to become light-headed. He rubbed his brow and forced himself to the door, but he lost his sight somewhere between the step and the threshold. 

He was face-first in the snow in front of the house. He pushed himself back up with weak arms and sat there at the base of the stairs to catch his breath, trying to wrap his head around what he’d heard. He stared up at the snow falling gently from the grey cavern high above. They’d gone out. Beyond time. Somewhere nobody but the kiddo was supposed to touch, he guessed. Maybe farther than they wanted initially. That’s why they couldn’t be remembered right. Where did they go, and why weren’t they back? Was there anything he could do about that? Or was he just supposed to wait? The best way to contact her was still through a dream, probably. But how reliable was that, really? And being so far away, was it even possible?

He folded his arms, brooding for a while until the stomping of feet caught his attention. He looked up to see Papyrus sprinting towards him from the direction of Waterfall. The tall skeleton raced frantically for the door, practically tripping over Sans in the process.

“Whoops, sorry!!” he said shrilly before dashing inside.

Sans stared after him with confusion. He sighed and smiled to himself, shaking his head. Papyrus was a little bit of an enigma when it came to this stuff, too, wasn’t he?

He felt a bit of pressure in his soul and, soon, a taut tugging, like a rubber band beginning to strain. It was time to leave. Sluggish with musings and guilt, Sans wandered back to the time machine, which was still in the middle of the street. Nobody noticed. He sat inside, closed the pod up, and hit the revert button. The world shuddered, his soul pulsed, and he fainted.

When Sans came to, he was being pulled out of the machine by his brother, who didn’t look overly concerned but had a plethora of extra healing items and bandages unpacked from his box and scattered around the table he’d dragged into the garage.

“Are you okay?!” he demanded, checking him superficially around his arms and head. “Oh! You look okay. Did your weird time machine thingy work?”

Sans grunted and nodded. Papyrus smiled wide, thumped him on the back, and whisked over a folding chair in blue magic for him to sit on. 

“Oh, th-thank god.” Alphys jumped in on his left and pressed a chilled towel against his forehead. “I was… We w-were so worried. I lost your reading in there. Th-There was an energy burst or something.”

“…Ah. Sorry,” he said. “How long was I gone?”

“An hour and fourteen seconds, I think,” Papyrus said. “Did you learn anything?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Saw them.”

“You did?! Wowie,” Papyrus said. “Soooooo… Now what?”

“You were right,” he said. “They hopped out of time. For, uh… for me.”

“I knew it! Nyeh heh heh!” Papyrus grinned proudly. 

“I… I’m still h-having trouble believing this is even p-possible,” Alphys said. “It’s…” Her eyes shifted down to his hand and she choked for a second, her voice cracking. “Th-The implications are s-so strange! I mean, someone powerful enough t-to do all this…”

“Yeah. They’re pretty tough,” Sans agreed. “Red line, remember?”

“It’s j-just hard to, um, wrap my m-mind around,” the lizard admitted.

“Okay, yes, very strong and tough kids, but so now what?” Papyrus asked. “How do we get them back?”

“I, uh… I don’t know,” Sans said. “To be honest, I don’t even know for sure if somethin’ actually went wrong anymore, but I just got this… I dunno, this feelin’ about it.”

“Hmmmm.” He perked to the sound of the doorknob clicking and he grinned. “Ah! Just in time.”

Sans lifted his head. White light filtered in as Gaster pushed the door open. He was carrying several mugs. Toriel was close behind.

“Oh, Sans!” She raced to him and knelt down, holding his shoulder with one hand and cupping his cheek with the other. “You had us so worried, sweetheart. We had no idea how long you’d be gone.”

“Same,” he said bashfully. 

She snorted and leaned in to kiss his forehead. “My silly, reckless, brilliant boy…”

“Sans, that was bloody dangerous,” Gaster said, wide-eyed. “Are you alright? Here.” He passed over some of Asgore’s blend of tea. “What happened? What were you thinking?”

Sans laughed. He sipped the hot tea and then rubbed the back of his skull. “S’alright. It’s, uhh… It makes you a phantom. You just kinda watch, mostly. Theorized it would, so no big deal, I guess.”

“Ah. Right,” he said. “And what did you find?”

“I was right, of course!” Papyrus announced, accepting a mug from his father as well and passing another to Alphys. “The mysterious time siblings left time to save Sans. Which honestly makes the most sense, I’m not sure you needed to time travel to find that out, brother.”

“A-Are we just going to brush by that S-Sans literally built a working time machine, though?!” Alphys said shrilly. “Th-The implications—!”

“It’s, uh, not real multipurpose,” he said. “Not very efficient, either.” He pointed back at it. “Crystals are used up already.”

Alphys ducked back to check. She squeaked. “Th-They’re gone!”

“Oh. That’s worse,” Sans laughed. “Of _quartz_ they are.”

Toriel cracked a smile despite the worry creasing her brow. “That doesn’t sound good. But! At least you got the information you needed, didn’t you?” 

“Welp. All I really got was that the missin’ kids left our time tryin’ to fix me. Which we already suspected. So…”

“Confirmation is good, but still…” Gaster put a hand on Sans’s shoulder. “You saw them yourself?”

“Yeah. Overheard the start of their plan,” he said. “It… was so weird, though. I was lookin’ them right in the face and I still couldn’t tell you what they really look like. Or sound like. It’s… It’s like they just don’t wanna stick.”

Gaster frowned faintly. Toriel shot him a worried look. He folded his arms and sighed. 

“I was afraid of that. I am having a similar experience in my own mind, to be honest.” 

“So you have seen them, too?” Toriel frowned. “Goodness. This is… This is something else, hun. We really do need to figure this out, don’t we?”

“Would love to,” Sans said.

Gaster extended a hand towards Sans’s head. “May I?”

Sans nodded. Toriel gave them some space; Gaster squatted down and rested one hand against the short skeleton’s skull and the other against his soul spot. He bumped his brow against his son’s and waited a few seconds. When he pulled back, his troubled look had only intensified. 

“I… I’m afraid I don’t remember anything even related to that,” he said. “And I’m not sure what our next steps need to be.”

“Me neither,” Sans admitted. “Thing is, I do remember faintin’ in the bed. Paps, what do you remember?”

“That’s odd. I remember finding you on the steps,” Papyrus said. “But… Oh. This is weird. Really really weird. I remember your face being cracked and not being able to heal it.”

“It’s the same for me,” Gaster admitted.

“Somethin’ got mixed up,” Sans said. “That was the first time.”

“The first time?” Gaster asked. “I don’t understand.”

Sans tilted his head. “Weird. Thought you’d remember more.”

“So did I!” He laughed tiredly. “So you’re saying you fainted twice.”

“First time, passed out on the steps, I guess. Was out three days,” Sans said. “Second time’s the one you just saw.” He turned to Papyrus. “Kiddo went back, found me before, and warned me so I wouldn’t break my dumb bones open.”

“Oh! Of course.” Gaster clapped his hand against his brow. “That’s when we did all the tests on you, during those three days.”

“So there’s missing time again?! Uuugghhh, that’s so annoying though!” Papyrus whined. “Don’t get me wrong, I am very very very glad you did not break your face but… This is awfully confusing.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Sans said.

“I just did. Very confusing,” Papyrus muttered. “Nyeh!! Listen! We can’t let this thoroughly bamboozle us!” 

“_Boneboozle_,” Sans said.

“That. Is. A. Stretch!!” the tall skeleton chided, though Toriel chuckled. “Okay! We need! I don’t know what! Dad, what do we need?”

“Honestly, I’m a little at a loss,” he said. “We don’t know if this is a normal process and they’ll return on their own or—”

“Don’t think so,” Sans said. “I figure they should have popped back in around the time I woke up. ‘Cause they fixed whatever my main problem was that was keepin’ me under. I just got this feelin’ like they should’ve been back by now and somethin’ went wrong. She… She wouldn’t be gone this long if she could help it.”

Gaster folded his arms and his brow furrowed worriedly. “I have a lot of work to do,” he said, turning for the door. 

“Wait!” Papyrus snatched his sleeve. “Can you stay? For a little longer? At least for a meal. I’m going to really very much insist because I can feel your energy is very wonky still.”

“He’s right,” Toriel said. She grabbed his hand. “We’ll get from Grillby’s for you and Sans, alright? Alphys, what do you think, would you like to stay to eat?”

“A-Actually…” She stood up oddly straight, holding an arm behind her back. “I… I sh-should go, for now. We, um, still have a lot of numbers to run and… um… I’d l-like to help any way I can!”

“…I agree,” Gaster said. He gently pulled away from the others. “I am sorry. Alphys, I’ll come with you.”

“Aw…” Papyrus pouted. 

“Gaster,” Toriel said sternly. 

He dipped his head and, catching Sans’s eye, winced and then headed for the door. “I don’t have a choice. I’m sorry.” He headed out and, with a squeak, Alphys gathered up her stuff in her arms and scampered after him.

Sans rubbed his head. Toriel folded her arms and sighed disapprovingly. She put her hand on his back.

“It will be alright,” she said softly. 

He wanted to agree, but his voice caught. He froze into his bones and his vision distorted with chunks of colour. He grasped to Toriel’s shirt as vertigo made him sick. The corners of his eyes filled with snow. “Th-Think I’m goin’ down,” he croaked. 

He was lost in black water; a lightless, obsidian lake. He sunk and there was nowhere to go. He closed his eyes and let himself float. It was a dream. Relax and let it run its course. His whole body didn’t hurt in here.

He felt a buzz of magic through him. Opening one eye, he peeked around curiously. Below him, he saw the tiniest drop of red. His bones rattled. He let himself drift down towards it. The closer he got, the more the red took on a shape: a moving, shifting outline. Red on black, like a rotoscope in energy of a kid standing, staring away at the void. Was that her? Was it a dream? He thought he could hear a song.

He was cautious coming close. But, if it was her… He had to know. “Kid…? Are you…?”

“I’m lost,” she said quietly. She stared off into the darkness, though there was nothing much there to see. 

Sans put his hand on her shoulder. She turned cautiously. Her features wouldn’t process in his mind, but he could see a dismal, tired kid before him. Stark crimson eyes beamed up at him and in her strange, scribbled form, a scar beside her eye glowed as red as if it were an open cut. 

She stared at him and hesitantly reached out to him. “Are you… you?” Her void-black hand pressed against his chest, drawing out the light of his soul. The instant she saw blue, she buckled like her legs had been kicked and wrapped her arms around his ribs, pressing her forehead against him. 

Before he could get a single word out, she turned to dust against him and was gone. He felt every ounce of heartbreak all over again. The soot-black ash stained his hands. His knees went weak and he trembled and fell.

He woke up with a start in the living room, light dim and grey as it came in through the windows. His eye was blazing, as was his soul, and it took him a few seconds to realize there was no dust on his bones. 

Papyrus was sitting on the stairs, asleep with his head on his chest. He could hear Toriel mumbling in another room.

A little red spark drifted around from the cushions and he cupped it in his hands. It flittered and fluffed over the wrapped up cut in the side of his palm. Wasn’t pollen at all, was it? He clutched it close, flicking blue magic in his palms, and it floated up against the hidden wound and vanished. He felt the single, tiny ping of a note deep inside his soul.

He grimaced and put an arm over his eyes, feeling the heat of tears regardless. Wherever she was, he hoped she wasn’t alone. He hoped she was safe.


	28. is Somewhere Else

Frisk’s eyes snapped open at the touch of familiar blue magic against her soul, despite the heavy lethargy weighing down her skull. Her eyes were out of focus, but in the warm, orange-tinted light amongst stark shadows, she thought she saw a boney leg wearing a fuzzy pink slipper.

She shot upright, a blanket falling away from her shoulders. It took her brain a moment to process her surroundings. A small cabin, maybe. There was a low table off to her right, and some flat pillows around it. Across from her, sitting on a pillow himself, was a skeleton in a cozy, blue and black sleep robe, with a shining blue iris, sipping tea. 

“Sans?!” she yelped.

The second he readjusted himself, she realized she wasn’t seeing who she thought she was. He looked almost identical to her brother in some ways, but he was a little bigger, had a healed crack in the right side of his skull, and pointed teeth in his grin. Even the blue in his eye wasn’t quite the same. Frisk’s heart faltered and her eyes blurred with tears. 

“I’m…” This wasn’t home. This was a stranger. She buckled forward and held her face in hands. “I-I’m sorry,” she rasped out. “I’m s-so sorry.”

It was hard to hear past the thumping in her ears, but the skeleton shuffled and let out a soft sigh.

“Jeez, kid,” he said quietly. He sounded just like him. “S’alright. Hey.” One of his hands, big and clawed, rested on her shoulder and then consolingly patted her back. “Cry it out. S’okay.”

She choked. What had she done? Her mind shot back to the attack out in the void. A headache pressed in and she felt like she was going to be sick. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. “I… I didn’t mean to come here, I’m so sorry.”

He tutted gently. She sniffled and tried to force herself not to cry, but it didn’t quite work. She had trouble catching her breath. It took her a moment to look up. The skeleton that sounded like her brother peered at her with sympathy in his grin, brows bent slightly. She gulped heavily, her throat rough and strained.

“S-Sorry,” she said quietly.

“Pretty far from home, huh?” he said gently.

“Y… Yeah.”

“And I look a bit like someone you know pretty well, right?” he said.

She nodded.

He got a little closer and offered her a bone-patterned handkerchief from his pocket. She reached for it but then noticed a blue stripe around her wrist. She paused, confused. The skeleton smiled and put the cloth into her hand. She carefully wiped her eyes with it. 

“Keep it,” he said. “Gonna be okay?”

“I h-hope so,” she said softly.

“So. Whatcha doin’ here?” he asked.

“It… was an accident. I think,” she said quietly. “I got attacked and I… I fell, I think. Was I, um…? Was I out for a long time?”

“Long enough,” he said. “Few hours.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. 

He laughed. “Jeez. Relax. You’re okay.”

She sniffled again, tying to get a hold of herself. “So, um…” She looked at her wrists. “Is, uh…? Am I, like… under arrest?”

The skeleton laughed. “Only if you’re into stabbin’. Which I doubt.”  He grinned and the shining blue in his left eye dimmed down to reveal his white pupils. The one in his right was dimmer than the one in his left, though.  “Think of it like a guest pass. There aren’t a lot of humans around here. Marks ya as a safe one. Unless it goes over red.”

“Oh. But my magic is red. Is that bad?”

He looked taken aback. He tapped his teeth. “Hm. Not sure. Never happened before.” He shrugged. “Welp, it goes weird, just let a guard take ya, be cool, and then ask for me. Shouldn’t be a big deal.”

Frisk ran her fingers over the blue stripe on her left. She could feel a faint hum of magic under her touch. “You’re Sans, right?” Her voice came out weaker than she wanted.

“Sure am,” he said. He pointed at the side of her face. “Sorry. You, uh, mind if I…?”

She shook her head. With careful hands, he held her cheeks, his eyes inquisitive and inspecting. Was far from the first time a monster had done this. She patiently let him until she noticed he was missing a finger on his right hand. Her heart thunked and her mouth went dry.

“Wait. Wait wait.” She grabbed both of his hands tight in hers. “I… I know you?”

He smiled sideways and his left eye lit up again with his bright, sky blue. “Think I know you, too.” His claw lightly traced the scar on her face. “Welp. I mean. Least I heard a pretty detailed description.”

“I-Is this the place where everything was cursed and stuff?” she asked. “A-And you… got hurt protecting a human? And Undyne’s the Queen now?”

He grinned. “Nailed it. You met my brother.”

“Yeah!” A spark lit in the kid’s eyes. “Yeah, in a dream! My brother looked like you because—”

“Same guy. Kinda.” He chuckled. “Welp. Sorry to freak y’out, but it’s nice t’meet ya.”

Frisk laughed and shook her head, wiping her eyes again. “You didn’t freak me out.”

“Couldda fooled me,” he teased.

She shook her head again. “No no, it’s… It’s just, I kinda hoped maybe I’d be home. And he’d be…” She sighed.

“Somethin’ happen?” he asked.

“He’s sick. My brother, Sans, I mean. From the time stuff,” she said. “I’m trying to fix it. I thought maybe I did but now I’m… here.” She looked at him worriedly. “I didn’t mess anything up on the way in, did I?”

“No,” he said. He got settled where he was and floated over an old, ceramic kettle and a tea cup in a stream of blue magic. He poured some tea and passed it to her. “Tell me about this _time stuff_.”

Frisk gladly accepted and sipped the drink. It wasn’t anything like back home. It was a bit toasty. It was nice, though. 

“Well, um, I time travel. Because my soul is made of only determination. My world, it basically has this big huge magic thing in it that accidentally blew up and screwed up time. And that happened in a bunch of other worlds, also? It let a bunch of other… um. Time kids?We call them anomalies. Ones with red souls, I guess? It let them pass in and out, messing stuff up, until I came and stopped them. My brother called me an anchor because of that,” she said. “Does that… sound familiar?”

“In parts. Yeah. Hm. Anchor, huh?” His eyes seemed to glitter. “Good word for it. What else?”

“Okay, so, um, in my timeline, stuff was just starting to get settled but then my brother got sick because… Well, there was a guy in another timeline screwing with stuff, but also I think because I went out into the space outside of time to try to fix something else that was wrong with his head, but I messed it up somehow.”

“How?” he pressed.

“I’m not sure. I was… trying to seal out the other ones, because my brother started seeing into other times while he was awake. And then my dad said bad versions of him were trying to creep in, and that I needed to make sure they didn’t get in. But when we went out there, I… I guess I went too far, and I passed out. My dad had to save me, but another him from another world sensed him and made another rip; I think that made a huge pressure in my brother’s head and it just totally wrecked him,” she said. “I… thought I figured it out. We went to that world and we stopped the energy flow that was going right into Sans’s head, but now I’m here and…” Her voice caught for a second of sheer panic. “Asriel.”

“Asriel?” The skeleton’s eyes went wide. “The Prince?”

“Oh my god, he was with me,” she said shrilly. “We got attacked! I… I think I got knocked out. Y-You didn’t see anyone else out there, did you?! Like, a guy with big skeleton blaster things?!” She wilted when Sans shook his head. “Asriel… He has the same soul as me, basically, you didn’t hear another one, did you?”

“Oh. Weird. Okay.” He tapped his teeth. “I did. But far away. I thought it was just echoin’ weird, but… He followin’ you?”

“I think so, yeah, I mean. It takes him longer to get through the outside place than I do, so…” 

“So he’s probably on your tail,” he said. “I’ll leave him a note when we go.”

“Go? Go where?” Frisk said shrilly.

“Well, can’t just leave ya.” He smiled sideways. “S’nice hut, but there’s not much here but tea, huh? Take you back to my place. Papy’ll be real glad to see you again, and he can patch y’up better than I can. Plus. We kinda got an anchor, too. Think you’d get along.”

Frisk’s jaw dropped. “Y-You… have a…?”

“Yup. Little human kid. Red soul. Think you might recognize her. ” He winked. “Weird, huh?”

“S-Super weird,” she stammered. 

He grinned at her. “Don’t worry too much. We’ll take care of ya while you’re here. Owe ya for helpin’ my little bro anyway.”

“I, um…! Thank you,” she said bashfully.

Sans gave her a little time to get her feet under her before leading her outside of the little cottage. The place around them was completely foreign to her. Though it was clearly a cavern, they were surrounded by trees with black, twisted trunks and bright, shiny silver and pink leaves. At the edge of their small forest, the rock walls around them had a shape like a bundt tin— right at the centre, the ceiling, carved with some sort of geometric patterns, dipped low into a funnel shape. There was a hole in the floor and, between it and the lowest part of the dip, was a huge orb of light that shifted softly in colours like a blown-out, pastel lava lamp trapped in a star. Trails of energy streamed upwards into a gap in the rock above it and below through the hole in earth. 

“That’s what we call the Soul of the World,” Sans said. 

“Oh… Wow. N-Nothing back home looks like this,” Frisk said. She wondered if it could be their version of the CORE. She pointed towards the light. “Can I… see it?”

“Sure. Don’t touch, though.” He smiled apologetically and tapped the side of his skull. “Can kinda mess with ya.”

“Got it.” 

Frisk crept closer, peering up at the encroaching cavern curiously. There were crystals jutting from the stone, roundish and shining with the light of the magic. 

“You fell outta there.” Sans joined her, dragging a wooden chair and scribbling something on a notepad. He plunked it upright on the chair, and then put a small crystal down with it. “Alright. If your, uh, Asriel shoots out any time before next check-in, I’ll know about it.”

Frisk didn’t really get it, but she nodded. “Thank you.”

The skeleton put a hand on her head and mussed up her hair gently. “Don’t stress too much. You’ll be safe here.”

“I’m more worried about him,” she said. “So I… can’t get back out this way?”

“You can. But it’ll take a bit of doin’,” he said apologetically. He nodded his head away from the light. “C’mon."

Frisk cautiously followed him. Once they’d reached the trees again, he snapped his fingers and a swirling, blue portal appeared in front of him. The kid froze. He beckoned to it and, with a gulp, Frisk stepped through.

Sunlight blinded her and she had to shield her eyes for a second. A breeze whipped by and she brushed her hair out of her face, blinking heavily. Laid out before her was a massive, vibrant green field that seemed to stretch onwards forever. The grass rippled in the wind. She could see trees far in the distance, and when she looked up, the sky was bright and blue, with cottonpuff clouds drifting at speed high above. 

She whirled around, eyes wide, and looked up at a massive, rocky spire that climbed up behind them. A rainbow aurora of magic wafted out of its peak and there was the faintest hum of a melody in the air.

“Wh…? Oh wow. You guys are out?” Frisk squeaked.

“Yup,” Sans said. “Once our kiddo broke the curse, the old King blew the top off the mountain. S’been pretty nice, honestly.”

“Y-Yeah?” Frisk looked out over the grass and took a deep breath of fresh air. “Yeah. This is really nice.”

“How’s it at yours?” he asked. “You out?”

“Y-Yeah. It’s… It’s good,” she said. “It’s really good.”

“But?” Sans gave her a knowing look. 

Frisk’s cheeks flushed. She folded her arms. “I guess I get anxious thinking about it a little bit.”

“Oh yeah? Why?” he asked.

“Humans, um… They weren’t very nice to me, and out there was kinda their space, you know?” she said. “And, um… My first time back up there after coming down got undone, and it, uh… kinda messed me up a little.”

“Give yourself some time,” he said. He tilted his head. “C’mon. Gotta walk a little ways away before I can get us to the house.”

“O-Oh. Okay.” She followed him as he started across the field. “Do you teleport?”

“Yeah. Magic in there goofs it up a bit, though.”

Though the kid couldn’t get her family out of her mind, she had to admit, the brightness of this place was refreshing. She watched Sans curiously. He had a steady, lazy gait with a little stiffness on his right, and he looked oddly strong in his shoulders. He was a little taller than she was used to, too. Despite his sharklike grin, his face wasn’t all that different from her brother’s. His eyes seemed heavier, but the same otherwise, aside from the healed damage to his skull. She wondered what Papyrus would look like since the curse seemed to have faded. Or that other human— another “Frisk”. Her stomach did a flip. She hoped it wouldn’t be like looking in a mirror. 

“So. You been to many other worlds before?” Sans asked. “That your thing?”

“Um. Well. N-No. And, I hope not,” Frisk said. “I’m… not so good at being away from home. I’ve just been to… I guess, two other places? One I did a reset for a Sans who was stuck at the end of the world. I didn’t see much of that place, just part near where the King lives. The other one was the one where the other version of my dad did that thing I mentioned. It looked a lot like home, to be honest. Your place looks super different so far. Except the part of your house I saw in the dream, I guess.”

“Right. So, just dire situation stuff except this place,” he said. “Lucky ya came here.”

“Yeah. That’s a weird c-coincidence, actually,” she said.

“Might not be. Might be that your soul recognized us without you noticin’,” he said. He grinned. “All speculation, mind ya, I actually got no clue. I’ve seen the outside; never been there.”

“Yeah, well, don’t go if you can help it,” she said. She cleared her throat. “My thing is more… small fixes, you know? A-And not dying, I guess. This is all pretty new for me.”

“Hm.” The skeleton paused, holding his hand above his eyes and squinting into the distance. He turned around and then took three steps backwards. “Alright.” He offered his hand. “It’s a little less accurate with a number two, but I think I got it.”

“Thanks.” Frisk grabbed onto him.

The wide field of green was replaced in an instant with frosty wind, snow, and a house she had seen once before. It looked like a squat little fort, but she recalled it being ashen black last time. Now, it looked like it was made of normal, grey stone. Festive lights flickering in red, green, and white hung from the windowsills.

“Huh, just a few feet off, not too bad,” Sans said. He winked. “Lucky it wasn’t the other side or we might be wringin’ our shoes out, huh?”

An indigo, devilish looking monster in a long purple scarf that had been walking down the street jumped upon seeing them. “Mr. Sans…?! Is that a human there?!” she yelped.

He grabbed Frisk’s arm and held it out. The monster’s expression quickly shifted into a smile. 

“Oh! I see! Enjoy your visit!” she said, waving as she headed on her way.

Frisk bashfully waved back.

“See?” Sans said. He took her by the shoulder. “Come on.”

Inside the house was like déjà vu for the kid. It was warm and smelled of spaghetti, and looked just like she remembered from the dream, which was also very much like her own. She noticed now that the big TV on a cabinet was attached to a hunk of what looked to be rose quartz, and there was a tall shelf near one of the windows stacked high with books and knickknacks.

Frisk stood awkwardly near the door as Sans wandered in after her. He tapped his teeth thoughtfully and then headed for the kitchen. “I’ll make you somethin’ warm, you like chai?”

“I dunno what that is,” she admitted.

“Welp, give it a _chai_,” he said. He laughed at himself. “That was bad. Hey. Make yourself at home.”

“Th-Thanks.” She took off her shoes and sat quietly on the couch. “Um, just… let me know if you want me outta here, okay?”

“Won’t be an issue,” he said. 

Frisk took a deep breath and nodded to herself. She’d gotten lucky. She checked her wrists again and rubbed her thumb over the blue line. Cautiously, she lit up a sparkle of red in her hand, and the stripes flashed over the same colour. She squeaked and dimmed it, though it took an extra few seconds for the blue to return. She sighed with relief, but pulled her sleeves over them anyway. 

As she settled, she felt a sharp prodding against her leg. She shifted and saw the spine of a thin book poking up between cushions. She pulled it out and gave it a curious look. The title was in script she couldn’t read, and the image on the front was a spooky, shadowy figure in stark black, red, and white. She flipped it open and saw that it was a horror comic, with twisted monsters and buildings that looked like they could put your eye out, all in that very stark style. It looked a lot like the dream she’d seen of this place. It kind of gave her chills.

“Hey, um. Sans?” she asked.

“Sup, bud?” he replied.

“What was with the colours and everything before? In the dream, I mean,” she asked. “Your eye was red when I saw it there, I think, right? And the outside was all kinda dark and pointy, wasn’t it? But now it looks really nice out there.”

“Oh.” He laughed. “Was it real over-the-top spooksville?”

“Yeah,” she said.

He sighed and _tutted, _but he sounded amused. “When Papy controls it, it sometimes looks like that. No idea why.” He said it like he knew exactly why. 

“So it… wasn’t really like that?” she asked.

“Don’t get me wrong, it was kinda messed up, but… You get a rundown from my brother?”

“Yeah, a bit,” she said.

“Phew. So, basically, King’s magic went void black and then red with, uh, determination and did some big super curse on all magic stuff. Since we’re in a place ruled by a monster who kinda binds their magic to it, it messed up all the nature stuff, too. Make sense?”

“And it made everything look all full of spikes, too?” she asked.

He chuckled to himself. “Naw, not around here. My brother is, uh, pretty impressionable, y’know?”

“But…” She frowned. “You guys were cursed too, right?”

“Sure were,” he said.

“And you did all have red eyes, right?”

“Different shades, but yeah,” he said. “Messed up our magic colours, too.”

“Okay.” She nodded to herself. “Sorry, just kinda… trying to figure out what’s real.”

“No worries,” he said.

She jumped at the sound of a door creaking upstairs, but it was just Sans again, poking his head out of the last of three doors.

“Yo, where ya wanna sleep?”

“Um… Wherever?” she said.

“Hm… That’s not exactly a room…” He smiled sideways. “Guess we’ll see how ya jive with the others.”

“I-I don’t need a room,” she said. “I don’t wanna be a trouble.”

“Look, kid.” He was right in front of her now, grinning wide with amusement. “Told ya. I owe ya one. So, just chill out. Think of this like… a little vacation. Ever had a vacation before?”

“Maybe one,” she said.

“You probably already gathered. But you’re stuck here for a little bit. S’okay with me, we’ll do our best to get ya out, but in the meanwhile, just take a deep breath.” He held her shoulder. “You’re gonna be fine.”

“R-Right.” She couldn’t help the knot in her stomach. She hoped time wasn’t passing too much back home. She clenched her fingers. “Hey, um, Sans? There’s… this thing I can do? Opening tears in time. D-Do you think that would work here? For me to get home? I-If I can't use that Soul of the World place?”

Sans tilted his head. “Y’haven’t done it before?”

“No,” she said. “I’m pretty sure I know how, but I just don’t wanna go ripping a hole in your universe since it’s… Y’know, not mine. Unless it’s safe for you guys.”

“Welp.” He touched her temples with gentle fingertips. “Close your eyes and think real hard about doin’ it. Make it your plan.”

Frisk did as he asked, shutting her eyes; taking a breath. Told herself she would cut the world open with her fingers. She pictured drawing that star shape and the golden light shining back at her. The homesick ache hit her hard. She wondered how everyone doing. She wondered if Sans was conscious.

Sans drew back and she opened her watering eyes. He looked worried; his left eye flaring blue.

“Can you read my mind?” she asked, quickly brushing her eyes with her knuckles. “…No. You saw that future, right?”

He dipped his head. “Wanna know the truth?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Please. It’s no good, huh?”

Sans hesitated. He folded his arms. “You can get out. You can leave. But it won’t take ya to your brother. Y’might be able to find him. I dunno where your world is from here, but I guess there’s a chance y’could find it, too. But the Soul of the World will leak into it,” he said. “…It’ll cause a build up and a second Soul wherever ya rip. By the time y’turn and shut it, it’s too late. It, uh… It’s a bit explosive.”

Frisk winced. “And that’s no good for anyone.” She sighed. “Okay. That’s out.”

Sans looked surprised. “That was fast.”

“Well, yeah, duh,” she said. “Sucks to have to wait, but I could never…” She shook her head, but she cracked a tired smile. “I’m glad you could check. Thanks.”

The skeleton’s grin widened with relief and he patted her head. The glow in his eye faded out. “Hey, you really ain’t bad, huh?” He plucked up the comic at her side and leafed through it. “You, uh, weren’t readin’ this, were ya?”

“Can’t,” she said.

“Phew.” He winked. “Don’t want y’gettin’ nightmares, too, your first night here.”

Sans returned to the kitchen and came back with a mug of frothy something. He handed it to her and patted her on the head. “Okay. I’m out. You got the run of the place.”

“W-Wait, what?” she squeaked.

“Gotta go find the other nerds,” he explained. He pulled a blue blanket with snowflake patterns as if from nowhere and draped it around her shoulders. “Someone’ll be back soon.” He vanished.

Frisk was left in stark silence. Her ears hurt. She looked around cautiously, almost afraid to move. She took a deep breath and then sipped the drink the skeleton had given her. It was like the spiced milk she’d gotten back home but much stronger and sweeter. Nostalgia hit her and she had to clench her jaw. 

Cautiously, she scooted down the side of the couch towards the bookshelf. She reached for the closest book and flipped it open. The text was perfectly clear. She slid it back in its place and rubbed her forehead.

“Okay… Okay. No, it’s fine. It’s fine.” She slumped back and drank deeply from her mug. Her stomach hurt. She hoped Asriel was okay. She still couldn’t wrap her head around what had set Gaster off again, or why he was so much stronger than before. Maybe it wasn’t him? But who else would come after her like that?

Frisk nursed her drink for a while longer, trying not to let anxiety well up too much inside her. When she was done, she walked, stiff-legged, to the kitchen to return the mug. The room hadn’t changed since she’d flopped out from a cupboard in the dream. It made her mind tumble to think that all of this was stuff she’d seen before.

As she curled up back on the couch with the blanket, she pulled out her phone and saw it struggling to find a signal. Her dad’s phone, too, was useless. She sighed. His opera cakes were still in there. She hoped he’d remember to get more.

Everything was a mess. Frisk’s heart was beating too hard. It wasn’t a bad place, but feeling so viscerally like she didn’t belong was odd and uncomfortable. She folded her arms, clutching her phone tight, and shut her eyes to try to calm down. Meeting another kid like her, though… Her stomach was in knots.

When the front door creaked, Frisk sat bolt upright from the edges of a nap, topping awkwardly off the couch. She righted herself as fast as she could. A girl stood in the doorway, hurrying in from the cold. She wore a cozy blue jacket with green and pink stripes on the sleeves. When she pushed the hood down and Frisk could see her features, she felt her heart stop for a second. Human. Her skin was very pale, and her cheeks were dotted with freckles and a bit flush from the cold. Her hair was reddish brown, down past her shoulders, though not quite as dark as Frisk’s, and her eyes were the colour of honey. Frisk couldn’t even articulate how glad she was that this other kid didn’t look just like her, but there was an uncanny familiarity about her even so.

As she ditched her coat, brushing her hair from her face, the girl noticed Frisk and froze completely where she stood. Frisk nervously raised a hand in greetings.

“Um. Hi,” she said.

“Oh my god,” the girl breathed. “You’re her.” Her eyes lit right up and she began to beam. She rushed to her and threw her arms around her, squeezing her tight. “Frisk, right?! I’m so glad to see you!!”

“Y-You are?” she squeaked.

“Yeah of course!” The girl grinned wide. “Oh my gosh, let me look at you!”

Frisk stiffened as the taller kid ran around her in a circle. “Ooh, you’re small and cute!” Then, she held her by the shoulders. “How old are you?”

“Um, e-eleven, but I went back a year so…”

“Ooh! I’m thirteen. And a half,” she said. “Oh! Um. And, you can call me Pidge, okay? If, y’know, the name thing is too weird for you.”

“Pidge?” Frisk repeated. 

“Yeah. Sans calls me that. Short for pigeon. Because of this thing my mom gave me.” She pulled up a little medallion she wore around her neck: it was in the shape of a dove. She grinned. “Monsters all kinda gave me a million nicknames, anyway. That one just kinda stuck. I think it’s cute.”

“Y-Yeah, I guess it is pretty cute,” Frisk agreed. “They did that to me, too.”

“Ooh, yeah?! Hah! Course they did. ”

The freckled kid kicked off her boots and pushed them beside the door. “Sans brought you in, right?”

“Yeah,” Frisk said. “He sorta said to just hang out here. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Pfff, no, of course not!” She grinned brightly. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“You are?” Frisk asked. “J-Jeez, I’d be so scared if another time kid fell into my world.”

“Normally, me too!” Pidge laughed. “Well, I mean, someone came in all bad, I’d fight ‘em off. But you…” She grinned slyly. “You don’t fight at all, do ya?”

“Um, not really. I kinda… dodge. And I can block, now,” she said.

“Yeah, I bet!” There was a glimmer in her eye. “That’s okay. You don’t need to be a good fighter. You leave that to me if you need help, yeah?”

Frisk wasn’t sure if she was teasing or not. She nodded cautiously and the girl grinned and patted her on the back.

“Don’t worry too much, it’s pretty decent here,” she said. “Hey, can I ask? How’d you get that scar?” She pointed to Frisk’s cheek.

“Oh, um, it’s a magic burn,” she said. “My brother did it when he was kinda saving my life.”

“Oh!! Really? That’s interesting. Wait, was that when you turned into a giant weird thing made of light?!” she demanded.

“Wh… What?” Frisk stared back at her blankly.

“I saw it in a dream,” Pidge insisted. “I… Okay. Listen. This is creepy. But once Papy saw you, I sorta… Okay, I have these time dreams, right? But I sorta focussed them to try to see you because that’s something I can do to other red-souls. Kinda like, focus in and see when they used a lot of energy. And I saw a bit of you. That’s why you don’t make me nervous at all. Sorry if that’s weird. It’s pretty weird, huh?”

Frisk’s mouth went dry. She tried not to gawk. “Wh-What else did you see?”

“Oh, all kinds of stuff! I saw you go into this big volcano building and make it not explode, and I saw you doing a fake battle with Papy against a metal guy, and I saw you when Toriel forced Asgore to stop fighting you, and I saw the weird light monster thing, and—”

“Nothing with Sans?” Frisk asked worriedly.

“Ah, he always hides from me,” she said with a laugh. “Not that I blame him. I think it’s because a lot of other red-souls are bad? They let their power go to their head. Not me! At least not much.” She grinned bashfully. “I’m pretty good at what I do now, if I do say so myself. You too, right? You’re a time bender?”

“Time… bender?” she repeated.

“Hah! Sorry. I know, I’m totally going a mile a minute,” the girl said. “Like, you can do time stuff aside from just the backwards jumps. Right? Like reversing other people’s attacks and stuff like that?”

“Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I can,” she said.

“Time bender!” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I totally stole that from a TV show. Anyway! That’s actually really rare. I mean. I think I’ve only seen one other red-soul with it? But they were like, half a jerk. They got it through LV, but then realized they were being awful and reset to not be awful. But, like, I can’t imagine!” Her expression darkened with worry for a moment. “You… You gotta come from a pretty messed up world to just come in and start hurting people, right?”

“I guess so,” Frisk said softly. “So. Um. What’s your… power?”

Pidge tapped her temple. “Seer. I see stuff. Like Sans does. He taught me.”

Frisk folded her arms, her brow furrowed as she tried to take it all in. She nodded to herself. “He’s a… seer, too?”

“He’s kinda an oracle. Knows weird universe secrets. I mean, he’s a seer too, obviously. Most of them are like that, even if they don’t use those words,” Pidge said. “Just, my brother actually trained for it, so I think he’s maybe more focussed. Is your Sans like that?”

That explained that future prediction, then, Frisk thought. “Um. Mine’s…” Her voice faltered. She took a deep breath. “He sees in his dreams. He can’t control it, but it’s been useful before. And he can kinda sense stuff that’s gonna happen in real life right before it does.”

The girl’s face fell. She put a hand on Frisk’s shoulder. “He’s why you’re here, right? I’m sorry. Somehow, they’re sturdy bags of bones. I know you’ll be able to help him.”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah. Thanks,” the kid said.

Pidge smiled sympathetically and nodded. She shot a quick glance around the room. “Anyone else here?”

“Sans went to go find Papyrus, or you, I think,” she said.

“Ah! Good! Papy’s gonna love to meet you for real,” the girl said as she bounded into the kitchen. “Just a warning: he might cry. He talked about you and your Sans for like, at least a week non-stopped. Hey, you like dumplings? I’m gonna make you some stuff so just, like, sit down, okay?”

Frisk awkwardly sat on the couch, folding her arms in close against her chest. She blew out a sigh. “Hey, um… Where’s mom—? I mean, Toriel? Is she… your mom?”

“Ah. Um. She is. Yeah. She’s kinda… gone though. For now,” the girl said. “It’s been a while. After we broke the curse on the kingdom and stuff, d… Asgore went into exile. Mom left a little while after to go find him. Said she wanted answers about something? Sorry you won’t get to meet her, I’m sure she’d like you. Undyne’s Queen instead. Do you have an Undyne?”

“Oh, yeah. She’s great,” Frisk said. “Kinda my big sister. S’good.”

“Oh!! Cool! That’s cool.” 

Something sizzled in the kitchen and a savoury scent hit the kid’s nose. She hadn’t realized she was so hungry. Pidge came out, twirling a wooden spoon between her fingers. She leaned up on the doorframe.

“And Alphys?” she asked.

“She’s great. The, um, main problem we had to deal with in my world, I guess? Was a big barrier blocking monsters under the mountain,” she said. “And also that, um, the Prince was a soulless flower thing? And that was actually part of solving the first problem. And it was thanks to Alphys that all of that stuff got solved.”

“Oh! Okay, that’s really awesome,” the girl said, “but are she and Undyne gonna get married?”

“Married? Uh. Maybe? I dunno!” Frisk said. “They love each other a lot.”

“Oh, good, that’s good, I hate when they’re not together,” she said. “Anyway! If you need any really big help, we can go see Undyne. She’s kinda rough but she’s really good at getting stuff done.” She darted back into the kitchen. “That’s cool that at least a bunch of the people we know are similar, right?”

“Yeah, um…” She couldn’t sit still any longer. She snuck into the kitchen to watch. “Is it… okay if I…?”

“Hm?!” Pidge turned to look at her and smiled, waving her towards the stove. “Sure, come look, if you want!”

The freckled kid was tall enough to use the stove on her own without a boost, but there was a small stool in the corner anyway. She pulled it over for Frisk to get some height with. She had some pale dumplings arranged around a frying pan in the shape of a sun. 

“We buy these frozen from a shop in town, it’s pretty great,” she explained. “Sorta like the town speciality. You have anything like that back home?”

“Um. Cinnamon bunnies, I guess,” she said. “It’s a pun.”

“Oh, cute.”

“And burgers from a place called Grillby’s.”

Pidge laughed. “He’s a famous chef here, he works in the Inner Circle, near the castle. We can never get in unless Sans cheats the lines.”

Frisk cracked a smile. She watched as the other kid lifted one of the dumplings to check the underside. It was getting golden. She bounced over to the sink for a small glass of water, then dumped it into the pan and covered it with a pot lid.

“There we go. Just a bit longer,” she said. “I hope you’ll like them.”

“Honestly, just, thanks for giving me food,” Frisk said quickly, getting down from the stool. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Pidge smiled sympathetically, a sense of knowing in her eyes. “No way, ya doof, you’re the guest.” She patted the kid on the shoulder and gently pushed her to sit down. “Look, I know this is all… weird and freaky. I bet, especially for you, after… Well. We’re gonna take care of you until you can get home. Promise. Owe you for Papy, y’know?”

“Was it that big a deal?” Frisk asked worriedly.

“Oh, jeez, yeah,” she said. “There’s a bit of backstory, I guess? After the, um, King broke the mountain, everything was good but there was all this extra magic energy in the air and anybody who had any sort of relation to time magic got stronger. But, it also made the side effects way stronger, too. Sans and I, we managed to break the loops in our dreams, but Papy couldn’t do it, no matter what we tried. It was getting so that he was getting basically no sleep at all. So, when you broke it for him, it was a pretty big deal, actually.”

“O-Oh!” The kid blushed. “I’m glad I helped, then!” She couldn’t help but cringe. “…I know what that’s like. S-So if I could stop that stuff happening to someone else, I’m really glad.”

Pidge’s eyes went wide. She nodded. She turned back to her cooking and absently tapped the back of the spoon on the metal lid. “So I guess it’s just a thing time travel does to your head, huh?”

“Yeah. Guess so,” she said. “You do it too?”

“I can, yeah,” she said. “Papy doesn’t remember but he knows when it happens, so we try to not do it too much or else it gets kinda annoying.”

Pidge peeked under the lid and a plume of steam puffed out. She seemed pleased and clunked it across the stove as more steam rose into the air. “Almost done,” she said. “Just gotta wait for the water to dry up.” She shifted aside and leaned back against the counter. “Sorry, guess this must be weird to be on the back foot, huh?”

Frisk’s brow furrowed a little. “Um…”

“I mean, that I know a lot more about you than you do about me, or any of this stuff,” she said. She tilted her head. “You seem nervous.”

“Oh, n-no, I mean… I guess I’m just thinking about my family, is all,” she said. “Most of them are back home and I hope they’re okay, and my brother’s trying to follow me out of the time void but time moves slow in there for him when he’s alone.”

Pidge looked puzzled. She counted on her fingers for a second before her eyes went wide. “…Wait, who’s in the time void?! Not Papyrus, right?!”

“No, um. Asriel.” She was met with a wide-eyed, confused stare. “The, um, Prince? He’s Toriel’s first kid, um…”

The girl looked extra pale all of a sudden. “Wh…?! Oh. Okay! That’s… That’s interesting,” she said. She smiled. “C-Can’t wait to meet him.”

“Yeah, hope it’s soon,” Frisk said quietly.

The door cracked open and the kid jumped. Pidge perked up and whipped around. She ran for the front of the house.

“Hey!! Welcome home! Come on! Or… Hang on.” She ran back and grabbed Frisk’s hand to pull her out into the living room.

Standing there was a skeleton that was clearly Papyrus. He was just slightly younger and an inch or two shorter, but otherwise looked almost identical to Frisk’s own brother. He even had a similar clothing style to his casual-wear: a cozy, orange turtleneck, skinny jeans, and a red scarf. Almost every inch of edge the curse had carved into him was softened. The only big differences were that he had a mostly smooth, healed crack on the left side of his skull, claws on his fingers, and short fangs.

He gawked. Frisk raised a hand to greet him, but before she’d said a word, he bent down and pulled her into his arms. He was warm and felt like home, and his soul buzzed happily. Frisk buckled and grabbed onto him, too.

“I’m so glad to see you,” he said.

“Same.” Her voice cracked.

He laughed warmly and gave her an affectionate squish. He pulled back, eye sockets glistening. She almost didn’t want to let him go.

“When my brother told me you were here, I thought he was joking, but…!” He put a hand on her head and smiled warmly. “You remember me? The great Papyrus? You do, right?”

“Yeah, of course,” she said. Her eyes were watering. “I-I’m glad you’re okay.”

He beamed and gently mussed up her hair. “Are you?”

“Y-Yeah,” she said. “It’s just been a l-long couple days, y’know?”

Though he looked confused, he nodded. “You travelled a lot?”

“From a whole other universe,” Pidge interjected, laughing. “Food’s done, you wanna sit with us?”

“Ooooh, yes,” Papyrus said instantly. “Come, little human, let’s get you something to eat!”

He hopped up and pulled their table over to the couch, and then bounced around, placing down three plates with dumplings and little bowls with a dark sauce in them before picking Frisk up and plunking her into the farthest seat. He handed her some chopsticks and then sat beside her. Pidge clambered over the arm of the couch to join them.

“Hope you like them,” she said. She dipped one of her own in the sauce and then ate it in one bite. She gulped heavily. “Nngh, watch out, it’s hot!!”

Papyrus laughed. “Every time, little sister.”

“I’m hongry!” she whined.

Frisk cracked a smile. She mimicked her, dipping the dumpling in the sauce, but she blew on it before taking a bite. It was crunchy on one side and soft on the other. Inside was like a lump savoury stew. She really liked it. She was on her second one before it struck her how downright weird everything was. She sat back and rubbed her head. The others were wolfing their food. She was suddenly painfully homesick again.

“Whatcha think, you like it?” Pidge asked, leaning around Papyrus to look at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh! N-Nothing, they’re really good,” Frisk said swiftly, picking up another one. “Thanks. Just, um… Just kinda tired, I guess.”

“You must’ve come a very long way,” Papyrus said. “Sans told me a little. So. I’m sorry you’re lost. But I’m happy you’re here.” He smiled. “Don’t worry too much, our brother is very good at all this weird time and magic stuff so I’m sure he’ll be able to get you home.”

“Right. Thank you,” Frisk said. “Yeah, I’m sure it’ll… It’ll be fine.” She cast a curious look at the other kid. “Pidge, do you guys have any, like… saves?” Frisk asked. 

They both replied with blank stares. 

“Like, um… A spot where you can sorta stick to time and go back to?”

“Umm… Not really, I can go back to midnight whenever, though,” Pidge explained.

“Hm…” Frisk folded her arms and frowned thoughtfully. “And I can’t really use this Soul of the World thingy, right?”

“Sans will definitely need to help you with that,” Papyrus said. “He’s the only one who can touch it without fainting.”

“So… So what do I do, then?”

“Wait?” Pidge suggested. “Sorry, I know that’s not useful.”

From nowhere, Sans stepped out of the kitchen. He was dressed differently, in some black slacks and a blue t-shirt with no sleeves. It was easy to see how busted up his right arm had once been. “I dunno, pigeon, I think this kid needs somethin’ like that. Looks kinda exhausted, huh?”

“Ah!! You’re back!” The freckled kid hopped off the couch and ran to him to give him a tight hug. 

He snorted and lifted her up under her arms even though she was almost as tall as he was, snuggling her before plopping her back down. Frisk was ashamed by how jealous she felt for a second.

“Did you find anything out for her yet?” Pidge asked.

Sans laughed and gently mussed up her hair. “She’s hardly even been here half a day yet, kiddo.”

“I know, but…” She shot a look at Frisk over her shoulder. “It can’t be easy, huh?”

“I-I’ll be okay,” Frisk said, though her voice cracked a little. 

Papyrus put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “There has to be more than just feeding her dumplings, right? Brother? Do you have any ideas?”

The shorter skeleton shrugged widely. “Could show her around town? C’mon, dude, you know how to be a good host, right?”

Papyrus puffed out his chest and thumped his fist over his soul spot. It made a small chime. “Of course I do!! What a silly question.”

“Well, then…” Sans grinned and gestured to him as if to summon an answer. 

“Oh!” Papyrus perked up and turned to Frisk with a big smile. “Hey, new friend, how would you like to see around town?”

“It’d be a good way to kill some time,” Pidge added.

“Need you to do some work with me, though, kiddo,” Sans said apologetically. 

“Oh! That’s fine! But, what d’ya say, Frisk? Let Papy take you around the place?”

To be honest, the kid was exhausted. But, she was adrift, and these strangers who seemed like friends were willing to put up with her. She couldn’t imagine saying no.

\- - -

Though the town went by the name Snowdin, aside from the river and the location of the blocks of houses around it, it was a totally different place than what Frisk was used to. For one, it wasn’t on the plateau of some cliffs. Instead, it stretched out in lumpy fields along the river with much more space in between the buildings. It was a lot brighter, too, with fresh air blowing in, though above them was cloudy and speckles of snow still fell, powdering the frosty earth. Frisk wondered, then, how far the Soul of the World was from here.

The main street was long, lined on both sides with strange shops, ranging from armour and weapons, to fanciful baubles, to baked goods, and a soup shop decorated with a giant pot. Everything seemed a little more rustic than what she was used to.

Papyrus was enthusiastic, explaining every one as they passed. Frisk was having a hard time paying attention, but she nodded along anyway. Truthfully, she just liked listening to him even though her head was still foggy after everything else that had happened.

The monsters here were different than Frisk had seen in the dream, though they weren’t like the types she’d seen back home, either. Many of them looked more rugged or had stranger, sharper body shapes, and even the average citizen wore more stuff that looked like armour. Papyrus caught her eyes wandering and he smiled. 

“Have you seen many monsters before? I mean, besides skeletons, of course.”

“Oh, yeah, a _skele-ton_ of ‘em,” she assured him. 

“NyeeEEEH!!” He rubbed his face and shot her a teasing glare. “I see your Sans is also a corrupting influence of bad jokes. And yet, why do I find that reassuring?”

Frisk snickered. She shrugged. “But yeah, where I live is all monsters, basically.”

“Oh! Well, that’s good! A lot of the humans even from around here are still scared of monsters, so I’m glad you’re not,” he said.

“Do they give you a lot of trouble?” Frisk asked worriedly. 

“No, not really anymore, we all just mostly mind our own business,” he said. “Even though the top of the mountain is gone, it still gives us a huge wall around the whole country, so I think that makes everyone feel a little safer. Everyone likes my sister, though.”

“Huh.” Frisk tilted her head up, wondering if a sky above her Snowdin would be much like this. Maybe with magic. “It’s kinda hard to imagine.”

“Oh! I can show you later, if you’d like!” he said. He frowned thoughtfully. “Hey, um, Frisk? Would you like to sit down?”

“Huh?” She shot him a questioning look.

“It’s just, your legs are a little shaky.”

She hadn’t noticed until he’d said something. She did feel a bit wobbly, now that he mentioned it. Even so, she shook her head. “It’s okay, let’s keep looking around.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, tilting his head. “Oh! I know! Come with me!” He took her by the hand and, after a quick glance around, pulled her into a shop with a sign that was only squiggles.

The wooden door opened with the ding of a bell, taking them from bright whites and greys to a warm-toned brown. The inside smelled of cinnamon and grass clippings. A bunch of shelves were arranged in an odd pattern around the edges of the shop, leaving space for a bubbling cauldron in the centre, which was being stirred by a purple snake-like creature with a giant spoon.

Papyrus ran around the store, peering at shelves that were lined in little wooden bins, while the monster the centre of the room seemed not to notice in the slightest. Frisk cautiously followed him, but he was off and away to the other side of the shop quicker than she could keep up. He plucked up some chunks of pink moss and a gemstone, peering at them intently before putting them back into their compartments.

“Hey, human?” Papyrus asked. “Is it a general wobblies, a tired ache, or were you wounded by something?”

As Frisk caught up with him, the snake finally raised her head up to look at her customers as she tried a bit of her brew on her giant spoon.

“Um… Kinda all of those, I guess,” Frisk said as she joined him.

He ran his fingers along the fronts of little bins, labeled with scribbles on white stickers. “And what injured you? You must be very honest and specific,” he said. “And where?”

“Oh, um, here.” She pulled the leg of her shorts up just above her knee, where there was a big circle of a scar now. “A skeleton stabbed me.”

“What?!” Papyrus demanded as the snake behind him did a spit-take. “Who?! What skeleton in the world would—?!”

“Last world,” Frisk said, shrugging. “It was, ah, like… a bad alternate-dimension version of my dad, it was a whole thing.”

“WHAT?! Oh, human!” Papyrus grabbed her into a tight hug that pulled her off her feet. “Nyooo, oh, your poor leg and that big mark! And that’s…! That’s inexcusable!”

“I-It’s not that bad,” she said.

Papyrus pouted. He carried the kid over to the snake monster. “Excuse me, what do you think would be good for a human with a big stab wound, a potion or a poultice?”

“Hmmm… A poultiiisss, I think?” she suggested. “Tosssss the ingredientssss into my pot.”

The skeleton nodded and gently put Frisk down and hurried back to the shelves. The kid tapped her fingers together and the snake monster eyed her up and down. She tried to be casual, rolling her sleeves up to her elbows and crossing her arms. The snake relaxed and leaned a bit closer, ice-white eyes staring into her curiously.

“You are new?” she asked.

“Um. Yeah. Pretty new,” Frisk said with a tepid smile.

“Funny you’ve come to our little town,” she said. “Mosssst tourisssstsss like the Inner Ssssircle.”

“Ah! I’m, um, visiting friends, actually,” Frisk said.

“Ooh. I ssssee. Do you know the Ssssoulbonder?”

Frisk couldn’t help but look puzzled. Papyrus laughed as he came back and plunked some rocks and spices into the pot, and a couple gold pieces as well. The stuff in the pot turned blue.

“You don’t have to be so formal about her, you know,” he said. “She’s just my little sister.”

“Sssshe’sss earned it,” the snake said with a chuckle.

“Soulbonder?” Frisk asked. “Sorry, what’s that?”

“A great hero’ssss title,” the snake said. “Sssometimes also called the Red Ghossst. Sssshe’s a helpful child, grabssss me herbsss ssssometimesss.”

The monster pulled out a small glass bottle on the tip of her tail, and then filled it with the bubbling liquid. She popped a cork in the top and passed it to Papyrus. “Sssoak a cloth in—”

“It’s alright, I know how to apply a poultice!” he assured her. “Thank you very much! Come on, human!”

Outside the shop, the skeleton hopped just off the side of the path and stomped down on a small lump protruding from the show. A wooden bench flipped out of the ground. He beckoned to it with a smile. The kid took a seat and he joined her.

“Are you warm enough, friend?” he asked.

“I guess so,” she said.

“Do you have any spare cloth?”

“Um, yeah, Sans gave me this?” She pulled out the handkerchief. 

Papyrus smiled. He took it from her and patted a handful of snow onto it. Then, he uncorked the bottle and dumped half the goo onto it before handing the cloth and frosty slop back to her. 

“Just hold that on your wound for a little,” he said. “It should heal it.”

“Oh! Okay.” She did like he said. Her leg felt better as soon as the stuff touched her skin. “Oh, wow, that’s strong, huh?”

“Mhm! I’d like to learn to brew some myself someday! Alchemy is a lot like cooking, but with weird non-food things involved.” He smiled bashfully. “Healing magic still isn’t working, so…”

“It’s not?” she asked.

“Oh! No, it was part of the curse and such. Sorry, I keep forgetting you don’t know! It kind of turned healing off for all monsters for a long time,” he explained. “There’s a few people who live near the Mirror Lakes who can, but… Oh! Sorry, nyeh heh heh, that won’t mean anything to you. Well, I guess it’s enough to say, alchemist shops are still doing very well! I’m hoping I’ll be able to heal with magic someday soon.”

Something about all that felt fundamentally wrong to Frisk. She nodded, but her brow furrowed and she grabbed his hand. His cheekbones flushed sorbet orange. 

“It’s alright,” he said. “Over in your world, can I… I mean, can he…?” He laughed at himself and shook his head. “Sorry, it’s weird to talk about! Can your… brother, the Papyrus you know, can he heal?”

“He’s the best,” Frisk said. “I’m sure once it works again, you will be, too.”

“Wowie, you think?! I mean! I’m sure!” He grinned but he bashfully folded his arms. “That’s good to hear, thank you, friend. I guess that wasn’t a problem in your world, hm?”

“N-No, um, I think all monsters can heal unless their soul gets hurt,” she said. “It, um, can take a bit of time to get better.”

“Mysterious,” Papyrus mused. “So maybe the curse hurt everyone’s souls… I mean, that would actually make a lot of sense! I wonder if anyone knows…?”

“Do you have a Royal Scientist?” Frisk asked.

“Scien-tist.” Papyrus repeated the word like he’d never heard it. “What does that do?”

“…Science?” She received a blank stare. “Um. I guess they, like, study the world and use math and stuff to predict things, and do experiments to learn more about stuff.”

“Oh!! The Archwizard! She does that,” he said. “I think it’s the same thing but a different word.”

“Man, this is confusing,” Frisk said. She cracked a smile. “Her name wouldn’t happen to be Alphys, would it?”

“It would, in fact!” Papyrus said.

The kid snickered. She shook her head. “This is a lot, dude.”

“Must be,” he said, nodding quickly. He put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t you worry, though! Things are going to be just fine! Now, let’s let that sit for another few minutes and then what do you think, head to the Ruins? Our new mom used to live in there, it’s really something else!” 

Once the ache in Frisk’s leg was gone— though it was stained with a blue splotch or two— Papyrus took her out of town to the edge of a forest of dark, leafless trees. A winding path marked by torches lit with silver flames twisted between the trunks. Frisk peered through the shadows curiously and then put her hands in her pockets and started on into the woods. Papyrus walked beside her with a bounce in his step.

“You’re pretty brave, aren’t you?” he asked, sounding pleasantly surprised.

“Hm? Why d’you say that?” she wondered.

He looked upwards as the barren branches intertwined above them. They creaked and knocked in the cool breeze. There wasn’t much sound but that and their footsteps. He smiled. 

“I mean! It’s not that even I used to be scared of this place, certainly not! But. Nobody would blame you.”

Frisk smiled. “I mean, I’m careful. Sorta. But scared, nah.”

“Ooh! I see! So you’ve definitely seen much scarier places than this, then!”

“Sure, guess so,” she said. “It’s a forest, y’know?”

“Maybe it’s just me then. Or, us, I mean!” he said. “We were brought up saying this path leads only to danger, so even when I had to patrol it, I was extra cautious, of course. Though, nothing much happened, actually. Except my sister appearing!”

“Had to… Oh, right, you were a guard?” Frisk asked. “…How old are you, though?”

“Seventeen, why?” he asked. “Though I was fifteen back then.”

Frisk frowned to herself. “They made kids be guards?”

“Well, I mean…! Yes. I guess so. I feel I’m quite mature, though!” He put a hand against his chest proudly. “Though… I think I might like it better nowadays.”

The trees were pressed closer to each other now. Parts of the path were a tunnel of trunks and tangled branches. Silvery snow still flitted down like dust, sparkling softly where the light peeked through. 

“How old are you, by the way?” Papyrus asked. “You’re quite small, for a human.”

“Eleven.”

“Oh! I see! My sister was around the same age when she first showed up, actually,” he said. “Though she lived with mom for a bit and we didn’t know she was here until later.”

“Same,” Frisk said. “Came in through the Ruins in my world.”

“Ooooh, I see! Were you pretty startled? By monsters, I mean, when you first got in. You seem pretty unfazed now, though!”

“I got used to it pretty quick. The first guy I met threw me for a bit of a loop, but then I met my mom, and that went well,” she said.

“Ooh!” Papyrus’s eyes glittered. “Can you tell me about it? Um! If you don’t mind? Coming to a whole other place like that… It’s really interesting to me.”

Frisk smiled to herself. It was a bit nostalgic for her. It felt like forever ago, but it had really been hardly any time at all.

\- - -

It had all started after Frisk had thrown herself down into the mountain without chance of return. Everything went black and she heard a faint song and the mumble of a voice in the back of her head. Then, red sparked behind her eyelids. 

The first thing she noticed about the cavern she’d landed in was the smell. Before she’d even opened her eyes and was sure if she was alive or not, the soft, floral scent wafted around her and raised her up. 

She pushed herself upright with her hands, not much more sore than when she’d jumped, actually. She squinted around. The edges of the wide cavern were dark, but she sat in a field of golden flowers that seemed to glisten despite the low light. 

She plopped back onto her bum and rested there for a little while to catch her breath. She was surprised nothing was broken.

She flopped backwards into the flowers. Maybe all this was nuts, she thought. She clasped her grimy hands and then tightened the grubby bandage on one of them. She could see the smudged ink of her notes to herself just barely peeking out above it. Maybe there wasn’t even anything here worth finding. Maybe she’d just trapped herself alone in a mountain forever. Honestly, though, that didn’t sound too bad.

She got to her feet, grabbed hold of a sturdy stick that was within arm’s reach, and took a deep breath. A quick look around and she saw a path in dark, smooth rock leading from the flowers and away into shadows. Something told her it was the way farther into the mountain. She felt the cold of the stone through her tattered, ill-fitting sneakers.

There was an opening in the wall farther up, hidden in shadows, just like she’d thought. She wasn’t sure why she’d thought that. Frisk gulped and edged closer. Not just an opening. An archway with columns and a worn symbol of a circle and wings on the top. A flicker of a smile crossed her face.

She’d thought about this for a long time. She’d heard the legends, spied as other kids read storybooks in the parks; looked at sculptures left outside a museum dedicated to that ancient era where humans and monsters had existed together. She often went to sleep staring at that faded shape of a mountain far on the horizon, or the trail cutting through clouds that it left in the sky. No matter where she’d travelled, she couldn’t get it out of her mind. It was desperation, really, and a childish wish. Now, seeing that someone had really been here; built this archway, she felt a spring of hope in her chest. The stories could be true.

She didn’t expect to be accepted. She didn’t expect a home. She’d heard that monsters were supposedly the opposite of humans. She wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded like just what she needed. Maybe she had a chance not to feel like a worthless ghost.

She snuck through the large threshold, eyes up and alert. A wider cavern opened up, though it was dark, too, except where faint beams of light snuck through rock far above. Those spots, though, were growing bright, green grass. It was thriving. However, in the patch at the centre, sat a flower with a face. Frisk froze. She’d never seen anything like it. He bobbed up and down, and his eyes looked at her curiously as he smiled. Was this a monster? Frisk edged closer despite a heavy heartbeat. He spoke.

“Howdy! I’m Flowey! Flowey the flower!” His voice was bright and saccharine. “Hmm…” He tilted his head, observing her. “You’re new to the underground, aren’tcha?” 

The kid’s mind was reeling. A flower with a face was talking to her. Okay. She’d expected something a lot bigger and scarier than that. Maybe it was a dream. She clutched tight to the branch she held and nodded hesitantly.

“Golly, you must be so confused! Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do! Ready? Here we go!”

The flower smiled at her. A sensation unlike anything she’d felt before seeped out from her chest. An energizing tingle ran through her body and a faint melody brushed the air around her ears. Then, a light, through her shirt, in the shape of a red heart. Bright, beaming, and warm. She cautiously put a hand over it, wide-eyed.

“See that heart?” Flowey asked. “That is your soul, the very culmination of your being!”

Frisk didn’t know the word _culmination_. A wayward thought told her it meant something like the highest, best point of a thing. She wasn’t sure where that came from.

“Your soul starts off weak, but can grow to be strong if you gain a lot of LV,” he said.

Her soul…? Frisk looked at it curiously, felt the red energy beneath her fingertips. What did it matter if a soul was weak or strong, though? She wasn’t sure. But whatever this feeling was, she liked it.

“What’s LV stand for? Why, _LOVE_, of course!” Flowey seemed quite proud of himself. “You want some _LOVE_, don’t you? Don’t worry, I’ll share some with you.” He winked jovially. 

Frisk was baffled. This creature was going a mile a minute and she didn’t know what to make of him. Were all monsters so friendly like this? He had to be one, right? And she still didn’t understand what he was telling her all this for. Love, to make her soul stronger? She wasn’t sure why she should want that.

Small white seeds floated into the air and hovered around him, glittering softly.“Down here, _LOVE_ is shared through… little white… _friendliness pellets,_” he explained.

That sounded fake, she thought. Frisk was hesitant. But what if this was important? The seeds began to drift towards her. 

“Move around! Get as many as you can!” he suggested eagerly.

She was on the back foot. They were strangely pretty, though. Curiosity overtook her cautiousness and she reached out a hand to a drifting, sparkling seed. The second it touched her palm, though, pain shot through her whole body. She yelped and dropped backwards to the ground, her breath getting short. She was no stranger to pain, but this was something else.

The flower’s face twisted from a goofy smile into a toothy, maniacal grin. “You idiot.” The sweet tone was gone, replaced by something sharper and darker. “In this world it’s kill or _BE_ killed. Why would _ANYONE_ pass up an opportunity like this?!”

Frisk gulped heavily, chilled to the bone; tears coming to her eyes. It’d all been a mistake. Why would she think monsters would really be better? Nothing was better. She was an idiot. 

She forced herself back onto her feet. Wasn’t about to die on the ground, at least. The flower’s eyes blackened and his seeds surrounded her in an impenetrable ring, spinning swiftly. He stared at her cooly and his maw twisted upwards.

“Die.” He began to laugh, a harsh, raspy cackle. His seeds slowly moved in towards her, deliberately, drawing it out. 

Wasn’t fair. She’d never had a chance

Before they made contact, a rush of energy wiped them from existence. A burst of magic glimmered and Frisk suddenly wasn’t sore at all anymore. The flower paused, his face incredulous, only for him to be blasted by a ball of fire that knocked him from his place in the earth and sent him tumbling away into the shadows with an awkward yelp.

What loomed out of the dark now made Frisk light-headed. A giant woman, in a blueish purple robe with billowy, white sleeves, adorned with the same symbol that had been on the archway. She had paws and claws, and shiny white fur, and a head like that of both a goat and a dragon. She had short horns and long, floppy ears, and she wore a concerned look on her brow. Her violet eyes were bright and warm. Frisk could hardly believe what she was seeing, and yet here she was. A monster. She was so tall Frisk toppled back onto the ground again as she looked up, dazed. She clenched her fingers into the stick she held so hard that they hurt.

“What a terrible creature, torturing a poor, innocent youth…” she said, more to herself than to the stunned kid before her. Even so, her voice and tone were instantly reassuring. 

The kid’s eyes glittered. She’d seen pictures in books that looked a lot like her. A white dragon king and queen under the mountain. She hadn’t expected someone so fluffy, though. She looked extremely soft. Frisk’s fear began to fade.

The huge woman bent down slightly and tilted her head, offering Frisk a gentle smile. “Ah, do not be afraid, my child.” She put a hand to her chest. “I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time.”

Frisk’s eyes went wide. She wasn’t the first in general, then. She hurriedly wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. “A-Are they… still here?” she asked softly.

Toriel looked surprised. “No. They have not been for a long while, little one.”

Frisk nodded, relieved. The monster smiled faintly

“Come. I will guide you through the catacombs,” she said. She offered a hand. 

Frisk hesitated for a second. Her heart beat hard in her chest. The flower had said this place was kill or be killed. So, if this was a trick, too… The kid gulped. No, maybe that didn’t make sense. He’d lied to her about the world to begin with, hadn’t he? So why would that part be true? Something in the back of her mind said, _trust her._ She wanted to. She reached up for the outstretched hand. Her own was tiny inside it. The fur was as soft as it looked. 

The huge monster gently helped her back to her feet and beckoned her onwards with a smile. “This way.” She walked on ahead. Her fur seemed to shine, even in the dark. 

Frisk cast a look behind her. She couldn’t see that weird flower anywhere. She gulped and scampered to keep up with Toriel as she passed through another crafted doorway, leaving the branch behind in the grass. The Ruins proper laid ahead.

Things quickly shifted from cautious hesitation to pleasant puzzlement and overwhelming curiosity for Frisk. Flowey the flower seemed to be an outlier. She met white frogs as big as she was, and strange pixie knights, blobby flans, and talking vegetables. All of them were alarmed by her at first, but eager to be friendly once she’d proved herself to be as well. She met a nice weepy ghost and did some puzzles. She bought a donut from some spiders. It was all so strange, and yet oddly fun all at once. 

Toriel had given her a room in a warm little cottage home tucked into the mountain. Patted her hair and told her she could stay. Though the room had remnants of other occupants long since vanished, it felt safe, somehow. Frisk couldn’t quite believe it. Had to be a dream, right? She touched the walls and carpet and the bed. The bed was the best. She’d never had one before. Just sitting on it was more comfortable than she could have imagined. She fell asleep before she knew it.

She woke up warm and snug, tucked in under the blankets, dazed and unsure of what time or day it was. Took her a moment to figure out why, since she hadn’t done that herself. The feeling was totally foreign to the kid. It was a shock to have even woken up, to be honest. She was sure it had been a dream, or maybe even she was dead. She lay there, looking up at the ceiling for a while, arms folded behind her head, trying to steady her breath. Was this really real? She sat up and pinched herself, hard. It hurt, and the world remained steady.

Then, she found the slice of pie left for her. She squirrelled it away onto the bed and inspected it curiously. Still just barely warm and gooey. Set out on a plate just for her, with her own fork and everything. She’d never had pie before. The fork slid through the caramelized filling smoothly. She was overwhelmed at the first bite. Butterscotch flavoured with a touch of cinnamon, both things Frisk had never had before and couldn’t even have named at the time. It was sweet and comforting, and Frisk felt her eyes begin to water. Her stomach ached for more food, but her throat tightened and she choked as tears began to stream down her face.

Light hit her face as the door opened and there was Toriel again. Her eyes were wide, ears raised slightly, and she sat on the bed beside the kid quickly. Huge and warm and very much real. 

“My child, I heard you, what’s the matter?” she asked worriedly.

Frisk’s eyes blurred so much all she could see of the monster were her colours, and she began to cry in earnest, taking another shaking forkful of pie. It was delicious. Best thing she’d had in her whole life.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Toriel said shrilly. “What’s wrong?”

Frisk shook her head. The monster looked puzzled. 

“Oh, my. I see… You must be homesick, is that it?” she asked softly.

Again, Frisk could only shake her head. Toriel put a gentle hand on her and rubbed her back, up and down, and the kid choked and began to sob uncontrollably. She cried through that whole slice of pie, and for a while afterwards, too, and then cried even harder when Toriel scooped her into her arms and began to rock her back and forth, humming a soft lullaby. The world really did become opposite after that.

\- - -

Up the path, beyond the tunnel of blackened trees, a purple-hued cliffside loomed, silvery vines with white, crystallized flowers blooming along it draped down the rocks like fancy jewelry. It was still a ways away. Must’ve been massive.

Frisk scuffed her toes in the frosted dirt. “So, yeah, I was a mess for like a week after that,” she said, smiling bashfully. “I never wanted to leave! But… I mean, I’m glad I did, or I never wouldda met the rest of my family.”

“Wowie,” Papyrus breathed. “So what made you leave?”

“A weird ghost gave me some advice,” Frisk said with a faint smile. “She, uh… She lived in my head for a little bit. Long story. Human ghost, not a monster ghost.”

“Human ghost? Really?”

“Ah, yeah, Chara,” she said with a nod.

“C… Chara?” Papyrus repeated, eyes wide. 

“Yeah, she was… Toriel’s daughter,” Frisk said. “But she died a long time ago and became a really angry ghost who, um, caused a lot of trouble. She… sometimes would make other time kids go bad and then take over their bodies.”

“R-Really?” His voice went high and shrill.

“Yeah. With me, she sometimes tried to get me to do bad things, but she also helped me read some stuff I couldn’t and helped me when I needed to save my new brother, who, um, used to be her brother. She wasn’t too bad to me, to be honest, but to Sans and everyone else…”

“Oh. Okay. I think I understand,” Papyrus said with a nod.

“You do?” Frisk asked, raising her brows.

“Y-Yes, I mean… I mean, if she took over other time kids, that would be… bad,” he said, nodding hurriedly. He brightened with a smile. “I’m glad for you, though! Finding a family like that! It’s similar to my sister’s story, to be honest! Whatever happened to that mean flower?”

“Oh!” Frisk laughed. “He turned out to not be that mean. Or a flower.”

The entrance to the Ruins of this world was pretty small compared to the massive cliff it stuck out from. It was a peaked archway framed in silvery runes all the way to the ground. Papyrus hopped over to it and stood in the threshold backing onto shadow. He struck a pose and put a hand to his chest.

“And there we have it! The Ruins! Just as I said, I’ve brought you right here! Ready to go home?”

“You don’t wanna go in?” Frisk asked.

“G-Go in?! I mean…! Really?” He jerked his thumb back over his shoulder. “You want to go in there?!”

Frisk recognized that wide-eyed look. She smiled and reached out her hand. “Yeah, c’mon, bet there’s some neat stuff.”

“Well…” Papyrus stood up straight and puffed himself up, and he took her hand tightly. “Yes, alright! Never fear, human, the great Papyrus is here with you!”

Beyond the opening was a dim, stone hallway with large pictures carved in square panels along the walls. They showed monsters of many kinds, farming and fishing, heart-shaped souls, and a symbol very similar to the Delta Rune, though theirs had four wings and a crown above the circle. 

Papyrus’s eyes skimmed the place around them. He gulped. Frisk squeezed his hand and he squeezed back, his cheekbones flushing.

“Never been down here?” she asked.

“Ah… No. Not exactly,” he said. “There was a barrier over the door for a very long time. Mom said she came out of here, but she didn’t want to go back since she was stuck before, so we stayed away. Was it like that in your home?”

“Kinda. My mom lived in the Ruins, too. But she… locked herself in, she wasn’t technically stuck,” she said. “What got her stuck?”

“The King,” he said sadly. He stopped at the next entrance, then took a deep breath and stepped onwards inside.

Upon entering, the dark was lifted as a silvery glow sparked along the ceiling. Trees with shining leaves like what Frisk had seen back near the Soul of the World filled the cavern and framed a pathway leading to a cabin made of stone. 

“Oooooh.” Papyrus’s eyes glittered. His courage renewed, he picked up the pace until they hit a crossroads a bit before the cabin. “Nyeh! Even more this way!”

“Should we go see?” she asked. 

“What, really?!” he yelped.

“Is there something weird down here or something?” she asked.

“Well, I… I’m not sure, honestly,” he said. “There may be hidden puzzles or traps or something, I can’t quite be sure.”

She shot him a smile. “If you’re worried, just so you know, I got a small future sense and I can freeze stuff in time, kinda, so if something gets chucked at us, we’re safe, at least.”

“OH! Well. That’s useful. Hm.” He tapped his toes thoughtfully. “Okay. Just a bit.”

The Ruins of this world were deep, but calm and quiet. The remnants of old puzzles— statues meant to be turned, rocks meant to be pushed; pictures meant to be unscrambled— were definitely there, but all the doors were open and nothing seemed to be gained by finding the answer except personal satisfaction. What else was needed, really?

A river flowed downhill deeper into stone and shadows, though the rocks glimmered with magic as they passed. A faint hum in the air made the tunnels feel comfortable, somehow. Frisk and Papyrus followed the river as, at his request, she told him about her own world’s version of this place. 

The water passed through a gate and divided a path into two, but it ultimately came out onto the same place: a balcony with two sets of stairs that lead down into a room with one big, red-leafed tree in its centre. The water poured over into a small waterfall and made a shallow moat around the tree, and golden flowers bloomed all around it. There was no other path to follow besides that. The cavern was a dead end.

“Oh, wow,” Frisk said softly. “This is super pretty.”

“Oh my gosh.” Papyrus hopped down the stairs and beckoned for Frisk to follow him. “I’ve heard of this place!”

“Yeah?” She followed him, stepping carefully through the flowers as he strode confidently past the tree.

“Mhm! My sister told me all about it!” he said brightly. “This must be where she came to our world.”

Frisk tilted her head up. There was no gap in the ceiling here. She raised her brows. “Did she say how?” she asked curiously. 

“She said, she was on a mountain. Then, there was a lot of dark. Then, she woke up here, when mom was watering these flowers,” he said. “I think the river wasn’t here, then. I think it comes from the snow back in the Snowpoff Plains.”

“N…_ice_. That’s cool,” Frisk said.

“Yes, I assume the water would be very…” His eyes went wide and his face drooped. “OH NO. AGAIN?!”

Frisk grinned sideways and shrugged.

“Baaaaaah!! Well. You will fit in well with Sans, at least,” he said. He bounced along and turned to look up at the tree, but then let out a loud gasp. “GASP.”

“What?” Frisk jogged over.

Papyrus gestured widely to the roots. Sitting there, glittering brightly, was a small, white and red shifting, star-shaped something that looked quite familiar. Frisk’s eyes went wide. She hopped the moat and snuck up to it, kneeling down. 

“…I thought there weren’t any here,” she said softly.

“Any what?” Papyrus leapt to her side and knelt down as well. “What is it?”

“It… looks like how a rip in the universe looks in my world,” she said.

“Is it one?! Nyeh!! That’s weird!” Papyrus said. “Hey, do you think that could help you get home?”

“M… Maybe?” Frisk’s heart picked up a beat. She cautiously extended her hand to it. “I might be able to… at least give it a check, you know?”

Papyrus grabbed onto her arm tightly. “B-Be careful, human.”

The feeling of Papyrus’s boney hands clenched onto her reassured her, somehow. She cautiously reached out to the light. It didn’t feel like a hole, but like a scar. Her soul hummed a little louder and the light reciprocated. Papyrus drew in a sharp breath. 

“Did you hear that?!” he demanded.

“Yeah.” Frisk’s brow furrowed. “But that’s… mine.”

“Yours?” he said, voice hushed and shrill.

She tapped on her soul. The song got a little louder. Papyrus leaned his head in and then jerked back. 

“Your hum!!” he said loudly. “It’s so…! It’s so clear!” His eyes glittered. “Wow, that’s amazing!”

“But how did it get here?” she wondered. 

The red in the starlight pulled out onto her fingers, glowing softly in her palm for a moment before seeping into her skin. It left the light white. 

“Nyeh!! Is it supposed to do that?” Papyrus asked.

“I… think so?” Frisk said cautiously. “If it’s mine, then… Oh man, maybe I made it when I fell in?”

The skeleton could only shrug. Frisk felt much the same. She touched the white star gently but it didn’t feel like anything anymore. Frisk sat back on the roots and folded her arms, frowning thoughtfully. Papyrus yelped and grabbed her hands. The magic bands on her wrists had gone red.

“Aah! Why’d it…?! Oh no.” Frisk grimaced. “I guess that energy… Ah, I’m sorry.”

“Nyeh!! But you didn’t do anything!!” Papyrus protested shrilly.

“M-Maybe give it a second?” Frisk suggested.

Papyrus stared at her wrists intently for a few seconds, but when the glow stayed stark red, he let out a shrill breath. He held her carefully, forcing his magic up orange-gold in his fingertips. “Maaaaaybe…?”

“Aw, jeez, I’m in trouble, huh?” she said.

“Nnnno, no, it’ll be fine!” he said. He straightened up and helped her to her feet, gently pulling her sleeves out over her hands. “You’re with me, I know you didn’t do anything wrong, so! It’ll be fine! We’ll just, um, sneak out of here very quickly! I’m sure it’ll be perfectly okay!”

Frisk nodded, but braced herself for the opposite.

They crept out of the Ruins as quickly as possible. It was windy outside. Papyrus clung to the kid’s hand tightly, but he still peeked ahead first from the threshold out into the snowy world. He scanned the path cautiously. 

“So, um. What’s supposed to happen?” she asked.

“Hm?! Oh! Nothing! Nothing will happen.” He strode out into the world and took her along. “Because! We will get you back to the house and Sans will just give your bands a tap and things will be perfectly fine and okay.”

“Okay, if you—” A blue flicker inside her head demanded she stop where she stood. She pulled Papyrus back. “Wait!”

A tornado in pale green burst from the ground before them and Papyrus yelped and recoiled, grabbing Frisk up into his arms tightly. Something slammed heavily into the ground behind the spiral of wind and then a huge, armoured figure in silver and pistachio green burst out through it, towering before them. The knight had the Delta Rune of this world on their breastplate and tassets on their belt that resembled wings. The shoulder plates had a matching design and three small spikes on each one, big horns on their dragon’s-maw-shaped helmet, and a spear on their back. A light green glow shone from the eye slits in two unblinking dots.

“Oh n-no,” Papyrus stammered. “Wait wait wait, it’s not what it felt like!”

“Papyrus, is that you again?!” The knight spoke loudly, with a small flourish of a fancy accent. “How many times is someone going to find you like this?” She shook her head before holding out a hand commandingly. “You know the rules. Give me that human.”

“Oh jeez,” Frisk squeaked. 

“No, wait, you can’t!” Papyrus said. “This is a misunderstanding, I promise, I was there the whole time!”

“If it was a misunderstanding, I’ll work it out. That’s my job.” She snatched Frisk from him with strong hands, snapped her fingers, and strode through a green portal that appeared in an instant, and vanished just as quickly behind her.

Papyrus was left alone, gawking. He stammered nothing in particular and put his hands against his head. “Oh no no no no, not again, oh my god, I…!” He sprinted frantically down the road back towards home. “DON’T WORRY, I WILL GET YOU BACK!!! SANS?! SAANNS!! SAAAAAANNNNSSSS!!!”


	29. Oh no I can’t believe things didn’t go perfectly okay

Totally dazed, light and colour changing more swiftly than she could keep up, Frisk was suddenly plunked into a dining chair at a small stone table in a square, grey room. As the light from the green portal faded, the knight stuck her foot up on another chair and leaned over, pulling a bright white bulb on a vine to shine in her face. Frisk winced and recoiled, shielding her eyes, and her soul lit up in green, sticking her in place to her seat.

“Okay, human,” the knight said, reaching forward and grabbing one of her hands. She peered at the red band on her wrist. “What happened? Throw a punch? A rock?”

“What?” Frisk asked blankly.

“You’re small, yes? A kid, yes? So maybe you didn’t know,” the knight continued, backing off slightly and taking the light with her. She waved her hand and was suddenly holding a stack of papers. She dropped them down onto the table. “You have any weapons on you?”

“Weapons…?” The kid tilted her head. “I mean, I’m a human, right? Couldn’t that technically be anything?”

“Ah, so someone told you that much, at least.” The monster strolled around the table, standing over her. “So what have you got?”

Frisk frowned thoughtfully. She fished inside her pockets and pulled out her dad’s phone, her red pen, and Papyrus’s multitool, then plunked them on the table. Her own phone, though, she didn’t touch at all, just in case.

The knight didn’t pay much attention to the pen, but she zeroed in on the other things. She picked up the phone, turning it in her hands and peering at it closely. “What’s this?”

“Oh, it’s a phone,” Frisk said. 

The knight raised her head away from the object and looked at her quizzically. 

“Um, it’s like… Do you have radios here?” she asked.

“Yes, of course.”

“Okay, cool, so it’s sorta like that, except you can talk to a person through it and they can hear you,” Frisk said. “And it can take pictures and stuff.”

“Uh-huh…” The knight sounded mildly confused. “Who do you talk to on this?”

“Nobody right now, it doesn’t work here,” Frisk said with a tepid smile. “Mostly just my family and some friends, though, I guess.”

“Hm.” She traded items and peered at the red multitool curiously. “And this?”

“I think it’s mostly for opening cans,” Frisk said.

The knight put the things back on the table and shoved them to the side. She sat down and folded her arms, leaning back in her chair confidently. “Okay. Let’s go over this. You’ll tell me, or do we have to do this the hard way?”

“Wait, what do you want to know?” Frisk asked sheepishly.

“What made those bands go red?” the knight asked. 

“Oh, um, that’s a… long story,” the kid said. “I mean, I can show you, sort of?”

The monster was out of her chair in an instant, her back to the wall, spear out and pointed right at the kid. Frisk’s eyes went wide and she put her hands up.

“Oh, no no no, sorry, it’s not… It’s not an attack or anything, it’s just my magic!” she said quickly.

“That’s nonsense! Humans don’t have magic,” she growled.

“Oh! Well, um… I… I can show you,” Frisk insisted. She held out her hands on the table. Her palms began to glow red. “Just, um, gimme a second.”

The knight didn’t lower her spear, but she did sneak a tiny step forward in her big clunking boots. The magic in Frisk’s hands glimmered and, much more smoothly than normal, a red bubble formed and floated up, glowing gently. She looked expectantly up at the knight.

“What in the world?” the knight said under her breath. “How are you doing that?”

“The way my soul is, it lets me do magic,” Frisk said. “I, um, don’t really know much more than that. Sorry.”

The knight raised her spear up a little and edged closer. She shifted her weapon to one hand, rolling the fingers of the other, and then cautiously reached out to graze the bubble with her fingertip. She recoiled swiftly and stared at her hand. Frisk’s heart thumped. 

“It didn’t hurt, did it?” she asked worriedly.

“N… No.” Her grip tightened on her spear. Cautiously, she leaned it back into the corner of the room, and then sat down again. She grabbed the stack of papers, clunked their bottoms against the table, and then laid them flat again, producing a pen as if from nowhere and began to fill out the top form. “Okay. What’s your name, kid?”

Frisk shifted hesitantly. She let her magic fade into sparkles. She hoped this wouldn’t cause extra trouble. “Um. It’s Frisk.”

The knight froze mid-letter. She looked up at her swiftly. “What?”

“Oh, um, sorry, is that—?”

“It’s Frisk, really?” She reached up and grabbed her helmet, and then pulled it off to drop it on the table beside her.

Frisk’s eyes lit up, glittering with stars. The knight was a skeleton. She had a long, elegant skull shape, almond-shaped eye sockets, and an intricate diamond pattern carved on her forehead with an oval cut green gemstone socketed into it. She looked a little frazzled, and she wiped her brow on the back of her gauntleted mitt.

“Oh my gosh, you’re a skeleton?!” Frisk said, unable to hide an ounce of excitement. “No way, there’s skeletons here?!”

“You were galavanting around with Papyrus, weren’t you?” the knight asked, frowning.

“Oh, I mean, yeah, but I’ve never met any except, like, three, so—”

“Then why do you have a skeleton name?” the knight wondered.

“My dad,” Frisk said quickly. “I was, um… raised by skeletons. A skeleton. A long way from here.”

The knight raised her brows. She jotted something down on the paper. “Outside the Kingdom?”

“Y-Yeah. Way outside,” Frisk said.

“Well. Frisk. You’re a strange one. That magic…” She shook her head. “Well, we’ll check you in at the Dungeon, I guess, and then we’ll see if—”

“Oh! Um. Sorry, wait,” Frisk said shrilly. “Um, I’m supposed to ask for Sans. Is that okay? He told me to say that.”

“Sans?” The skeleton took on a look on disbelief. “Really?”

Frisk nodded readily. “Do you know him?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Of course he’d… Yes. Fine. But you must come with me to the Queen. If that’s true, he will find you there.” 

She stood again, waved her finger in the air, and the green shine faded from Frisk’s soul. The kid slumped, and slid off the chair when the skeleton beckoned. The Queen was Undyne, right? Hopefully not too mad an Undyne. She hoped she wasn’t sweating.

The knight took her spear and sheathed it across her back, and then grabbed Frisk’s hand. Her grip was tight but not overly harsh despite the metal. Frisk took a deep breath.

“No running away, alright?” The skeleton snapped her fingers and a green portal appeared in midair. She stepped through, taking the kid with her.

Again, Frisk was left disoriented in a new place. A wide hallway. The floors were smooth, polished light marble, and there was a purple and gold carpet draped down the whole length of the place and up some stairs towards a giant set of stone doors. Fluffy guard dogs with dragony helmets stood at either side of it, armed with spears and shields emblazoned with a crest that looked like this world’s Delta Rune, but with the addition of a fish scale on either side of the circle.

Frisk rubbed her head and looked up at the vaulted ceiling, and then around at the space. The spot where they’d warped in had a circle of runes on the floor and a large white crystal on either side of it. 

“Is this the castle?” she asked.

The skeleton said nothing and began on her way up the steps, then beckoned Frisk to follow. The kid guessed that the answer was yes. The stairs were built for creatures a lot bigger than she was, though. As she fumbled half a dozen behind, the skeleton backtracked and lifted her up in one arm and carried her through the huge doors that opened smoothy before her.

Beyond, there was an absurdly long hallway, framed in colourful tapestries, and yet another large staircase and set of doors under a massive arch at their peak. Frisk looked up at the skeleton as she marched. There was a hint of pale green on her cheekbones.

“Um, thank you,” Frisk said.

“Your legs are tiny, you would be too slow,” she said.

“Kinda true.” The kid looked around curiously. No other guards here. She wondered why the hallway was so long, then. “Was the old King really huge or something?”

“He has only been gone a few years, surely you must know…? No, I suppose you wouldn’t have asked if you did. Yes, he was quite a large monster,” she said.

“Did you work for him, too?” Frisk wondered.

“For a time.” A cloud seemed to settle over the skeleton. 

Frisk frowned worriedly. She gently touched her arm. “Hey, um. Sorry. What’s your name?”

The knight perked up. “I am Mistral.” She said it somewhat proudly. 

When Fisk answered with a blank stare and a friendly smile, the skeleton raised her brows. 

“You haven’t heard of me?” she asked. “Mistral, the Swift Wind, the Tempest of the South?”

“Um, no, sorry,” she said. “I’m not from nearby, really.”

“Oh.” Mistral looked a little disappointed for a moment before she puffed out her chest and quickened her pace. “Well, little human! I am one of only two remaining Elemental Dragonguards in the whole kingdom! We’re legendary warriors, you know!”

“Oh, really? That’s cool,” Frisk said brightly.

Brows raised, the skeleton stared at her for a moment. She cracked a sly smile. “I know.”

She seemed very proud. Frisk was happy to indulge her. “So do you use a special magic or something? Do you have, like, one element you do, or can you use a bunch? Oh! I guess you do wind, right? ‘Cause you made that tornado. I guess you defend the Queen and stuff?” Her eyes were glittering. 

“My, you’re not concerned at all, are you?” Mistral asked. She laughed. “You’re very strange. If I were your size, being carried by an enemy, I would be much more guarded than you are.”

“Are we enemies?” Frisk asked, tilting her head.

The skeleton looked taken aback. She snorted and smiled faintly. “That’s for the Queen to decide.”

The throne room lay ahead. It was a great chamber lit by magic sconces in the walls and beaming light cast down from a dizzyingly high ceiling. There was art painted up there, but it was cracked and patchwork now, with shafts of sunlight pouring through in a way that looked somewhat intentional. The purple carpet continued up even more stairs at the end of the room, crowned with a throne too large for the creature in dark armour that sat up there. Frisk strained to see, her heart thumping. Must’ve been Undyne, right? Nerves hit her, but she felt a prickle of excitement as well.

Finally, they reached the base of the staircase and Mistral put Frisk back on the floor, centred before the throne. The kid edged forward and strained to look up. She couldn’t actually see much of the throne nor the monster in it from there. The skeleton thumped a fist over her chest, making a big, hollow clunking sound.

“Your Majesty,” she said.

There was no reply. Frisk looked at Mistral curiously. The skeleton tapped her foot on the plush carpet. There was a weird snorting noise from up on the throne. 

“Your Majesty?” Mistral frowned and took a deep breath. “Undyne!!”

“Huhwha?!” Somewhere up on her throne, Undyne snorted. “Whossat? Mist?” She peered over the stairs, groggy-eyed, flowing red hair falling into her face. She huffed and brushed it away. “What’s that you got there?”

Mistral grabbed Frisk’s shoulder and pulled her back a few feet on the carpet. “A human.”

Finally, Frisk could see this world’s Undyne better. She was a bit different than back home, but, strangely, wasn’t extra sharp like Papyrus and Sans were. Her scales were a little darker, but she had a v-shaped silver stripe on her forehead and some on her cheeks. The ends of the spines on her ear-fins were adorned with small, glowing blue bulbs. The dark circlet-like crown on her head drew back into glittering black horns like that of a dragon, and she had an eyepatch over her left eye. She was kind of beautiful to the kid, even as her big, yellow eye focussed hard on her as she squinted down with a sleep-deprived glare.

“Okay, a human, so what?” Undyne said.

“She has red on her,” Mistral said. She grabbed Frisk’s hand and exposed the band glowing red on her wrist.

“WHAT?!” Undyne barked.

Frisk flinched and recoiled slightly, especially as Queen Undyne rose to her feet. The black armour with purple and gold accents and a heart shape on the front of the breastplate was sleek and graceful, and her crimson hair streaked behind her as she stood, towering above them.

“However,” Mistral continued, “this human has magic, that is also red.”

“What?! You’re screwin’ with me,” she barked.

“Also, she has asked for Sans. So. I’ll have to go tell him,” she said.

Undyne tilted her head slightly, looking Frisk up and down. The kid awkwardly stuck her hand up to wave. The big monster grinned from one side of her mouth, showing big, knife-like teeth. 

“I see,” she said. “Human!!” Her voice boomed around the whole room. “What the hell brings you to our Kingdom, huh?”

“Um, visiting friends?” Frisk suggested with a tepid shrug. “I’m really sorry to have caused trouble, but—”

“Oh, you are? That’s good.” She pointed at Mistral. Her eyes glimmered. “My guard here says you got magic, yeah?”

“Um. Yeah?” Frisk wasn’t sure she liked the tone. “I know it’s kinda weird, but—” 

“Damn right it’s weird.” She took one heavy step down the stairs and a faint, blue magical aura shimmered from her body. The ends of her red hair shone that same colour. “Magic. That shouldn’t be possible.” She stretched out her hand and magic beaded like droplets of water, until they burst into a cyan spear. “I’d like to see it for myself.”

Frisk gulped and stepped back. “Um, I can do a little bubble thing, maybe?”

Undyne grinned wide, eyes flashing. “Mist. Arm her.”

Frisk took a deep breath. Mistral looked between the two of them, wide-eyed. She drew up bones from nowhere in the shapes of swords, spears; axes.

“Um! I don’t need a weapon,” Frisk said quickly, and the skeleton looked rather disappointed. 

“HAH! Confident, ain’t ya?” Undyne clunked onto the main floor, grinning wide. She grasped her spear in two hands. “Fine. Your choice. Let’s go.”

Her song burst to life, bombastic, heroic; a heralding of horns. Frisk’s soul brightened, her hum joining in as best it could. Okay. So she had to fight a Queen. Wasn’t the first time. She readied herself and rolled up her sleeves. 

Frisk sensed the first spear incoming before she saw it. She sprang backwards, bouncing on her toes, just out of the way of a cyan, shimmering attack stabbing up through the floor, reaching up taller than she was. Undyne smirked. She twirled her weapon smugly as the magic spears vanished and launched straight at her. 

The tilt of the blade veered left, so Frisk juked right. Undyne repositioned, her boots skidding on the carpet, and struck again, straight ahead. The kid leaned back, the point slicing air overhead, and she bounced away, turning quickly to keep the wall from penning her in. 

With a chuckle, Undyne twirled her spear like a baton, jumping forward to strike with the back end and spinning the blade forward again in an arc. It was fast, but Frisk was just barely faster. She heard the hum of magic above and a blue light flashed in her eye. She tumbled away from the spear in Undyne’s hand, and then flipped backwards as an arc of pointed magic dropped in from above. They crashed to the ground and stuck out like porcupine quills, glittering for a moment before shattering.

“HAH! Nimble little freak, ain’t ya?” Undyne grinned wide. “Let’s change that.” Her aura pulsed green and solid.

Frisk felt her body go stiff as the magic bound her soul. She pulsed in return, the song played backwards, and red took back over.

“Sorry, but nah,” Frisk said, bouncing backwards on her toes.

“Oh?!” The big monster dropped her poise and got low, swaying back and forth like a serpent. “Fine, then, let’s crank it up a notch.”

She charged Frisk, launching her spear downwards. The kid took a sharp breath inwards and flitted away to the right. The blade nicked her arm before plunging into the carpet and the sting was instant. Undyne grinned and swung it at her feet, and she jumped over it, landing a foot on the top as Undyne thrust it forward. Frisk launched herself off and back to gain some space. The Queen actually looked pleased, but with a wave of her arm, magic in a tidal wave rushed from midair and struck the kid head-on, sweeping her away down the hall.

Frisk tumbled, dazed, her forward warning triggering from every angle. Not good enough, not _her_ enough. The wave dragged her along the floor and left her in a sopping heap at the other end of the hallway. She coughed out water and heaved herself to her feet, squinting through blurry eyes at the huge dark shape and vibrant spear guiding her.

She tried to bring up Sans’s memories. The way that second sight was the same as his normal one. If only she could— 

Another wave came at her and she stuck her hand up before she’d even processed it. Red at her fingertips; red in her irises, she caught the water and spiralled it backwards on itself. Undyne roared. Her form was a shadow through her homemade depths, and the cyan glow shone even through that. She breached like a shark and Frisk ducked under her. The monster surged overhead and jammed her spear into the floor, using it to spin and charge at the kid again. Frisk squeaked and hopped back, letting the water collapse into sparkling magic on the floor behind her while freezing the monster still instead. 

“Undyne?!” Mistral shouted shrilly.

Frisk quickly let her go, but Undyne’s momentum was stolen and she dropped heavily to the ground with a big, metal _clunk_. She grunted and cursed under her breath, but propped herself up on her spear and was on her feet again in an instant. Her yellow eyes were glittering and there was a big, maniacal grin on her face.

“Ooh, kid, that’s really somethin’,” she said. She raised her weapon and an arc of spiked magic glittered in the air. “Cool. Cool cool. Up tempo again, huh?”

“Oh no,” Frisk breathed.

The spears rained down and Frisk rolled to dodge some, but others followed. She just barely caught them in her magic before Undyne dove back in, swiping in wide, glowing arcs. Frisk was still on the back foot down the hall the way they’d come. She didn’t need to look to know the stairs were catching up with her. She tried to slide right, but Undyne caught her, blocking her with magic shot up from the ground. She had to back up. There wasn’t a way out except beneath the big monster. Frisk stopped an inch from her heel banging on the steps. The sharp spike of energy behind her and a quick check from the corner of her eye told her the way was blocked.

Undyne sneered and raised her arms. The floor all around them began to glow, a big light walkway between the two of them. Frisk took a deep breath; flexed her fingers. Dying here was not an option. She focussed hard, her temples throbbing. The pattern showed itself in the echoes of what hadn’t happened yet. She exhaled.

Frisk ran straight at the Queen. Spears rose up from the ground, as did water, and she raced them in the trail they hadn’t made. The song they played betrayed them as more jerked in from beside her. She ducked and passed by with a scratch on her neck as their only victory.

Her socks were getting wet. Her steps fumbled and she dropped back on purpose, slipping right out of the way of the attack. Another came from under her. Too wide to scramble away from. A geyser shot her into the air, and another erupted above it to blast her to the floor.

She was submerged and lost direction again, choking until she was sent spluttering out onto the swampy carpet. She had to take a breath but she didn’t have time. She skittered backwards as Undyne plunged her spear into where her feet had been. As another aimed straight at her chest, Frisk threw her hand out and caught it in red as she scrambled to get up again. 

She had to get her bearings; her eyes darted frantically. She was across from the stairs again, but couldn’t see them for long as Undyne charged at her with a roar. She huffed, wiped her mouth, and then ran right back at her. At a spear’s length, Frisk stuck her in time for just a moment, enough to slide under her and made a break for the higher ground.

As she raced to get out of the water, Undyne whirled, throwing her spear like a javelin. Frisk ducked. It hit the steps above her and stuck. The kid hurriedly grabbed it, though it froze her palms, and backed up towards the throne, but a thrum of magic made her flinch. She braced herself and took a deep breath as a sphere of spears formed around her, pointing inwards in a wall she could hardly see through. She grimaced. Her soul shone bright. She didn’t have much more of an idea than this, but she hoped it would work. It had before.

She felt the tingle in the air; sensed the drop before she saw it. Her soul let out a loud, red pulse, catching the magic as it plunged towards her. The spears shuddered and cycled, pressing in and reversing over and over. Frisk grasped the one that she held tight and stared at the shape of Undyne through everything. She ran. The pressure shattered the attack in a blizzard of magic sparkles and the kid stabbed her spear down and used it to vault straight at the chest of the Queen.

Undyne was close, one foot on the lowest step. The monster caught her against her breastplate with a grunt and slipped, toppling back into the water, grasping the kid tight. Somewhere, Mistral gasped loudly and shrilly.

Dazed, Frisk tried to get up and slid off Undyne, straight into the water again. She groaned, but before she could even try to sit up, the battle resonances faded down. She stayed on her back, staring up at the light shafts coming through that cracked ceiling and drew in a long, deep breath and let it out as a sigh. “Oh my god.”

“Dude, I know, right?!” Undyne said. She huffed and shot the kid a wide grin. She folded her arms behind her head. “Nice.”

“Nice?!” Frisk repeated. She scoffed and giggled, the sound weak, exhausted, and full of relief. “Nice. Okay.”

“Yeah. Your magic. Strong stuff. I thought you were kinda full of it, but, nope. That was cool.”

“M-Maybe next time, let me show you without trying to kill me?” Frisk suggested.

“HAH! If I were trying to kill you, you’d be dead, kid,” Undyne said with a laugh. “Well. Probably. I mean. That freeze, though, oof. Felt weird.”

“Sorry.”

Undyne rolled forward and up out of the water and stretched her arms high above her head. She reached down and grabbed the kid to pull her upright. The magic-made shallows that drowned the carpet began to recede.

“Yo, Mist, can you grab a heat towel or something?” Undyne called.

“I am a Dragonguard, not a towel girl!” Mistral grumbled. Nonetheless, she waved a hand in the air and strolled towards the giant doors. “I’ll be back.”

Undyne rolled her eye, but she grinned. “She acts like a proud grump, but she’s a real softie once you get to know her.” She sat down on the steps and patted the spot beside her. “C’mon, come sit with ol’ Queen Undyne,” she said playfully. “And tell me about that weird magic. Humans ain’t supposed to have that at all. So how’d you get it?”

“Ah…It’s just, my soul is weird like that, I guess,” Frisk said, plunking herself beside her.

“What kind is it? Like, element or whatever? Didn’t feel like fire or somethin’.”

“Time.”

“Time? Huh. Weird. Who taught you that?” 

“Mostly no one, I’m just kinda making it up as I go. But also kinda my brother and my dad, they helped,” Frisk said.

“Huh. Who’s your dad?” Undyne asked, frowning slightly.

“You won’t know him. We’re from far away. And he’s a skeleton.” She took off a sneaker and poured it out. “You know, this is the second time I’ve had to do this junk today?”

“Pfff! Why you pickin’ fights, though?” she asked.

“I’m not!” Frisk pouted. “I don’t even like real fights.”

“You’re more of a dancer, then, huh?” the big monster joked. “Even that stuff you did, it didn’t do any damage. You should work on that.”

“N-No, that’s okay, I don’t want it to,” Frisk said quickly.

Undyne’s ears lifted. She smiled, though she looked a little puzzled. She grabbed the kid’s small hand and looked at her wrist. “So… The red, it’s because of that, right? I’ll be honest, we didn’t design ‘em with magic in mind, let alone that kinda thing.”

“No other humans have magic at all?” she wondered.

“I’m like two hundred and I never seen it before,” she said.

Frisk tried not to look surprised. She nodded.

Mistral returned with a big towel over her arm. She dropped it onto the kid and sat down beside her. “What a brazen display.”

“Um, thank you?” Frisk said cautiously. She pulled the towel close. It was toasty warm, and it drew the moisture out of her clothes and away from her skin and hair. Magic.

“It was good, huh? Gotta respect an enemy that’ll full-body tackle you even when she’s like three feet tall,” Undyne said.

“Hm.” The skeleton grabbed the kid’s hands and rubbed the ice burns gently. “You are lucky the Queen was not going all out.”

“Guess so,” Frisk said. She sighed. “Sorry to cause trouble.”

“Eh, I had fun,” Undyne said.

Mistral frowned. She reached into a satchel at her waist and pulled out a small flask. She unscrewed the cap and poured a drop onto each of Frisk’s palms. The ice burns stopped hurting and the raw skin began to soften.

“Ooh, thanks,” Frisk said.

The skeleton shrugged and nodded. “How old are you, kid?”

“Elevenish.” She smiled bashfully when the monsters both looked at her skeptically. “I don’t really know my birthday.”

“Yeesh, young,” Undyne said. “How’d you end up with Sans watchin’ out for you? He just pickin’ up orphans again?”

“Hah!! N-No. He’s kinda like my, um… cousin,” Frisk said. 

“And I guess I will have to deal with him soon,” Mistral said.

As if it’d been planned ahead of time, the doors at the end of the hallway were kicked in by a skeleton with a blazing blue eye who seemed to loom despite his short stature. His form was dark and magic bristled around him, his shoulders bolstered by the fluff on the hood of his jacket. However, after a second, he slumped, wheezing out a sigh, and held his knees, panting to catch his breath. 

“Oh thank god,” he said.

“Sans!” Frisk got to her feet— the towel had siphoned most of the water away from her like a sponge. She handed it back to Mistral with a grateful nod.

He hurried to her and grabbed her into a relieved hug. She froze for a second, but relaxed just as quickly. He jerked back and held her shoulders.

“You good?!”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “…Did you actually run?”

“No way, I got a bum knee,” he joked, winking, his voice a little hoarse.

“Waaaah, who I gotta fight?!” Pidge sprinted into the room after them, holding a blunt sword in two hands. She skidded to a halt on the squelchy carpet and looked down. “Eww… Frisk?! Are you okay?!”

“Jeez,” Frisk said, wide-eyed. “Y-Yeah! Don’t worry.”

“Treason again, huh, Sans?” Undyne joked. “You seem to do that a lot.”

“I came in to a waterfall down the damn stairs, Undyne. And you.” His eye flashed and he looked at Mistral. “Couldn’t give my bro the benefit of the doubt? Not even a second?”

“Those are the rules. You know why,” Mistral said, folding her arms. “Anyway, she’s fine.”

“Oh really? Looks like she’s bleedin’, bonehead,” Sans said. “Does that constitute _fine_?”

“Yes. It does. You got here fast.”

“Yeah, well…” He huffed and rubbed his face with his palm. “Listen. This kid?” He grabbed her shoulders. “She’s mine until she goes home, alright? She ain’t gonna cause trouble, her magic’s just weird.”

“I saw!” Undyne grinned. 

She raised her hand to greet Pidge as the kid sprinted up, dropping the sword she’d brought, and pulled Frisk into a tight hug. “Undyne, you probably scared her half to death!! She’s not a fighter!”

“Maybe you should teach her,” she suggested, getting up and stretching. “You’re pretty good for a kid, y’know? And you two are almost the same size.”

Pidge blushed bright red. Frisk shot her a curious look. She pouted and shook her head, pulling Frisk a little closer protectively.

“No way, she’s not like that,” she insisted.

“What, all humans haven’t _studied the blade?_” She said the last bit dramatically and laughed loudly. “Okay, okay, shortie, I gotcha. I’ll be honest, pretty good way to break up the day, though.” She headed back up towards the throne. “Guess I should get back to work, huh?”

“Yes. _Work._” Mistral made quotes in the air with her fingers and then shot a scowl towards Sans. “You’ve been a bad influence on her, you know that?”

“Hey, who am I ever a good influence on?” he said, shrugging.

Pidge stuck her hand up. He snorted out a laugh.

Mistral sighed and rubbed her temples tenderly as if she had a bad headache. “You’re very frustrating sometimes.”

“Whoops. Too bad I’m the Royal Oracle. Guess ya still gotta deal with it,” he teased.

“Your attitude is not very becoming of a Dragonguard.” She glared at him as he shrugged widely. “Even an ex-Dragonguard.”

“Give him a break, Mist, we were worried!” Pidge protested as she grabbed her sword to sheath it on her back. 

“Oh really? What’s his usual excuse?” Mistral asked, folding her arms.

He flicked her chestplate and grinned. “It winds y’up so quick.” He nodded towards the door and grabbed Frisk’s arm gently, leading her out. He turned to shoot Mistral a wink over his shoulder as Pidge scampered to join them. “Funny to get under your skin when ya ain’t got any, huh?”

“Oh stop,” she called after him, rolling her eyes. However, she raised her hand tepidly when Frisk waved goodbye. She quickly turned her glare back on the short skeleton. “That’s old and it wasn’t funny the first time, either!”

He laughed. “For you.”

“SANS.”

Sans walked the kids back to the spot where Mistral had brought Frisk in. He flicked one of the crystals and a blue portal opened up like a whirlpool. He grabbed Pidge by the shoulder. 

“Get back to Paps, huh? I got a few more things I gotta do,” he said.

“But, um…” Frisk raised her arm, showing off her wrist.

“Oh! Good catch, kiddo.” He grabbed her hand and locked his fingertips against the stripe of red. His soul thrummed, his eye glowed, and the chill of his magic poured through her skin.

Though the red flickered and fought for a moment, it was overtaken in cool blue after a few seconds. Frisk and Pidge both wilted with relief. The freckled girl grabbed Frisk’s hand and headed for the portal. 

“Meet you back home,” she told the skeleton.

A flash of blue and the two kids stepped out into a small, stone hut lit by glowing white magic on either side, floating in orbs atop stone torches. Frisk was dazed but Pidge wasn’t bothered at all, and simply guided her out into an open world of snow. 

Judging from the distance of the buildings and the river, and the lumpy, frosted fields, it looked to be the edge of Snowdin. Frisk stood on her toes to look around. She could see the forest towards the Ruins relatively close by. She felt the smallest sense of security knowing she at least knew the way back to the house.

“So, you sure you’re okay?” Pidge asked, leading them on their way, cutting through a low path through one of the fields towards the main path into town. “Fighting Undyne isn’t easy.”

“Nope, it’s not,” Frisk said with a laugh. She brushed a hand through her hair and took a deep breath of the cold, refreshing air. “Y-Yeah. I think I’m fine.”

“Good. Papy was freaking out so bad,” she said. “He’s… He’s really nice, you know? He worries about everything. I told him the best thing to do was to set up a place for you because you’d be tired when you got back so, uh, act it, okay?”

“I don’t have to,” the kid assured her.

Pidge thumped her back approvingly.She took a moment to wave at a hodag in a tuque who was harvesting poffs of snow into a big cart from the field. “I do kind of wish I had seen your fight, though. I bet it’s pretty impressive in person.”

“Impressive?” Frisk laughed. “I dunno about that.”

“But you’re really acrobatic, right?” she asked. “How’d you learn that, anyway?”

“A-Acro…? Oh! Had to.”

Pidge’s expression begged for elaboration. Frisk smiled sideways.

“Well, before I… went to where the monsters lived, I kinda had to do a lot of sneaking or running or climbing,” she explained. “So, I guess with a bit of practice and, um… You know, learning patterns and stuff, I got okay enough that I don’t just die all the time anymore.”

Pidge’s brow furrowed. Her gaze seemed to drift away. “What garbage.”

Frisk’s heart thumped heavily, her eyes wide. She almost tripped in the snow. “Wh—?”

“I can’t believe they did that to you.” Pidge’s tone was dark and quiet. She lifted her eyes to meet Frisk’s and her cheeks flushed. “I just mean… The humans, they… couldn’t even look out for one tiny kid. You had to steal, right? Run away all the time? I can’t believe they forced you to do that.”

“Forced me?” she said, unable to quell a nervous laugh. “I did what I had to.”

“Everyone does, yeah,” Pidge agreed. “I’m sorry. It just…! It really gets me sometimes.” She gulped and shook her head quickly. “Anyway! I guess I’m glad! I know people like us, we don’t die for good anyway, but it’s still not much fun. I was half expecting Mistral to have joined in by the time we got there, and that would’ve been a real mess.”

Frisk nodded. It was still a little jarring, that Pidge knew so much about her on her own. “So, what’s the deal with her? Your brother seemed to know her, right?”

“Oh, yeah. They were in training together years ago,” Pidge said. “Back when the King was bad, monsters got conscripted at, like… fifteen, I think?”

“Conscripted?” Frisk repeated.

“Forced to join the Guard,” the girl explained. “He told me he knew her from back then. She was really competitive and was always mad at him for napping or like, ignoring rules and stuff like that. But they were also posted together ‘cause they’re both from here. They’re friends, mostly, they just really annoy each other.” She hopped a wooden fence to get onto the main path and beckoned for Frisk to do the same. “She’s pretty fair. Not a bad person to get arrested by.”

“For sure.” Frisk was careful pulling herself up on the wooden planks, but she was far too small for them to even creak much under her weight.

Back on the path, they made their way into town.

“Oh right, I was meaning to ask,” Pidge said, “what made your magic go weird? Papy was kinda incoherent when he got to us.”

“Oh! Um, there was a light that looked like one of my _save_ thingies in the Ruins. It had some red in it and I kinda absorbed it,” Frisk said. “It made the stripes go red, too.”

Pidge stared at her, wide-eyed. She shoved her hands into her pockets and her brow furrowed. “…A save, huh?”

“I don’t think it was one,” she said. “But… it was weird. It looked like one. They’re rips into time, but it felt… I dunno, shallow? It’s hard to explain. The magic in it was mine. So, I was thinking, maybe I made it when I fell in. I hope I didn’t mess anything up.”

“Uh…” The other girl twisted her mouth in a confused pout. “Maybe, but… No. No, I’m sure it’s fine.”

Her walk sped just a little, but Frisk lagged, limbs tired and feet cold. It brought back memories of when her father, stuck to her soul from the void, had found her out in the snow. It’d been scary at the time, and now she almost longed for him to show up, creeping out of the shadows, even if it was just for a hug. She missed him a lot more than she expected. She held one hand with the other, rubbing her fingers where those lines used to shine on her skin.

“Hey, Frisk, what’re you…?” Pidge turned to look back at her, then paused to let her catch up. “What’s wrong?”

“Ah… N-Nothing really,” Frisk said sheepishly. “Just kinda homesick, I guess.”

“Oh. How long have you been away, again?”

“I’m not sure,” Frisk admitted. “It’s… It’s probably only been a day or something. I’m probably just being a baby, never mind.”

Pidge’s brow furrowed. “But you’re in a totally different universe, I don’t think anyone would think you’re a baby for finding that a sorta lonely feeling, you know?”

“I guess,” she said.

“I know how that feels,” she said. She blushed. “Ah, I mean, you know… Coming to a whole different place and everything. So, um, if you wanna talk about anything…”

“Yeah. Thank you,” Frisk said.

Pidge took her by the hand. She had strong fingers and a smile on her face. “It’s gonna be fine. Promise. C’mon, we’re almost home.”

\- - -

The second the kids stepped foot inside the skeleton house, Frisk was yanked off her feet into a hug by a babbling, incoherent Papyrus. He was apologizing through his tears, but the words were too fast to catch. She was happy to hug him in return.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, everything’s fine,” she cooed quietly. “Deep breaths, dude, it’s okay.”

The skeleton sucked in a long breath of air. He let it out, deflating as he sat back on the arm of the couch, holding Frisk on his knee and hurriedly wiping his eyes. “This is all my fault. Were you hurt? You’re hurt, aren’t you?!”

“Nah, barely scratched me!” she assured him with a smile. “I’m totally used to dodging spears and stuff, Paps, don’t worry!”

Though the skeleton pouted, he nodded. Pidge scooted up onto the couch beside him and stood on her toes to kiss him on the cheek.

“Crybaby,” she teased gently, plunking back to sit cross-legged on the cushion. “Everything’s fine.”

Papyrus snorted and laughed weakly. “I know, I know. I really am sorry, though, friend. That was the last thing you needed on a day like today.”

Frisk shrugged. “I’m used to things kinda going sideways, it’s okay.”

“But I want to be a better babysitter-and-slash-or-host than that!!” Papyrus said.

“Then let’s maybe go upstairs and you can show her all the work you did,” Pidge suggested. “And those scrapes aren’t gonna treat themselves, right?”

“AH! Right you are, sister!” Papyrus hopped to his feet, dragging Frisk with him. He grinned at her brightly— the turnaround was lightning fast. “I’m sure you’ll be very comfortable here!”

Upstairs was, indeed, very comfortable. The bedroom— the first of three doors— was, like much of the rest of the house: strangely the same as back home, but Papyrus’s bed frame was made out of an old wagon painted red, and the walls were decorated with a lot of mystical-looking weapons and drawings from a talented, but childish hand. Some were even things Frisk recognized from back home, stuff Pidge must’ve seen in her dreams. There was one of the Undyne she knew, hands glowing blue in a river in the crystal caverns of Waterfall. Another was an odd beast in the shape of a bone dragon, but made of light with bright red eyes. Frisk knew what that must be, even though she hadn’t seen it herself. Among a bunch of Pidge herself and other monsters, the skeletons, or fantastical locations, Frisk noticed one more that she recognized. A field of golden flowers with a taller one right in its centre, looking forward with a cute, smiling face. 

The place Papyrus set up for her— and he proudly showed off— was where Frisk would have expected the second bed to be back home. There was tent for privacy pitched over a fully prepared mattress and pillows, with a little extra standing room and a nightlight in the form of a glowing, gold crystal inside a glass lantern casing. It was cozy, yet still more space than she needed.

As she peered in, the skeleton squatted behind her, watching eagerly.

“It’s great, right? Nice and cozy, right? You like it, right?” he said.

“Papy,” Pidge said with a laugh.

“Yeah, it’s really nice,” Frisk said. “Thanks a million. Looks like it was a lot of work.”

“What? Pffff, nooo, it was no trouble at all, very easy!” Papyrus assured her.

“Pretty good for not being able to see at all, huh?” Pidge teased.

“Stooop, stop, I could, my tear flow rate was not that high!” he protested before turning his attention back on Frisk. “But! I figure you two could do a sleepover, if you want. And if you don’t want, that’s okay! I hope you don’t mind sleeping in this room, it’s just that Sans’s is a complete disaster area and—”

“And mine doesn’t have much space,” Pidge said, smiling bashfully. “He doesn’t snore. Much.”

“Oh, jeez, don’t worry about me,” Frisk assured them quickly. “It’s great. Thank you.” 

\- - -

Despite how hospitable her new friends were, as the dark of night started to settle in, Frisk found loneliness and worry for Asriel weighing in every movement she made. Sans returned with her stuff from the interrogation room and brought pastries filled with a magical approximation of spiced meat, potatoes, and cheese.

Pidge was a lot like she was, in the way that she didn’t have any toys, though she did have a lot of books. She lent one about a monster that had to journey through a giant magical castle, but Frisk fell asleep trying to read the first chapter.

When she woke up, disoriented in the dark, it took her a minute of pawing around sightlessly to realize she was tucked into the little tent. She could hear the _nyehs_ of a snoring Papyrus somewhere else in the room. Her eyes welled up and her breath hitched in her throat. It sounded like home; so much like her brother. It felt like she’d been gone a month. Had no way to know how long it’d been back there. No clue if Sans was okay, no idea how long Asriel would be stuck out of time, no way to get a message back to her family at all. She gripped one hand tight with the other and felt a hot tear roll down her face. 

She grabbed her blanket and slipped out of the room. There was a light on in the third room, and so she snuck away as quietly as she could and bundled herself up on the couch. She gritted her teeth and, as her heart pounded, she tried to keep quiet and regain herself, but every intake of breath choked her. She wept softly into her blankets.

She could hear the rhythm and tone of Sans’s voice upstairs. Couldn’t make out the words. She covered her ears and curled up into a ball and, after a while, allowed herself to flop onto her side. She sniffled and wrapped her arms around herself, squishing into the cushion beneath her. What she wouldn’t give for the warmth of her mother, or the boney arms of a skeleton to grab her. She wished for that light on her hand to connect her to her father; the old marks on her face to play her brothers’ songs. She wished she could dip her fingers into the lights hidden in her soul and feel the magic of everyone back home. She rested her hand against the scar on her cheek and tried to steady her breath.

When she peeked out of her cocoon, the light from the room upstairs was too much for her. The door was open now and the voices were clearer. 

“You’re lucky.” Sans said it teasingly.

Pidge laughed, though her voice was low and tired. “I know.”

“Couldda been anyone.” 

“Not really.”

“Ah.” He sounded more serious now. “You triggered the nightmare on purpose, huh?”

“What?!” the girl yelped.

“New kid found a certain comic I’m pretty sure I got rid of. Inside the couch. So.”

Pidge sighed heavily. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just wanted… I won’t do it again, I promise.”

“Was he at least in on it?”

“Of course he was, I’m not a total butt. Come on, you can’t ground us now, she just got here!”

“Oh, for… You’re not grounded.” Sans let out an exhausted laugh. “Welp. Listen. All this, s’important. I won’t say. But you should.”

“I knooow. I know. I will.” She crept out to the doorframe and leaned on the wall. “You should talk to her more.”

“Y’think?” he asked. “She’s messed up enough about all this.”

“But… You helped me.” She turned her head and squinted over the banister. “Aw… Look.”

Pidge headed for the stairs. Before Frisk could even pretend to be asleep, the other kid joined her and sat on her knees on the floor. She put a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, you awake?” she asked.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to listen in,” Frisk said quietly. Her voice was rough, and she coughed quietly to clear her throat.

“Aw, you were crying, huh?” Pidge said, tilting her head. “Rough night?”

Frisk sniffled. She hesitantly sat up, rubbing her eyes, and the other kid sat on the couch with her and took her hand out of the blankets. Though it was dark, somehow Pidge seemed to know exactly where the scar on the side of Frisk’s hand was, and absently rubbed her cold fingers over it.

“You’ve had a hard time. I know,” she said gently. “And none of this is fair. Is it?”

“I-It’s… It’s not about being fair, I… I just gotta do it,” Frisk said, wiping her eyes again. “It’s just… I’m not good at it.”

“But you’re still doing it.” Pidge smiled. “Why’d you come down here?”

“Didn’t wanna wake Paps up,” she said. “H-He already feels guilty enough ‘cause of me. Who needs some crying stranger in their room being a weirdo?”

“You’re not a stranger. Not to us,” she said. “Weirdo, that’s debatable.” She winked.

Frisk snorted and Pidge shot her a grin.

“Sorry, um, if this is private, but…?” Frisk sniffled. “What was that about… Papyrus’s nightmare?”

“Oh.” Pidge blushed. “Well, it’s just… So, you know how he kinda… found you guys, right? He’s way better at that when he has bad nightmares. So. I just thought… I’d always kinda thought, if we couldn’t break his loops, maybe… You know, someone else could? Does that make sense?”

“I… I think I get it?” Frisk said.

The girl looked overwhelmingly relieved. “I’m so glad it was you. Hey. Why don’t you try to go back to sleep? It’ll kill some time, at least.”

Frisk shook her head. “I… I just can’t stop thinking about everyone. And I’m so worried about Asriel.”

“Hey.” Sans appeared on the arm of the couch and offered her a sympathetic smile. He put a careful hand on her head. “Maybe you’d like to, uh, have a bit of a camp out, back at the Soul? Since you’re real worried about your bro. Would that help?”

Frisk’s heart thumped. Her eyes lit up. “Would that be okay?”

“He might not come through tonight, but…” The skeleton nodded.

“Yes please,” Frisk said instantly. 

Sans grinned. Pidge snickered. She hugged Frisk tightly, her grip warm and strong.

“I’ll get Papyrus,” she asserted. “We’re gonna have fun no matter what!”


	30. the word is “anchor” for a reason

White mist blocked the path. The air was prickly and harsh with electricity. The scent was oddly sharp. Light footsteps plunked against the metal walkways of the CORE. Just ahead. Gaster could hear the puff of breath.

He extended his hand, and bones like spears shot out from the very air around him towards his target. He was confident, annoyed; frustrated. It didn’t sound like anything had hit. He raised a sharpened arc of bones around his shoulders and strode forward. 

The mist parted before him as his shoved his way through and what stood before him was a little human girl whose face refused to hold in his mind. Hate overcame him; made him sick. His fingers quivered. 

“So. You c—” He choked on a voice different from his own. His fist clenched. He forced it down, but his body buckled and he coughed black sludge onto the ground. 

Wasn’t him. Wasn’t his. Another’s arrogance. Another’s hate. His mind stumbled and he grasped the side of his head with sharp fingertips. His eyes traced up to the baffled human and his soul stuttered and reached out for her. She hesitated. He clenched his jaw and his eyes flashed with each of his colours, and the world snapped back into focus. He took a deep breath and his body felt like his. He raised his gaze up to meet the kid. 

He knew it wasn’t really her. His eyes welled up and he pulled her into his arms anyway. She squeaked with surprise.

“My girl,” he said softly. His soul buzzed its messy sound. “I’m sorry. I don’t know if this… can ever reach you, but… But. I’m searching. So is Sans.” He tightened his grip. “What a bloody mess. I love you, alright?”

The mist swept back in and took her from him just as her hands clenched into his shirt. He was alone in a cold field of white. He sat back on the ground and rubbed his face with both hands. He gnawed his fingertips. His chest ached and he took a long, deep breath. 

A blink of his eyes and Gaster was cheek-down on a small stack of papers on Alphys’s desk, a monitor’s black screen running data before him, his voice-recorder and a felt pen to his left, and a frothy mug of coffee mixed with ginger ale on his right. He sat up stiffly, wiping his eye sockets, and he looked around cautiously. Awake. Alone. He sighed and took a sip of his drink. It was cold and unpalatable, but he drank it anyway. The inside of his skull felt like it was frozen.

Time read somewhere around four in the morning. He cracked his back and rubbed around his eye sockets with his broken palms, then popped the triangular focus nodes off his temples and put them into a small, repurposed glasses case. They were supposed to help focus his dreams. He supposed they worked, but it still wasn’t enough. 

He grabbed some paper and crossed out whatever inane idea he’d written on it before and marked down the details of the dream. He drew out the kid as much as he could, but had to leave her features blank. He grabbed his voice-recorder and turned it on.

“Day three of the search. Day, uh… Day six, overall. I think. I have…” He propped himself up on his elbow and tenderly rubbed his brow. “…started to extract data about the tears from the NOCTURNE. It looks like…” He squinted at the computer monitor. “The fluctuation I expected did happen, presumably when the kids left. Aside from that, still in progress. My memory is worse than I’d like. I hate to say it, but I’m still missing some of the same things that Sans is, except, I… I remember… My daughter telling me she and the other child were going and something… Some number.” He sighed heavily. “Reminder to myself to check ambient magic resonance of the planet, distortion from time tears, and… and anything the NOCTURNE can reach. I know that I’ll need to boost it. But I need more power.”

Gaster clicked his thumb on the stop button and dropped the recorder back onto the desk. Soft footsteps drew his attention. Alphys. She’d come down from upstairs, but was still in her pyjamas. She put a hand on his arm.

“Did you get any sleep?” she asked.

“A little. You?”

“S-Same.” She sighed and folded her arms. “Did those nodes help?”

“I definitely saw something,” he said. “I’ve never used them to try to look that far before, so I suppose any result is good. I wish I had some way to make them more powerful.”

“Any luck with the NOCTURNE?” she asked.

“I’m composing a new tracking spell for it,” he said. “That alone is going to take a lot of my magic to complete. But, I should have it done… tomorrow, I’d say. If I can keep the pace up. Then all we really need is something to track.”

Alphys nodded. “I’m so w-worried about Sans. Is, um…? Is there anything I can d-do to help?”

“Maybe, ah… Oh! Maybe your oven could cook up something to boost his energy a little?” he suggested.

“M-Maybe…” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “But, w-with all this research… You shouldn’t have to work all on your own.”

“I know, I just… My mind is all over the place. I’m hardly making sense to myself,” he said. “…Think I can power up the NOCTURNE without giving it my arm?”

“AAH! D-Don’t you d-dare!!” she said shrilly. “There h-has to be a way…! There has to b-be…” She let out an exasperated sigh and gently kneaded her brows with her fingertips. “Okay. Okay. What h-have you done so far?”

“I have two different but related goals.” Gaster flipped over his paper and began to write in columns as he spoke. “Fix Sans’s soul, and find and bring the kids home. My daughter will be able to fully fix him when she comes back. However, Sans is convinced they’re lost, and I’m inclined to agree. So. What I have to do is track them and… I’m not sure. Guide them back to us, somehow.”

“You need a l-lighthouse,” Alphys said quietly.

“Dead on,” he agreed, nodding. “The issue is, my daughter should be able to sense home from wherever she is if she’s in the space that pertains to our universe. So, if she’s lost—”

“She’s even f-farther than that,” Alphys concluded. “Ah. S-Sorry to interrupt, it’s just… How?”

“Potentially, it’s other, ah… Scientists. Or other things equivalent to our CORE. Rupturing time. Puncturing into our universe; making bridges, if that makes sense. It could be intentional or not. It doesn’t matter at this point.” He sighed heavily. “I hope it’s just time not lining up correctly.”

“So, we need…? What d-do we need?” Alphys said, taking his marker from him and adding to his notes. “A way t-to track these kids. So, that’s… p-powering up the NOCTURNE, like you said. And a beacon, or s-something.”

“I’m trying to use the red line to uncover some of my daughter’s resonance,” he said, gesturing to the computer. “The issue is, her movements out there are almost undetectable because she’s attuned to it. However, if I can find the right notes to track, the NOCTURNE should be able to follow. Also, this is all monumentally frustrating because I remember faintly that I had planned on drawing blood from my daughter and I think I remember doing it, but I believe that timeline has been thoroughly reversed.”

“D-Did you check all the rooms downstairs? Ooh, and the storage pods, and the fridges?”

“All of them,” he said. “I even checked in the bin and down the shower drain. Nothing.”

“Hmm…” Alphys nodded. “O-Okay. How about, you focus on the NOCTURNE, and I… I’ll try the red line.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to—”

“Listen. You and S-Sans… I love you g-guys a lot, you know?” she said sheepishly. “I h-hate seeing him suffering like he is. I want t-to get him back to f-feeling better, and I d-definitely don’t want him to fall down, and if this weird time and space stuff is what it takes, then I’ll d-do it.”

Gaster cracked a fond smile. He lifted Alphys up and hugged her close. She squeaked, but she patted his shoulders gently.

“Thank you, Alphys,” he said. “You’re wonderful.”

“N-Nah…” she said.

“You are.” He placed her back down and patted her head. “It’s still early, though. Get some rest, if you can.”

She rolled her eyes playfully. “H-Hypocrite,” she teased.

He put up a finger to pause her. “Ah! Actually! I will be trying to nap just a little, this time.”

“And you’ll probably d-dream about work,” she said. She patted his back. “I’ll b-be downstairs.”

As Alphys wandered off, Gaster chuckled at himself. She was fully correct. In fact, the dreaming was the work. He rubbed his temples, reattached the focus nodes, settled back in his chair, and closed his eyes, trying to force himself into another place; another time. Hoping to find the missing children. What he saw, instead, was a shattered window of black on black; a peek into a faded, shadowy laboratory from somewhere else. He woke up half an hour later with nothing of interest gained.

“Hey.” Sans was still stealthy, even without being able to teleport— Gaster hadn’t even noticed him coming in. He shoved a chair in beside him and plunked heavily into it. “You know, mountain’s open, huh?”

“Huh?” Gaster replied with a groggy blink.

Sans pointed at his mug. “We can actually get condensed milk and ginger now.”

“Can we?! Ah! Didn’t occur to me,” he said apologetically. He took another sip. “It’s not so bad, but…” He shook his head quickly. “How are you feeling? Did you manage to sleep through the night?”

“Look like I did?” Sans asked.

Gaster raised his brows. “Is that a trick question?”

The short skeleton laughed. He rubbed his greyed eye socket and shook his head. “Nah. I’m a wreck.”

Gaster sighed and patted Sans on the back. He sat up and popped his spine, removed the nodes again, and then readjusted his glasses as he peered at the computer monitor for a few seconds. He added his second dream to his notes. “I just don’t understand why this is having such an effect on you.”

“You’re kiddin’, right?” he said.

“Ah! Not that, sorry,” Gaster said. “Your determination is too high; too integrated with every part of your soul. Falling should not be possible.”

“So, maybe I’m not,” he said.

“And yet all the signs are there, except you’re still conscious,” Gaster said.

Sans winked. “Eh. Mostly.”

“So what on earth is wrong with you?” he asked.

“Dunno.”

Gaster huffed. He chugged down the rest of his hybrid coffee. “I saw our girl in a dream.”

“Oh yeah?” Sans perked up. “How was she?”

“I… was fighting her, for some reason,” he said, frowning.

The short skeleton frowned. He tapped his teeth. “…You see others of yourself in dreams? You get stuck in their heads?”

“Must’ve,” he said. “Didn’t sound like me. Still a skeleton, though. Similar magic.”

“So… So, wait, is that happenin’ now? Do you think it matches up?” Sans asked, wide-eyed. “She’s somewhere. Not here. And she had to fight _you_?”

“It’s hard to tell,” he admitted. “But, it could be. She didn’t look any older than I remember.”

“Could you see her face?” Sans pressed.

“I could, but it’s like you said. It doesn’t… stick.” He frowned heavily to himself, pushed his papers towards his son, and bitterly grumbled, “_Bain mo cloigeann._”

“That’s not gonna help,” Sans joked. He sighed and leaned his chin on his hand, eyes skimming the notes. “…I miss ‘em, y’know?”

“I know.” 

“How you been holdin’ up?” Sans asked.

“Well… I’ve been better,” he said. “…I miss them, too. Badly.” His soul spiked and he sighed heavily. He shook his head. “Don’t worry about me.”

Sans took a moment to read. “There’s just somethin’ really wrong about this,” he muttered. He scoffed at himself. “Statin’ the obvious. Obviously. But if they’re in another world…? She left before, right? But this crap didn’t happen.”

“I wish I could understand,” Gaster said. “Perhaps it’s the distance. Perhaps where she went before was… an alternate past of ours. Or was connected in some way.” He folded his arms and paced. “And this did not happen when she entered my timeless realm, either.”

“Your what?” Sans beckoned for him to elaborate.

“Before I died, I was able to sacrifice a significant chunk of my power to make a pocket realm for an aspect of my mind. Out in a bubble of timelessness, as a backup of sorts. This was before I had any idea that your sister would even exist,” he said. “She entered that place twice. She didn’t remember going there, unfortunately. And I reabsorbed those aspects once she dragged me out of the void.”

“So at least we know she ain’t there,” Sans said. “But… Yeah, I guess if you saw her fightin’ you, that would have to be way off ours.”

“Nowhere close,” Gaster said steadily. “The emotions I felt through him were… bloody brutal.”

“She was okay, though, right?” Sans’s soul stuttered. “He didn’t kill ‘er, did he?”

“I… I don’t know,” he said. “She’s fast, though, isn’t she? And she can rewind time at a touch. It would stand to reason she will do whatever she can to not be killed, since I doubt she knows what will happen to her.”

“Hope she can help it, ‘cause I dunno either,” Sans grumbled. “At least the other kid’s with her, right? He’ll… He’ll take care of her.”

Gaster raised his brows. 

“He’s actually willin’ to fight,” he explained. “She ain’t. So.”

“What?! Really? I remember him being so sweet. I would have said he wouldn’t even hurt a fly.”

“Sweet?” The short skeleton snickered. “Welp. Not sure if that’s what I would call him, but he’s a good kid. A lot of things changed with the poor little nerd since you knew him.”

“I guess they must have,” Gaster mused. “Maybe if there was a way to… To hyper-focus the dreams you or I have. Maybe…” He sighed and looked in the desk, and then patted his pockets down. “Ah, what have I done?”

Sans raised his brows. “Missin’ something?”

“My phone,” he said. “…I misplaced it. Which is… very not good, actually. I thought it might be at Grillby’s, but…” His cheekbones flushed. “I was storing a book of Dirges in there. Maybe with one of those spells as a groundwork, I could… I don’t know, do something helpful. Some sort of… extra channelling into the NOCTURNE or… Maybe there’s something else. My memory of it is weak, but I could have sworn there was something about… Something about dreams.”

“Oh.” Sans tapped his teeth. “Welp. Yeah. Bad thing to lose.”

“Don’t remind me,” he grumbled. “Bad thing to lose most memories of, too.”

“Did you try callin’ it? Not the book, I mean,” he asked. He took out his own phone and did exactly that, though neither of them heard any ringing. Sans shrugged. “Ask Alph, she can activate a tracker on any phone as long as you got the number for it.”

“Ah! Wish I’d asked you sooner,” Gaster said. “She’s just downstairs, I think.”

A clunk at the east door perked him up and he turned just in time for Asgore to come barrelling in, eyes shining; a desperate grimace on his lips. As soon as his deep green eyes locked onto Gaster, he huffed out a huge sigh and raced to wrap him in his arms. Gaster grunted as he was hefted up off his feet.

“Oh thank god it wasn’t you,” the huge monster said.

“What wasn’t?” the skeleton croaked.

“Or you!!” Asgore gently dropped Gaster and pulled Sans up to squish him next. “Oh my goodness. Oooh no. Okay. Alright. Have either of you seen Undyne?!”

“What’s the emergency?” Sans asked.

“I don’t know how to say this but… But.” Asgore took a deep breath and sat Sans down on the edge of the desk. “The human souls are gone. And so is the barrier.”

Gaster and Sans shared a look. Sans shrugged. The older skeleton frowned and cupped his chin thoughtfully for a moment. He put a hand on Asgore’s shoulder.

“It happened months ago,” he said.

“…What?” Asgore blinked. He tilted his head. “I… I don’t—”

“I’m sorry for the shock. Time is a mess at the moment. The barrier is down, no monster or seventh human has died for it, and everything is safe,” Gaster said. “Think back. Do you remember the plateau?”

“The…?” Asgore put both hands on his head. “The plateau?! Oh. Oh, my god. I don’t understand, why am I having such strong déjà vu? Are you sure everyone is safe?! Honestly, have you seen Undyne?!”

“You call her?” Sans asked.

“Of course I did!” Asgore said. He put his face in his hands, pulling his cheeks downwards. “I need to find her, I—”

“Hey, G-Gaster?” Alphys’s voice. She came in from the elevator, glaring at her phone incredulously. “I think I f-found some—” 

Asgore swept her up into his arms. She squeaked loudly and he clutched her close like a comfort puppy. He was a weepy-eyed mess.

“You’re safe,” he said quietly. 

“O-Of course I’m safe,” she said shrilly. “W-What’s wrong?!”

“Alphys, do you think you could track down my phone?” Gaster asked.

“Wha…? Um, okay?” she said.

“Gaster! What do I do?” Asgore said miserably. “I have to check everyone, I—”

“What’s going on?!” Alphys said.

“The barrier and the souls are gone,” the King said, squeezing her worriedly.

Alphys went pale and sweaty. She babbled out nothing and Asgore held her miserably. 

“It’s going to be okay, old friend,” Gaster said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Sans sighed. He heaved himself off his seat. “Welp. I’mma head out.” He put a hand up to stall the flurry of questions he knew were about to come from the frantic monsters and started for the door. “Gonna go get Undyne.”

“Please find her,” Asgore said. “And I’ll—”

“You will sit down, take a deep breath, and let me explain what’s going on,” Gaster said. “Sans, stay, ask your brother to—”

“Nah, I got it,” he said. “I could use the air.”

\- - -

Not teleporting fully sucked. Sans had been able to do it since a week or two after he was made. He’d never been as hobbled as this before. 

He ambled down the dark paths, lit by the bioluminescent Echo Flowers and the crystals glittering in the roof of the cavern like distant, stagnant stars. The kid loved this place. She’d spend her rare times brooding here, rather than almost anywhere else. Same for him, honestly. The quiet darkness of Waterfall sometimes made emptiness elsewhere easier to bear.

He knew the path by heart. Had to so as not to shift himself into a pit if he wanted to turn up here on a regular day. 

As he wandered through grass that glowed at each step on his way past dull blue lanterns and sparkling purple crystals, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He almost didn’t bother with it, but reconsidered after a few more steps. Papyrus.

“_HELLO BROTHER!!! Alphys told me you are headed to Waterfall all on your own??? Do you want me to come pick you up??? If you do not reply I will default to picking you up!!!!_”

“_nah im good_” Sans typed back. A white something sped by in the corner of his eye. Hoped it wasn’t some other time distortion.

“_OK but I am on standby!!_” Papyrus replied.

Sans pocketed the phone again and continued on his way. Swift little feets in the grass caught his attention again. Black and white forms encroached on three sides. He knew already; took a half-step backwards as several Tems leapt out of the shadows and clonked into each other with an _arf _and an _oof_.

“AawwaAAAaaa,” yelled one of the floppy monsters, rolling onto her back with wiggling limbs in the air.

“Oops,” he said. “How many Temmies we got here?”

“HOI!! Temmies?! There are tree of us ,” one of them said in a childish voice.

“Tree, huh?” Sans tilted his head. “Huh. Your noggins okay? Hope you ain’t barkin’ mad.”

“NO!!!” all three of them shouted at once. They sounded oddly similar. 

“We want to glomp!” complained one. 

“We are hungr,” said another.

“You guys from the shop?” Sans asked. “Don’t have much to barter with.”

“NO!!!” they said again at the same time.

“The shop are boring!!” whined one Tem, holding her own cheeks. “All Temmies, all the tem!”

“The town are full up with a million of Tem and still are boring!” whinged the roly-poly one.

Sans tilted his head. “Thought most of you guys went up top.”

“What?! Up top of where?!” asked a Tem.

“The surface,” Sans said.

“NO!!!” all three of them said again.

“Fhsdhjfd, that’s crazy talk Mister Skeltal,” asserted Temmie.

Sans squinted at them skeptically, but he felt a sinking feeling deep through his bones. He stepped over the one on the ground and headed south to Temmie Village.

The cavern that claimed to be Temmie Village was wide and decorated with paintings of Tems with dragons, Tems as knights, Tems fighting through storms and waves, and large sculptures of the little monsters that were simultaneously cat-and-dog-like. They weren’t the most reliable or coherent of creatures though, so Sans half-expected the whole place to be empty. It was not. The village was bustling with near-identical Temmies, chattering in their unusual way amongst themselves, rolling around, sneezing; brushing their hair. Nobody in the history of the planet had ever felt as much dread seeing so many Tems as Sans did right at that moment.

As the three ambushing Temmies pranced back into their village without a second thought, Sans backtracked out of the cavern to catch his breath. They shouldn’t have been there. Couldn’t have. He put a hand against the side of his skull. He felt sick.

Swiftly, he pulled his phone out and checked his contacts. Several were missing. He was pretty sure he remembered the number as he punched it in and clunked the thing against the side of his head. He couldn’t help a tremor through his fingers as he waited through ringing. The gash in his hand hurt.

“Hello, ya reached Flint,” came a craggy voice on the other end of the line.

“Hey, uh, it’s Sans, you remember me?” the skeleton asked.

“What? Sans! Aye, o’course!” Flint said.

Sans sighed with relief. “How’s Naiad?”

“Ah. She’s, ah… She’s not feelin’ so good, t’be honest,” the rockram said quietly.

“Where you at?” Sans asked.

“Park down near Dandelion Plaza, why?”

“Okay. Listen. This’s real important,” Sans said. “Go to the King’s. Take Naiad; take your kids.”

“Sans, what—?”

“Get to the King’s; go to where the barrier’s supposed to be, then just keep goin’.”

“I don’t understand,” Flint said.

“I know. Sorry. It’ll help. Do it as soon as you can,” he said. “Now-ish, maybe.”

“Are y’sure…? Ah, y’sound pretty sure. Alright. I’ll trust ya.”

“Thanks,” Sans said. “Won’t regret it.”

He hung up and hurried on his way. He rubbed the sore side of his hand and cursed under his breath. This was nuts. Worse than he thought. 

He didn’t see Undyne anywhere in Waterfall, and no lights were on when he came to her house. He knocked on the door and let himself in.

He could see the faint glow of her phone on the kitchen counter, and he could hear deep snores from the bedroom in the back. False alarm. He edged up and knocked on that door, too.

“Knock knock,” he said.

There was a rough, snarling snort on the other side. “Huwha?! Whodat?”

He couldn’t resist. “Boo.”

“Boo who?!”

“Hey, don’t cry, it’s just me,” Sans said.

“NnnngaaaAAAH!! Sans, I’m gonna kill ya!!” She stomped to the door and flung it back, glowering through her mussed up red hair. “What d’you want?!”

“King wanted to find you.” He shrugged. “He was freakin’ out about the barrier.”

Undyne tilted her head. “Why, what about it?”

Sans raised his brows. “You, uh, remember you were up there, right? With the Tems?”

“With the…?” She frowned deeply. “…Up there?”

“Wuh-oh,” Sans said. He folded his arms. “That ain’t good.”

Undyne mimicked his posture, leaning against her doorframe. After a moment, her ears perked. “Oh, right!! I was!! But I… forgot. Feels like I was doin’ something else, too?! Like… I’ve never been that far, but I totally have; there was a stupid egg or whatever.”

Sans looked her up and down. He tapped his teeth. Wasn’t right. It struck him hard. Of course it wasn’t. World was off-kilter. They were missing their anchor. “Ah. Shit. I really gotta find my sis.”

“Still no luck, huh?” she asked worriedly.

“I still don’t super get why your memory isn’t as bad as Tori or Asgore’s,” he admitted. 

Had to be something to it. He could remember when the world was breaking; when the ghost of Chara had sunken deeply into an anomaly and had begun to kill. He saw Undyne shatter and rebuild herself into the world’s protector with determination all her own. Not even a boss monster had ever done that before, and though recorded monster history was scarce, not once was it ever mentioned, not even in whispers. If a story was to be written about those dead timelines, Undyne was the natural protagonist.

“Wait, Asgore and Tori, they don’t remember this stuff, but I kinda do?” she asked. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Tell me about it,” Sans said. “You remember Alphys?”

“Duh.”

“Uh. Sorry, I mean, like, you datin’ her and stuff,” he said.

“Yeah, duh, why?” Undyne pressed.

Sans flinched. He rubbed the back of his skull. Undyne’s jaw dropped.

“Don’t tell me she forgot again?!” she demanded.

Reluctantly, Sans nodded. “Yeah, uh, part of her kinda reverted back like ten years to when she still had a crush on, uh… me. Sorry.”

“You?! You let her down easy, at least, right?” she demanded.

“Did my best,” he said. “She didn’t seem too upset.”

“PHEW.” Undyne’s ears drooped and her posture sagged. “Aw maannn, that really friggin’ sucks,” she muttered. “I gotta win her back.”

“Do what you gotta, dude,” Sans said. “But it’ll be fixed once the kids get home.”

“Then we extra gotta get ‘em home!” She stuck a fist into the air. “So, uh. What do I do?”

Sans shrugged.

Undyne scowled. “Seriously?”

His shoulders slumped. “Yeah.”

Undyne’s expression softened. “Man. Everything’s crazy, huh? You okay?”

“Eh. Fine. Dyin’ though,” he said.

“That’s a garbage joke,” she said sternly.

He smiled sideways and shrugged. Her brow furrowed. She huffed out a sigh and rubbed her fingers through her hair, pulling it back out of her face.

“You tell your bro?”

“Nah,” he said.

“You have to,” she said.

“Not if I can get those kids back in a week,” he said.

“What, they gonna cure you?” Undyne asked skeptically.

“My kid’ll turn time back and none of this will have happened,” he said, though the thought of that hung heavy in his head. He shot her a sympathetic smile. “I’ll fill you in on whatever junk you lose, if you want. Might not be anything.”

She looked at him incredulously, then sighed heavily and rolled her eye. She picked him up and slung him over her shoulder. “Let’s go, dork, we got work to do.”

\- - -

Asgore was a large dad. So large, in fact, that even Undyne looked child-like in his arms as he hugged her desperately and smooched her forehead within seconds of her entering the lab. Relief was singing out of him, so she didn’t put up the least bit of resistance.

Sans leaned groggily against a desk, taking a breather. He caught his father’s eye— the skeleton was hovering over a coffee maker a few tables away— and he wandered over and tilted his head towards the King. “Convinced ‘im?”

“Mostly,” he said. “Thank you for finding her.”

“We got a problem, though,” he said. “Also found a whole pack of Temmies.”

“Why, are they coming here?” Gaster asked. “I don’t think I made enough coffee.”

“Nah. Issue is, they should be up top,” he said. “They were yesterday. Now they don’t remember.”

“Oh.” Gaster put a hand to his brow. “That’s… not good. It’s getting stranger, isn’t it?” He sighed. “And I’m somehow compromised as well. If time goes on and I… And I become unreliable, just smack me and tell me what to do. I promise I will believe whatever you say, and if I don’t, just smack me again.”

“Pfff, can’t even reach,” the skeleton said with a wink. He rubbed the back of his skull tiredly. “So. What now?”

“Coffee, then we can discuss what on earth to do.” He folded his arms. “I think, regardless, I’ll need to overcharge the NOCTURNE.”

“Which means messin’ with the CORE again,” Sans said with a sigh. “Great. Got a target?”

“That’s… part of the problem. But I’ve set up a program to try to decode part of the red line, hopefully that’ll help. Alphys said she’ll give me a hand with that as well. Since parts of mine are missing and all.”

Sans scoffed and Gaster cracked a faint smile.

“H-Hey, um, guys?” Alphys was upstairs. She poked her head over the banister, a furrow on her brow. “Um. G-Gaster? There’s something here you should see.”

“Be right there,” he said.

As Asgore finally released Undyne from his grip and began to relay what he’d been told in hushed tones, the skeletons went up to join Alphys. She had shoved some stuff off her workbench and set up a makeshift computer station there with her laptop hooked up to a magic boosting cable. There was that static sound again, though. Sans caught sight of a radio on its side in a pile of Alphys’s junk. He picked it up and peered at it curiously as his father joined the lizard in front of the computer.

The screen looked like a little, confused green radar ping on a black background. 

“So, um… Problem?” Alphys said nervously. “Your phone is, um… Gone.”

“Gone?” Gaster’s hum warbled loudly. “How gone?”

“Gone, l-like… Unfathomably far away,” the lizard said. “I’m not g-getting anything on, um… On Earth.”

Gaster put his hands on his face. “How can that be?!” His eyes flared. “What have I done? Our book, it was—” His voice faltered and cut off. He shivered and grimaced. With the spike of his soul, the radio’s volume followed.

“Ah! Right, l-let me make you m-more opera cakes,” Alphys said quickly. She swooped her status food oven from her phone quickly. “D-Don’t worry. I-It might take a little, b-but I refined the formula a little s-so they’re working really well!”

Dismally, the tall skeleton nodded. He coughed silently and rubbed the back of his skull.

“Oh! Right. There’s s-something else I should mention,” Alphys said. She handed her own phone over to Gaster and leaned in to swipe through her texts. “I n-noticed this. There’s these, um, numbers? Sent to a strange phone? I c-can’t remember sending it but…”

Gaster quickly pointed to his own chest several times.

“Y-You sent it?” she asked. “To…”

“One of the kids,” Sans said.

“I guess that could b-be,” Alphys said. “I t-tried calling the number and it, um, just sounds like a horror movie, so…” She shook her head. “A-Anyway! It looks like coordinates and some sort of energy reading to me. Wh-What do you think?”

Gaster nodded and stuck up both thumbs on his normal hands, and his phantom magic ones. He redialled the phone and clunked it against his skull. After only a second, though, he jerked the thing away from his head and hung up as fast as possible. He began to rattle. He whirled and was about to head downstairs, but the lizard grabbed his arm. 

“Oh no you don’t,” she insisted. “Stay h-here for a minute. Take a breather! At least until y-you stop shaking so much.”

Gaster grimaced, but he nodded. He rolled up his sleeve and pulled out a marker, but his hands were trembling. Sans put the radio down and beckoned to him, and Gaster gladly passed it over so the short skeleton could copy the numbers out for him onto his radius. 

Beside them, the weird static on the radio fluctuated. The rhythm of it was almost like words. As Sans capped the marker and passed it back to his dad, he peered down at the buzzing thing and leaned his head closer to it. 

“Hey, Alph? Got any idea why all the radios are screwy?”

“Wh…? Um. N-No, but I did notice that,” she said as she programmed her oven. “It’s a-annoying, huh? I can’t get them t-to turn off since, um, y-yesterday or the day before, I think. Feel free to break it if it’s g-giving you a headache, I’ll just, um, fix it later.”

Sans _hmmed_ to himself. Instead, he turned the volume up. The sound was awful, but under all that static, he thought he heard a voice. Didn’t sound like Mettaton or his music, which is what was usually clogging up the airwaves. Gaster patted him on the shoulder and pointed downstairs. Sans replied with a thumbs up.

With a quick rummage through Alphys’s pile of junk, he found a signal node and an extendable antennae buried amongst tools and other bits of potentially useful scrap. He took both downstairs and plunked himself into Alphys’s chair. Though it hurt, he conjured a bone and sharpened one end to a point. He used it to unfasten the back panel of the radio to expose its magic wiring. Undyne leaned over the back of his chair.

“Whatcha doin’ with that annoying thing?” she asked.

“Not sure. Think there’s somethin’ up,” he said.

“Related?” she asked.

“No clue. Maybe.” He fastened the small silver disk that was the signal node into a spot snuggly with the wires, then attached the antennae to the top of the device. He grabbed Undyne’s hand and put it against the cables. “Shock it.”

Undyne’s magic bristled vibrant cyan in her fingertips and the magic inside the tubes shifted to match. The signal got a lot clearer. Definitely a voice. It was probably female and kind of familiar, but incoherent. Sans perked up. Maybe, could it be…?

Asgore, still a wobbly mess, snuck over to look, too.

“Whoa,” Undyne said. “Who the hell is that?”

Sans flipped the radio around. He turned up the volume and adjusted the tuning knobs. It still wasn’t clear. “Goin’ up top,” he said.

“What?! Sans, are you sure?” Asgore asked worriedly.

He nodded and heaved himself to his feet. His head spun. He blinked. Fragments of the wrong colour danced along the walls for just an instant. He ignored it and headed to the elevator, turning the radio down to a low annoyance as he went. Undyne followed quickly and, before they could leave, Asgore squeezed into the elevator, too.

Though he put up a facade of being relaxed, it only lasted for about five seconds before the King grabbed onto Undyne’s hand and let out a long, heavy sigh. “This is all a bit much,” he confessed. “Do… you all have inconsistent memories as well? Did Gaster explain it to you?”

“I do, Sans doesn’t,” Undyne said. “He remembers what he’s supposed to.”

“Except the names of two kids,” Sans said dryly.

“Oh, Sans, I’m so sorry.” Asgore bent and put a gentle hand on his head. “Any way I can help, let me know, alright? That’s still my job, even if the world is off-kilter. So, um. What is it we’re doing now?”

Sans held up the radio. “Fixin’ this.”

“Um. Will that… help?” Asgore wondered.

The skeleton shrugged. “A bunch of ‘em are all goin’ weird in the same way at once.”

“And that’s important, is it?” he asked.

“Welp. Anything weird at this point, I’m gonna check it out.”

“That sounds fair,” Asgore said with a solemn nod.

\- - -

The puffy-clouded, blue morning sky was awash with déjà vu. Asgore was quiet, taking in the sights and smells on the cool wind like it had been forever ago, but the recollection and confusion he felt was as obvious as if he’d shouted it off into the echoing reaches around them. He held tight to Undyne’s hand. She didn’t mind.

Sans plunked himself down on his same old rock and set down the annoying radio. He extended the antennae out as far as it would go and fiddled with the knobs, wondering if they could get some frequency to match with whatever this sound was. Didn’t take long. Suddenly, the voice was clear through the static.

“…can’t believe I’m… Okay. Again.” A woman’s voice. Familiar. The cadence changed after a mechanical clicking sound. “Hello. This is a recording. Um. I’m hoping this is going somewhere.”

“What’s that?” Undyne was leaning over Sans’s shoulder, pressing close. 

He held up a finger to pause her.

“My name is June Yamada. I’m a human, my contact info is—” 

“June?! I remember her,” Asgore bleated, smooshing in close, though Undyne elbowed him gently and put a finger to her lips. “Oops, sorry.”

“…I’m hoping this reaches you. I am… I was the Ambassador from Sollund. Something’s wrong, my memories are… I remember meeting King Asgore, and the skeleton family, and the Captain of the Guard, and a few others, but my records are all wrong and nobody else remembers that the mountain is even open. I know this probably sounds crazy, but I remembered this as one of the first frequencies we communicated on, but I can’t access the machine that I used to call you because I… um. I guess I haven’t actually been hired yet at the facility that has it. I guess this is some sort of magic? I can’t understand what’s going on. Please, if you get this… If, by some chance, you hear this. Please. Contact me.”

There was a heavy click, static, and then the same recording started again. Fully masking any disappointment he felt, Sans entered her number into his phone.

“So, it’s affecting them, too?” Undyne mused. “Or… is it just her? ‘Cause she came here.”

“Plus she’s human. Her determination is gonna be higher than most of ours,” Sans said.

“Is she alright, though?” Asgore asked. “I remember her visit, she was… She had to meet with… Darn, who was it?”

“My sister.” Sans tapped his teeth thoughtfully. “Guess I’ll try to let her know to just wait it out.”

“Yeah, not much else you can do, I guess,” Undyne said. “Can you, like, two-way-radio it?”

“Probably. Got any earphones?”

Undyne reached into her phone and found a pair with special clasps that clipped onto her type of ear. Sans hooked them up to the radio and opened the back again. As the other monsters watched, he pulled some wires out and reconnected them out of order, and then grabbed Undyne’s hand again to shock the signal node.

“What are you doing, exactly?” Asgore asked curiously.

“Ah. Stuff’s old tech. Already a receiver. Easy. Basically, node can act as a transmitter. Earphone can be a mouthpiece. Switch one of these buttons to let me push to talk and…” He set the radio down and held down a button that was supposed to be for setting a timer. He put up one finger and held one of the ends of the earphones close to his mouth. “Hey. Uh. Testin’. Can you hear me? This June? We can hear ya, but it’s kinda messy.”

He let go of the button. The message was still playing, but only for a couple seconds more, before it cut off and replaced itself with loud white noise.

Undyne’s ears perked. Asgore leaned in and sat on the rock, too. He held tight to Sans’s shoulders. After a minute, the tone shifted.

“Hello?!” June’s voice. “Your voice is familiar, is that…?! Is that the… King’s advisor? The skeleton?! I’m so sorry, but I can’t remember your name. But, yes, I can hear you!! Um. Over. You say _over_, when you’re done. So that it’s easier to… Well, I’m sure you get it. Over.”

Sans grinned. Undyne patted him on the shoulder.

“Yeah. Gotcha. That’s me. I’m Sans. I’m here with, uh, the King and the Guard Captain. You remember us? Over.”

“I do, but it’s…” Her words were overcome with distortion for a moment. “Something’s really wrong. Can you tell me what happened? Is it a spell? Over.”

“It’s not a spell. It’s complicated. We’re tryin’ to fix it,” Sans said.

“Yes, Howdy, June! I’m King Asgore, if you don’t remember, which is just fine!” the King butted in. “We are having a problem with time magic, it seems, that is going awry a bit, but not to worry, once it is fixed, I’m told things will be normal again and it won’t be a problem! Over.”

June replied, but it was distorted again. Sans frowned and flipped the radio around to check the other side. 

“Uh, is that on our end, or hers?” Undyne asked.

“Not sure… Uh…” Sans clicked the button. “Hey, sorry, we’re havin’ trouble with our thing. Kinda rewired a radio, to be honest. Can you hear us okay? Uh, over.”

They had to wait a bit. They heard her voice, but it was more faint than before. The reply sounded like, “_Not really_,” but it was hard to be sure.

“Alright, so, we’ll try to call your phone, we just gotta do a bit of work to get through on a human line. Might take a few hours. Over.”

A long pause again. “…Okay, thank—”

The radio buzzed. The back made a hissing sound. Sans smiled tiredly and Undyne folded her arms and snorted.

“Big over,” she said.

“Guess so,” Sans said, turning the volume down. He passed Undyne her earphones. “Thanks.”

“That was impressive for spare parts, though,” Asgore said. He hugged Sans and slumped. “What a day.”

“Tell me about it,” he said. “Hey, uh, sorry this freaked you out so bad.”

Asgore shook his head. He sighed and stared out over the horizon. “I guess it’s… sort of surreal. I never imagined this without… Without someone having to die at the end for it.” He shuddered. “The world can be so cruel. I’m just glad… we didn’t lose anyone else. I-In that way, at least.”

“Same, I thought this would take a lot more fighting,” Undyne said. She looked at Sans sympathetically. “It was those kids, right? They did this?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Why would a human do this for us?” Asgore wondered quietly. “After everything…”

“She, uh…” Sans’s voice hitched for a moment. “…She loved us. We were all she had.”

“I can’t wait to meet them again,” Asgore said. “Don’t worry, my boy, I’m certain you and Gaster and Alphys will find some way to bring them back.”

“Mhm. Gotta,” Sans said. He folded his arms tight. The cut in his hand ached. For some reason, the nostalgia up here was making him sick. He hated missing people. Hated missing his kid especially, most recently. It always came with a sense of dread and uncertainty he desperately wished would be over.

An unusually rocky sound reached them from the path inside the mountain, clunking up the steps. Undyne’s ears perked and she turned to look. Asgore, too, was drawn towards it, just as a little fish kid dragging a tiny rockram broke onto the surface. He screamed. She screamed. They hugged each other tightly.

“Mister King!!!” The boy waved frantically and dragged his sister towards Asgore.

The massive monster’s eyes were wide, but he began to beam. He rushed to meet them and knelt to take the kids into his arms. “Adaro and little Lari! Howdy! Good to see you two!”

“The sun is so bright!” Lari squeaked.

“Yes, little one. It definitely is,” Asgore said fondly.

Behind them came their father, Flint, and their mother, Naiad. The huge rockram looked stunned, but the fish monster hurried forward and froze in the sunlight. Her scales took on an iridescent sheen. 

“I remember this place,” she breathed, right before she was crushed into a hug by her husband.

Sans let out a small breath of relief. Undyne shot him a knowing look and thumped him on the shoulder. She looked Naiad up and down, recognition flashing in her eyes. “Yo, didn’t she live up here?” she asked at a whisper.

“Got reversed as of yesterday,” Sans said.

“…You thought fast,” she said.

“I’d have her dust on my hands if I didn’t,” he said. 

He grabbed the radio and got to his feet, stretching. His spine popped. He needed that.

“Uh, where you going?” Undyne asked.

“Gonna try to reprogram a phone to get human numbers, I guess,” he said.

“Nothing else up here for you?” She gestured to the other monsters, who were now being exuberantly embraced by Asgore.

Sans rubbed the back of his skull. “Nah. Shouldn’t get in the way. See you at the lab?”

“Hold it.” She jumped to her feet. “You crazy or something? You’re not going alone! What if you pass out again and fall down an elevator shaft or some crap?!”

“It’d be faster than walkin’,” he said with a shrug.

\- - -

Alphys’s cakes wafted a chocolate coffee scent around the lab. Very warm; very welcome.

She was still having a bit of trouble wrapping her mind around what was happening, but she was glad to have a job to do. It was oddly nostalgic for her, having the place so bustling again. It felt like it hadn’t been like this since before the incident in the CORE, ten years ago. She plugged in her main laptop and synched it up to Gaster’s program running the Dark Model data on the red line. It had processed a couple points; converted them into equations. There was an algorithm to process it into the notes of a resonance. 

Scribbling on a napkin, she calculated the first few and whistled the four-note tune. She drummed her short claws on the desk. She fed her numbers back into the computer and had it play it back on its own. It repeated the same thing. She smiled. A little progress.

“H-Hey, Gaster?” she called. “I-I’m not sure if you heard? The Dark Model’s working for us, a bit!” She tilted her head but heard no reply, not even in footsteps. “O-Oh, right, his voice…” She muttered to herself. She leaned over to check the machine. Forty seconds. She tapped her pen on the desk as she waited. Felt like it took forever, somehow.

Once the machine let out a pleasant chime and ejected its many pre-wrapped cakes, Alphys gathered some of them up. She’d made, maybe, a bit too big a batch. She fumbled with a small armful of the packages and headed down the escalator. She couldn’t see the skeleton anywhere.

“Gaster?” she called. 

Still no answer. She pouted. He’d gone somewhere. Not with the others, though. 

She could see he’d entered the numbers from the mysterious text onto the computer he’d been using. They’d hit a match in a long list of points tracked in time and space, though there were some other numbers of distortion associated with it. One was highlighted. She clicked on it and it brought up SOULSCN, and the recorded version of Gaster’s own soul. It linked through a spiderweb of other energy points. Alphys’s brow furrowed. She clicked through them. Errors, duplicates, corrupting the data of some of the other points. Something was wrong.

“Oh, no…” Alphys breathed. “Gaster?!”

She looked around the whole lab again, but only found him when she peeked outside the east door and almost tripped over the old doctor. He was against the wall, partially curled up, a hand on his head, near the crack in his skull. Alphys bit her lip and edged out slowly. The sound of the door closing jerked the skeleton out of his stupor, but when he looked up, it was clear he’d been crying.

Alphys froze. Her soul stumbled. She rushed to sit on her knees with him and she offered him the curative cakes. He nodded gratefully, wiped his face, and took them from her. He ate two, and then managed an audible cough. 

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” She held his hand tightly. “H-How can I help?”

He shook his head. She frowned and reached up to hug him. He faltered, then buckled, pulling her close and wilting around her. 

“T-Talk to me,” she said. “How do I help?”

“…I’m the cause of all this,” he said softly. “My… My stupid, bloody soul.”

“Don’t say that,” Alphys said, frowning at him. “What d-does that even mean?”

“My daughter and my… my nephew, they’re… They followed my coordinates. And my… cursed soul… It did something. That was what threw them astray, it…”He gritted his teeth and clutched at his skull. “I shouldn’t have come back, I should have died. I should have stayed gone, I—”

Alphys smacked a hand onto either side of his face. He froze, eyes flaring with colour. She huffed indignantly, her eyes watering, and shook out her hands.

“O-Ow. S-Sorry,” she squeaked. “You h-have to snap out of it. Gaster. C-Come on.”

“You don’t understand. I have killed my son,” he said, voice croaking, tears leaking down his face. “I have banished my daughter from her own timeline and lost the child of my best friends to the void. I am an abomination.”

“No. No, n-no, no no no.” Alphys shook her head quickly. “No. W-We’re not doing that. You’re not. A-And we’ll fix this. We will.” She pulled a tissue from her pocket and gently dabbed his cheeks. “Listen, okay? Y-You can’t break down, that’s m-my job.”

“…You are so good,” he said quietly. “You don’t even remember, and still, you…” He sighed and rubbed his face. “Thank you, Alphys.”

She shook her head again. “You’re n-not an a-abomination,” she said.

“I am. Literally. I should not exist. It’s only though my selfishness that I’m here and… and now, they’re not. I’ve doomed us all. Again.”

It sounded like nonsense to her, but he looked so bereft she knew he believed every word he said. “But how do you know th-that?” she insisted. “H-How do you know it’s doom? It could really n-not be doom, you know? It could be… I-It could be just… kind of bad instead of, you know, world ending?”

“The world is already shifting,” he said dismally. “Without my daughter here to hold it steady…”

“So, then, we’ll find her. L-Like we’ve been working on,” she insisted. “Come on. P-Please don’t give up. You can do this. W-We can, as a team, r-right?”

He slumped. The ache in his fractured soul became palpable. Alphys grimaced. 

“Y-You know, she only… just learned who I was,” he said quietly. He clenched his hands together. He took in a rattling breath.

Alphys sighed softly. She hugged him again. “A-And… And she’ll have a-all the time in the world to g-get to know you. We’ll get her back. W-We’ll get both of these time kids back.”

He gritted his teeth, but he nodded stiffly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t… I need to be stronger than this.”

“Relax.” She grabbed his hands gently. “Hey. Come on,” she said. “L-Let’s go back inside and c-cool you down a little, okay?” She took a step back and he allowed her to pull him upright. “I’ll make you s-something and… And. We’ll get through this. I promise.”


	31. cap's eyes

The round plush dog with the many legs and wings and snow drake crest was an enigma. A conundrum. A puzzle. It stared, because it could do nothing else, shiny, beaded black eyes relinquishing not an ounce of a clue.

Papyrus had hunkered down to its level on his desk, chin on his mousepad, staring back at it. His brow was heavily furrowed. How could this have happened?

He sat up and sighed, resting his cheek on his fist. He was still incredulous. Still puzzled beyond belief. If Sans hadn’t been so upset, he would have thought this to be some elaborate ruse to tell him they were adopting another kid or something. 

A little guilt pinged in his soul. He let himself think, for a second, that maybe he hadn’t handled his brother so well. He couldn’t get the expression Sans made when he couldn’t remember the name of the mysterious sister out of his mind. That wasn’t something he ever wanted to see again. He wanted to help. More than anything else in the world, he wanted to help.

He sighed again, more dramatically this time. There was a knock at his door and Toriel slid in behind him, carrying a plate with an overstuffed cheese sandwich on it.

“How are you feeling, hun? I brought you some food,” she said. “What are you looking at?”

“This confounding dog. Monster. Thing,” he said. “It… It belongs to my sister. I think.”

“Do you remember her?” she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. She placed the food down in front of him and gently took the plush. She looked it in the eye. “I’m sorry, this must be so frustrating.”

“The thing is, I… I don’t really, but I know… there’s something.” His soul flickered through his COOL DUDE tee and he put a hand over it, frowning.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Oh, yes, absolutely, it just keeps doing that when I… I don’t know. I really don’t like not knowing.I feel like I should be able to figure this out,” he said. “I feel like… Nyehhh, I feel like I’m missing something very obvious.” He drummed his fingers on the hard desk top. “Some piece. Somewhere.” He straightened up and shot her a worried look. “You don’t remember either, do you? Do you think this is all crazy? It’s not crazy, right?” He groaned and held the side of his skull. “Uuuuugh, I feel so bad that I didn’t just go with what Sans was saying but I really honestly can’t… I can’t…” His soul flickered again. “Nyooo, what a pain.”

Toriel patted his skull reassuringly, though she grimaced softly. “There is something wrong. It feels… I’m not sure. Like a noise just at the edge of my hearing register. Something uncomfortable. Maybe an… old scar, acting up. I…” She cautiously moved aside the collar of her sweater and looked at her collarbone with confusion. “But I can’t imagine…” She straightened up. “I can’t imagine these time children, and I can’t imagine what Sans must be going through.”

Papyrus tilted his head. “Has he said anything to you?”

“He’s so private,” she said, folding her arms. “Though… I did find him upstairs, the other day. He was looking at that odd light.”

The skeleton tilted his head. He jumped to his feet and dashed for the door, only to double back for the sandwich and shove it in his mouth as he left, sticking his thumb up. “Fank you for th’food!!”

He remembered that light. It’d slipped his mind. Something about it being important. About it somehow being a passageway.

He clambered up into what used to be a storage attic and saw the light at the far end of the not-quite complete second bedroom, through the doorless doorframe. When he approached it, he thought he might have heard a sound. He listened closely, but couldn’t pick it up again. He folded his arms and tapped his foot.

“You’re too fast, hun,” Toriel said, laughing quietly as she followed behind him. “What’re you thinking?”

“I am thinking maybe this light has something to do with something else,” he said. “I feel like…” He reached out his hand towards it. He recalled doing this before, a while ago. “I feel like maybe it… knows something?” 

His fingertips brushed the light. A note of magic rattled his skull and a smattering of emotions from beyond him slammed into his soul so hard he gasped and saw red flicker before him for an instant. Toriel rushed to his side and held him as he backed away, tears streaming down his face. His soul ached. Lonesome, hopeful, worried. Terrified. A deep, panicked pain. 

“What’s wrong?! Did it hurt you?!” she demanded.

“E… Emotionally!” he squeaked. He choked and she hugged him tight “I… I miss Sans.”

“Oh, honey, it’s okay. He’s just at the lab,” Toriel cooed.

“I know! I know, it’s just… I don’t understand, why d-does it hurt s-so much?!” He clenched a hand over his soul. “Why…? Why do I miss him so much? Th-This makes n-no sense, I…” He had to pause, cough, and choke in a rasping breath. “Uuuughh, why am I crying?! I shouldn’t be c-crying, I… Why do I miss myself?!”

Toriel tilted her head. She rubbed the skeleton’s back as he fought to get ahold of himself. “Breathe, hun. Breathe.”

“I am doing my b-best!” Papyrus took a deep breath, but he started rattling. His knees were weak and he began to sink. “Nyeeeehh…”

Toriel went down to the floor with him and held him close to keep him steady. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Deep breaths.”

He forced his eyes closed, but all he could see was red. Very bright. Very saturated. The colour of… What was it…? It was full of nostalgia and the smell of hot chocolate and a song that left his mind the second it began to form. There was a word. It struck him hard in the soul.

He sniffled and wiped his eyes, though they kept leaking. He put a hand over his soul— pictured it turning orange. “I… I think it’s… determination?” He looked at his mom through shocked, tear-blurred eyes. “Oh!! I know!! I know what to do.”

“But you’re still crying,” she said gently.

“Yes, but I c-can’t exactly help that,” he said, taking in a deep breath and jumping to his feet, pulling her up with him. He whirled and headed back downstairs. “I’m going out of town for a minute!”

The red and the strange dog had filled him with an idea. He grabbed it to bring it along. Sniffling, he pulled on his jacket and headed straight outside. The cold instantly chilled his damp bones, and he still couldn’t stop the tears from running down his face. He pulled his scarf up higher than usual to cover a bit of his face and hurried onwards.

\- - -

On the cliffs outside Snowdin to the west, there was an oversized doghouse sitting in the snow between two pine trees that were about the same height. It had a lot of dangling name-signs hanging above the door and nailed to the sides— “Big Dog”, “the Borkers”, “Grand-Dogs”, “Endogeny”, “Tonsoffluff”; “woof”. Papyrus sniffled and knocked, hard.

There was some barking from inside and the door seemed to suction inwards, replaced by the massive, white, faceless form of Big Dog, panting and oozing and wagging their tail with enough intensity to whip up a little snow squall as they hopped outside. Papyrus waved, but before he could say a word, he was twisted up in their big wiggly dog body and subjected to a tongue of the void lulling out of the hole and licking his tears.

“Nyeeehh, stop, stop, I’m okay!” he insisted.

They barked their disapproval. He laughed tiredly.

“Okay, okay, maybe I am having a little trouble,” he admitted. “Do you think you can help me? I can repay you in pasta. Or maybe…” He conjured a fancy bone in the air and plunked it down out of magic and into his hands. “How about this?”

Big Dog instantly sat at attention, the deep shadows pooling beneath them writhing with excitement. Papyrus managed a grin.

“Nyeh heh! I thought you’d like that! I had an idea about determination. Do you remember any of that?” he asked.

They didn’t answer with any woof, only tilting their head and leaning closer to him. Their tail wagged heavily in the snow. Papyrus showed them the plush that looked a lot like them and their tail went even faster. 

“Do you think you could maybe find whoever this belonged to?” he asked. “Or maybe something that smells like this? I’m looking for my missing sister and brother who I can’t remember even that they exist. Really, anything would help at this point.”

Big Dog crept in closer. The deep blackness in their face hole dripped out. They made a deep, heavy sniffing and, to Papyrus’s shock, a weird snout pushed its way out of the void, wiggling up and down with pointed smelling. When their jaws parted to pant out that weird tongue, they had way too many, pitch black teeth— more than any dog could ever want. For a second, Big Dog looked like a slightly less big shadow dog in a Big Dog hoodie before the snout retracted into the blackness and they let out a deafening bork.

Stealing the bone from Papyrus’s hand, they inhaled it with one gulp and then ducked under his legs, putting him on their back. He yelped with surprise and they howled loud into the frosty wind and then sprinted off to the west.

Papyrus clung tight to the putty-like fur, but somehow, he didn’t feel like he was going to fall off. He wiped his eyes again. He wasn’t sure that the tears were going to abate any time soon, but at least he didn’t feel quite as choked up anymore. Still, that intense loneliness weighed in him like a bag of bricks in his ribcage. He hid his face against the dogs and closed his eyes, hoping the chill wouldn’t turn his tears to ice cubes.

Big Dog charged like a barking storm down into the Ruins as fast as they could. Deeper and deeper; as far as they could, until they reached a patch of golden flowers. They sniffed long and hard there, fluffing up sparkling pollen, barked loud into the echoing cave, and then ran off again as fast and their many, many legs could take them.

Back out in the snow, they sprinted for Snowdin, passing a very befuddled Toriel on the cliffs. Papyrus waved at her, and she shouted something at him, but he couldn’t catch it above the wind.

To his surprise, Big Dog brought him right back to his house. They squeezed all of them inside and went right back up to that starlight upstairs, somehow fitting through any opening they intended to. Papyrus patted their back and gave them another bone, but he couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

“I just touched this a little while ago and I am still sniffling, so please be careful,” he said.

Big Dog twisted their entire head around like an owl to, presumably, stare right at him. He sighed and, for the umpteenth time, wiped his eyes. The long, weird tongue flicked out again and licked his face. He laughed tiredly. 

“I just… don’t like not knowing what to do,” he admitted. “I am the great Papyrus, after all! My family relies on me. But now… something’s missing and I’m still not sure how to find it. I r-really appreciate your help though.” 

Big Dog tilted their head back and forth. They got up and plodded back downstairs, but then took Papyrus up to his room. They circled the place and then picked up the puzzle cube with a red heart formed in its squares on his desk and passed it back to him. He looked at it with confusion, but didn’t have much time for anything else before Big Dog barked so loud the house shook and they took off at a sprint again, all the way outside and down the road to the east.

\- - -

Upon crashing through the door to the lab with Papyrus still clutching tight to their shoulders, Big Dog beelined for Gaster, snuffling up and down all over him. 

The lab was abuzz with workings and strange mechanical sounds. Alphys could be heard upstairs talking math jargon, and Undyne was conspiring with Asgore, who looked to have just arrived from the elevator, as the door was still open and one of his paws was inside. Gaster had been standing near the computer desk he’d been working from, but now the old skeleton was recoiled against it with a great white Big Dog pressed up against him, wide-eyed, unsure of what to. 

Papyrus wiped his watery eye sockets and hopped to the ground. He circled Big Dog and gestured to his father. “Is he what smells the most like it?” he asked.

“Papyrus, what…? Who is this?” Gaster rasped out.

“Oh! They have about f-fourteen names. I mostly call them Big Dog because… Well, they are really several big dogs, but it’s close enough,” Papyrus said. He patted the amalgam of dogs on their neck and gently heaved them backwards, away from his father. “Is it him, or not?”

The dogs barked loudly, but then stuck their hole face to the ground and snorted loudly.

“O-Oh!! Hey!! Good to see you!!” Alphys called to them, waving from above them, over the railing. “Ooh, I think I might still have s-some kibble laying around here s-somewhere.”

As the huge monstermash bounded away to see the lizard, Gaster turned on his son and held his shoulders.

“Paps, are you crying?” he asked worriedly.

“Kind of?” He wiped his face for the umpteenth time. “I don’t mean to! It’s been… Wait, were YOU crying?!” He leaned in closer to his dad with a curious expression.

“Never mind me, what happened?” Gaster asked.

“Well, it’s just… Nyeh, ever since I touched that weird light back home, I haven’t been able to stop.”

“The light…?” Gaster’s eyes went wide. “You felt something when you touched it?”

“Wuh-oh, not this again.” Sans had sluggishly approached so quietly neither of the other skeletons had noticed. He shot his brother a tired, sympathetic smile. “You remember it last time?”

Papyrus stared at him blankly for a few seconds before he lunged for him and pulled him into a tight hug. “Nyooo, I missed youuu for some reason even though I just saw you.”

Sans patted him on the shoulders. “Okay, okay. Deep breaths, bro. You’re alright.”

Papyrus squished him and pouted, grumbling against him. His soul still ached with his absence despite holding him as close as he could. Sans sighed and, with a grimace, flared his magic up blue, cool and reassuring, and let their souls connect despite the pain in his own. Papyrus’s shoulders sagged and he took a deep breath as his tears finally abated. 

“Whew! Thank you, brother,” he said. He straightened up and put a hand to his chest. “And just like that, I am as good as new! What a weird thing to happen!!”

“Welp. You’re real sensitive,” Sans said thoughtfully. He tilted his head back to look at Gaster. “You did the same, right? In one of those tears?”

“I did,” he said, putting a hand on Papyrus’s shoulder. “Interesting that you can, as well. I’m glad you’re feeling better now, though.”

“He did it before, too,” Sans said. “Few months ago. Actually.” He waved Papyrus closer. “Lemme hear ya.”

“Uh. Okay.” He put his hand over his chest and let his soul flare up and its song play faintly. 

Sans tapped his foot along with the rhythm for a moment, and then, just like he’d thought, a tiny note of different complexity made itself heard where it had never been before.

“NYEH!! Hey, it evolved!!!”

“Thought so,” Sans said.

“Determination,” Gaster concluded. “Be careful with that, alright?”

“Of course I will!” he assured them. He cupped his hand over his soul spot. “This does feel familiar.”

There was a little sparkle in Sans’s eye, a light of uncommon hopefulness. He leaned back against the desk and folded his arms. “So, uh, what were you and Amalgamutt up to?”

“NyeeeeEEEHH, don’t let them hear you say that or they’ll want another sign on their house,” Papyrus hissed. “And I was trying to track what smelled the most like this.” He showed him the plush. “We went to the Ruins, to the upstairs of our house, to my puzzle cube, and then to dad. So. There has to be some connection.”

“Hm. Why’d you go to them for that?” Sans asked curiously.

“Well, it’s just…” Papyrus scratched his head and he frowned. “I… I remember… that time things, that’s related to that determination stuff, right? And the colour red. And that all those monsters that are made of a bunch of monsters, they were really sensitive to that.”

Though Gaster stared blankly, Sans nodded.

“Ah. Good thinkin’ bro. Clever,” he said.

“I thought it was quite good, if I do say so myself,” he said proudly. “What are you all up to?”

With a massive woof, Big Dog vaulted, sniffing loudly, over the railing above, accompanied by a squeak from Alphys. They left a trail of kibbles in their wake, and instantly pushed into Sans. Gaster recoiled with alarm and Papyrus yelped and grabbed the massive dogs around their neck, and tried to pull them back.

“AAAAH, BE CAREFUL! HE’S FRAGILE!” 

Big Dog drew away with Sans’s entire right arm in their facehole, and then promptly plopped it into Papyrus’s hands. They dropped onto their rump, wagging their tail furiously. 

“Hey, looks like they thought you needed a hand, huh?” Sans joked.

“Ugh.” Papyrus rolled his eyes and conjured a non-limb bone for the giant monster and tossed it over his shoulder for them; they gave chase happily. “Honestly.”

“Wait, what’s…?” Gaster took Sans’s arm and peered at it closely.

“Uh, gonna need that back,” Sans said. He winced as his father peeled away the white bandage on the side of the hand. “Careful, huh?”

The red gauge was apparent right away. Papyrus’s jaw dropped. Gaster whirled on Sans swiftly.

“When were you going to mention this?!”

“Uh. Wasn’t,” he said.

“Give it to me!” Papyrus snatched the arm back and held it carefully, activating a warm glow of healing magic against the gash. “I’ve got you, brother. Honestly.”

“What happened?” Gaster asked.

Sans shrugged. “Clumsy.”

“Ah. Yes. He has been falling down all over the place, unfortunately,” Papyrus said, brow furrowed. “Ugh. Tell me next time, you hardheaded Sans! It’s not closing up.”

“Whoops.”

Gaster looked down at him skeptically. He merely returned a tired smile devoid of answers. 

“Why did that, uh…? Why did Big Dog single that out?” he wondered.

Sans looked thoughtful. He tilted his head slightly, but then, his grin widened a bit and his eyes took on a starry sheen. “Oh. That’s good, actually.”

“It is?!” Papyrus asked shrilly.

“The energy you told ‘em to track. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I caught a spark of it in the Ruins,” Sans said. “Went into that cut. So. Confirmation. Kinda glad about that.”

“Oh!” Papyrus’s eyes went wide. He looked at his brother’s disembodied hand and gently rubbed his thumb over the red. “Maybe… Maybe we’re getting closer. Maybe there’s something we can get from all of these things.”

“Only if it doesn’t destroy Sans’s hand,” Gaster said swiftly.

“Nah, wreck it if it’ll help,” he said.

“We are not _wrecking_ your hand.”

“I’m just sayin’. To be honest—” He winked. “—I’d give an arm and a leg to get those kids back.”

“NyeeeeEEEEH, SANS.” Papyrus squawked loudly.

Gaster couldn’t help but crack a smile despite his disapproving frown. “Well. I’ve got to hand it to you, that’s pretty com-hand-able. But it’s not going to happen.”

Sans shot a finger gun his way, and Papyrus threw his arms in the air and stormed off upstairs.

“I NEED NO MORE HAND AND OR ARM JOKES SO I CAN WORK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!”

Sans snickered quietly and Gaster snorted; pushed up his glasses carefully. He sighed and put a hand on the short skeleton’s head.

“Your health is still dropping, you know,” he said quietly.

“For sure,” Sans said.

“Don’t overexert yourself.”

“Pffft. As if,” he said. He stretched his arm out and then took his hoodie off and draped it over the back of the chair. “So, uh. This give you any ideas?”

“Some. We can analyze those objects, for one. It may give us a hint. My problem is, if the kids are where we think they are… Or, I suppose, outside of where they should be, the distance is unfathomable. I just…” He grimaced. “Boosting the NOCTURNE will, perhaps, find them, if Papyrus’s items result in trackable data. But that is useless if we can’t contact them.” He put a hand against the side of his skull. “Sans, I… I’m not sure how, but it seems like… Something I’ve done… I think I’m the cause of this. Coming back from the void. My data seems to indicate it. I broke something.”

“Oh. Well.” Sans tapped his teeth for a second and then shrugged again. “Eh, kid’ll say it was worth it. True, probably.”

“Not if you die,” he said.

“Experiment’s gotta end sometime, I guess,” he said.

Gaster’s soul stuttered painfully. “Sans, don’t…”

The short skeleton’s brow tilted apologetically at the look on his father’s face. “Ah. Sorry. Bad joke. Look, it’s gonna be fine. Whatever dumb crap happens. Got any ideas ‘bout the contact thing? I was hopin’ dreams might work like normal, but I got no luck.”

“I… I’ve had very little luck, myself. I could have sworn there was something about dreams in our book of Dirges, but… it’s lost, and my memory past the first few pages is…”

“Patchy?” Sans suggested. “Hm. One of the kids mightta been involved in that bit, then. He beckoned his father closer and reached out his hand, letting a tinge of blue, memory magic flow between his bones. “Lemme try somethin’. Might work better on you than it did on Paps.”

Eagerly, Gaster let Sans rest his hand against his head. The blue magic filtered in, shining faintly through the cracks in his skull. Though Sans had no memory of what he wanted his father to see, he had an idea of when it may have been. He let his magic tap little points in his thoughts.

When he pulled back, Gaster blinked and his eyes both flared in blue for a moment. “You’re a genius.”

“Nah,” he said. “You got it?”

“There was a dream spell. And an astral projection spell,” he said. “I… I can’t recall the notes, but… But if I could find that book…” He growled at himself and paced. “Bloody idiot. I should never have put it…! I should have looked for it sooner, I should have never… _Bain mo cloigeann_.”

“Yo, what’s the deal, Doc? You okay?” Undyne asked, strolling up as she munched on a bag of chips. “Sans, where the hell is your arm?”

“Upstairs,” he said.

“Don’t you need that?”

“Not, uh, handily,” he said.

She cringed. He shrugged and smiled sideways. Big Dog snuck up on them and Undyne patted their neck and tossed the entire bag of chips into their face hole. 

“Anything I can do?” she asked. “Doc, you look like you’re gonna be sick.”

“Hopefully I will only be slightly sick,” he said.

“Hmmmm??” Asgore, now, had crept up behind him, putting a great paw on his back. “Oh, no, old friend, why don’t you take a rest for a little while?” 

“I can’t,” he confessed. “How was the surface?”

“Wonderful. Though I… slightly remember it. Everything is so odd. Sans, have you lost you arm? Do you need help finding it?”

Sans pointed upstairs. Asgore smiled fondly, but then turned back on Gaster. 

“So? What’s the trouble?”

“Our… book of Dirges,” he said dismally, his shoulders sagging. “It’s in my phone. And my phone is not on the planet.”

“You shot it into space?!” Undyne demanded.

“I think it’s in the void,” he confessed. “Must be. Right?” He rubbed his chin. “It’s important. Should I risk—?”

“No. You were with the kid last time and you almost died like a second in,” Sans said.

“You did what?! Gaster!” Asgore said, alarmed. 

Gaster waved it off. “It’s not important. But the book—”

“Chances are you’ll get dusted before you can even look.” Sans frowned.

“But if we have any chance of reaching the kids…” He rubbed his skull and heaved out a sigh. “Without it, I don’t know—”

“But, hold on a moment. I thought they were all lost,” Asgore admitted.

“I got it from you,” the skeleton said. “You said a human brought it from…” He froze and his eyes flickered worriedly. “Did that… not happen?”

All eyes turned on the King, even Papyrus and Alphys, listening in from above. He stared back at them and then stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“Was it… a blue book? Dark blue?” he asked. “No title. But runes around the edges?”

“That’s it,” Gaster said.

“I’ve never… I had it, but I didn’t. No humans came through, and yet I remember…” He folded his arms. “What on earth has happened?”

“What if you never got it?” Sans suggested.

“Oh man, like the Temmies never moving out,” Undyne said. “Yeah! Doc, maybe if no humans came through now, you guys never actually got the book. So it doesn’t matter if you lost it.”

“Wh…? Um! It might be possible,” he said. He had to cough. “Maybe?” 

“You remember where the human said he got it?” Sans asked.

Asgore tilted his head. He squinted at nothing. “I… I think… I think he said the University of… Oh, darn, what was it?” He clenched his hands tight together and frowned at the floor. “It’s…” His ears perked slightly and he looked up, wide-eyed. “Anthelion. Yes. I’m sure that’s it.”

Sans started to grin. “Wasn’t that glasses guy that came in with his wife and kid, was it?”

“Yes, a young family,” Asgore agreed. “Young to me, anyway! Does that help?”

Sans’s smile only widened. “What d’ya know, we actually got a little lucky this time.”

“Did we?” Gaster asked. 

“Sure. Taught a couple workshops there about science junk.”

“Huh-what?” Undyne said. “You did what? How?!”

“Undone timeline junk, no big deal.” He shrugged when the other monsters stared at him in a way that begged for more information. 

“You can’t just drop that on us and not say any more, dude,” Undyne prodded.

“A little more detail might be helpful,” Gaster said.

“Or maybe much more detail!” Papyrus suggested.

Sans sighed. “Okay, so, timeline that doesn’t exist anymore, we were up top for like a year, I guess. I taught science junk in Gullport, which is, uh, near the ocean? Southwest. Little under an hour away. Anthelion’s school is kinda partnered with theirs, so I did some stuff over there every once in a while. It’s like four hours west, though, if you’re takin’ a car. And, uh, I’ve seen that guy before, actually. Went back and forth between schools but was based at the Anthelion one, I think,” he said. “Sorta know my way around the city, too. It’s the one with that big castle-lookin’ stuff on another mountain. That enough detail?” He winked. “I can go into the commute and the dumb bureaucratic stuff we had to deal with, too, if you want? I remember the humans bein’ real jealous when I told them that crap didn’t happen on our end. Their bosses really make a ton of stuff for them to complain about; I think it’s a hobby of theirs.”

“Alright, I’m sure that’s enough,” Gaster said with a laugh. “Though, that is good news if you’ve ever been somewhat acquainted with this human and that place before. Even if he doesn’t recall, I feel like this may make things easier.”

“But… I’m sorry, but I have no idea how to contact him,” Asgore said apologetically.

“What about the human Ambassador?” Undyne suggested. “She’s been here; she dug our style enough to wanna move in for her job, right? Sans, you got her number? Maybe she can help us out.”

“She’s not from there,” he said.

“Ooh, does she have a car?!” Papyrus demanded. “Maybe she can drive us there?!”

“That’ll go over real well,” Sans said quietly.

“Of course it will! We’ll just explain everything, it’ll be fine!” Papyrus insisted.

“D-Does anyone have her number?” Alphys asked.

Sans passed his phone to Undyne, who tossed it to Alphys for him. The lizard squeaked and fumbled with it, and then clutched it close.

“O-Okay, I’ll…! Give me a few minutes, I’ll… Okay, maybe an hour. I just need to program a way to call out.” 

“Try usin’ the radio, I got a signal back to her with it. She’s projectin’ it at us,” he said.

“Ah! G-Good work! Thank you!” She smiled and disappeared back towards her work table. “Take a b-break, guys, I got this.”

“Oh my, I hope this won’t be too dangerous,” Asgore said quietly. “While Alphys works, I… I think I’m going to head into the city. I know of a few others that the sun might do a little good.”

“Are we holding back an announcement?” Undyne asked.

Asgore flinched, his ears drooping a little. Reluctantly, he nodded. “If the humans aren’t aware we’re free, but somehow some of them remember us… The last thing I want is for someone to get lost, or stray too far, and catch a human off guard. We’ll go slowly for now. Do any of you know someone in Waterfall or Snowdin who might need some time above?”

“I can check,” Undyne suggested.

Asgore smiled. “Thank you. I’ll meet you at my place or, if not there, on the surface.” He stuck his hand up to wave as he headed out. “Good luck, everyone!”

Gaster blew out a sigh and slumped down into a chair. He rubbed his forehead with both hands before turning back to the computer and opening up his composition program. He drummed his fingers on the mouse.

“…This is a lot,” he said quietly. “I hope this is worth it.”

“If it’s there, it’s worth it,” Sans said. “Unless you can come up with somethin’ else to reach the kids.”

“With enough time, but…” He shook his head. “I… don’t have that.” He laced his fingers together to crack his knuckles, and then summoned extra hands in bristling black magic. “Papyrus? Once you’re done with that hand—”

“Yes, yes, I will give you one, don’t you dare say it!” Papyrus shouted.

Gaster cracked a smile and Sans snickered.

“Can you bring me what you’ve collected?” he continued. “I’m going to run things through a DT-scanner downstairs.”

“Yes, of course! Not a problem!”

Gaster sighed with relief and he began to run a pre-configuration program on the big desktop while his magic hands opened up his laptop to keep working on the NOCTURNE’s new tune. Sans watched with heavy eyes for a few seconds, then rubbed his hand over his empty shoulder socket. He used his distant arm to wave at Papyrus.

“Yes, Sans?” he called.

“Nothin’, just sayin’ hi.”

“Uuugghh, hello Sans; let me work!”

“Seems like you got it _hand_led.”

“NYEEEH. I’M JUST GOING TO TAKE LONGER THE MORE YOU DO THAT.”

Sans smirked and he caught Undyne trying not to laugh. He leaned back on the desk tiredly. The sound of several skeleton hands clicking keyboard keys filled his skull and he took a moment to rest. He’d done more walking today than he probably should have.

Big Dog had finished with their snacks and was prancing around Undyne now. She grabbed a wadded up piece of paper and chucked it across the lab for them, and they were off, racing and drooling. Their paws left big, black smears on the floor. Sans tilted his head. Hadn’t seen that before. After a moment, they began to bubble, but as the huge monster barrelled back, leaving more streaks, nobody seemed to notice. 

Sans blinked. He felt cold around his feet and looked down to see void black water seeping in from between the floor tiles. He stumbled back a step into Gaster’s chair, and his father’s phantom hands steadied him at the shoulders. No reaction otherwise. The water was up around his ankles. Undyne kept playing fetch. The water didn’t splash. It was silent.

Wasn’t real. Couldn’t be. Sans put his hand against his forehead. He leaned up off the desk and a note of magic began to hum inside his skull. His vision swam and chunks of the wrong colours cut themselves into the air. 

“Hey, uh… If I faint, someone try to catch me, alright?” he said quietly. 

“Why, what’s wrong?” Gaster asked.

“Vision’s, uh… goin’ somewhere,” he said.

The water was around his knees, now. Cold. 

He blanked for a second and came back to Undyne holding his shoulders, sound pounding his head so loud he couldn’t hear what she was saying. Didn’t matter in the moment, though. Her eyepatch was on the wrong side. So was the scar.

Sans put his hand to the side of his head. Vertigo rocked him as the world listed to the side. He thumped Undyne on the shoulder and nodded as she seemed to ask him if he was okay. She looked relieved and moved away. The room was filling up. He turned and scanned the other monsters’ reactions. There wasn’t one.

The water crept up his neck then, all of a sudden, engulfed him in darkness. He blinked at nothing.

“Ah, shit,” he muttered.

He was afraid to move. Fragments of grey spiked the dark just like the colours had done, then left him in pitch black. The pounding in his head cleared, but he still couldn’t hear anything but a note droning so slowly and quietly it might as well have been wind.

He’d seen plenty of stuff that wasn’t there before. Not like this, though. Maybe he was dying right now. Wasn’t out of the question. He kind of hated that. Hadn’t helped the kids yet. Hadn’t done much of anything useful at all. Not like that was unusual, but… He gripped his hand into his shirt as a cool ache hurt his soul.

Something in the tune around him shifted. He sensed a glint of silver far off and turned. Nice to see that his eyes were still working despite all this. There were shapes moving, slowly, as if through true water. With cautious steps, he moved closer. He began to see red. Twin lights, shining in the silvery outline of someone small. Was that her?

Closing in, he could see it was a battle. Someone big, and a small kid pulling through water to evade. Cautiously, he reached out and, at his touch, a blue light flared in the silver and the kid sidestepped some slim line of attack. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. Didn’t want this, though. 

He grabbed the kid by the arm and pulled her back and away from her pursuer. It felt, maybe not solid, but like something was in his grip. The silver faded away, drifting on the current, but the red stayed. Eyes, boring into him. He could just hardly make out the shape of a shadowed form in the void.

“That you? Kiddo?” he asked. He winced as his skull was overcome with sound again. If she answered, he couldn’t hear it. 

He felt a soft grip on his arm and a careful touch on his empty shoulder.

“Oh, ah… That’s fine,” he said— couldn’t hear himself, either. “It’s fine.”

The shadowy kid hugged him, arms warm and strong in this frozen place. He wilted and held her. For just a moment, the tune in his head subsided and his soul felt whole and relieved. It didn’t last, and she shattered in his grip, breaking his heart to pieces again with her.

All of a sudden, his eyes worked. He stared vacantly at a rock wall across vibrant, glowing waters. He was sitting with his bare feet dangling in the river. He wondered where his slippers went. He was chilly and damp.

There was an unfamiliar face at his side: a kid, a small purple crocodino monster with freckles on her cheeks, shaggy, wine-coloured hair and big, pointy teeth. She was in blue overalls and a purple and white striped shirt. Weird to see a monster he didn’t recognize. Downright unheard of, actually. She was talking: he still couldn’t hear over the droning in his head. He smiled apologetically and tapped the side of his skull.

“Sorry, kid, can’t hear a thing,” he said. “Gimme a sec?”

The little monster paused, clearly startled. She nodded and patted his shoulder, then held up a claw to ask him to wait and then got up.

Sans turned to watch curiously. They were on a small island shoved up against a cave wall with three sides exposed to the water. Off the main road. Somewhere near what little was left of the burbs that weren’t underwater. There was one of the kid’s rips in time sitting back there in the corner.

The small monster went around behind him and hopped into the water that was about up to her shoulders. She waded off to the path on the other side where she seemed to have left a backpack. She called to him and gestured that she was going to throw it. He smiled sideways and, instead, grabbed her soul lightly in blue and lifted her up. She felt kinda weird, though. Something off in her energy.

When he plunked her back down beside him, she laughed. She sat down with him and rummaged in her backpack. She pulled out two blue snack cakes and offered him one.

“You sure?” he asked.

She nodded and grinned, and then pointed to the side of her head and gave him a thumbs up. 

“If you think so,” he said. “Thanks, kid.”

He ate the cake slowly as the kid munched hers voraciously. It did seem to help, actually, as the droning in his mind soon faded down to just a soft, livable hum.

“You were right. Thanks,” he said.

“No problem,” she said. “You’re that skeleton, right?”

“Yep, that one,” he said with a wink.

She laughed. “Noo, come on, you know the one. The one that helped save everything, right? Brought the barrier down and everything?”

Sans raised his brows. Random kid he’d never met remembering something like that? Definitely interesting. “I was there. Didn’t do it. That’d be my kid siblings.” He shot her a wink. “I’m the weakest monster in the world. So.”

The kid nodded thoughtfully. She stared at him through her mop of bangs. “So, you sick or something?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Why?”

“When I found you, you were all stumbling around and you fell in the water,” she said. “And your eyes were leaking some black stuff, it was super gross and creepy.”

“Oh.” He laughed. “Sorry. Thanks for draggin’ me out.” He stretched. “Lucky. You live around here?”

The kid’s cheeks flushed. She grimaced and looked down. “Um. N-No, I, um…” She huffed. “I’m actually kinda… not supposed to be here?”

Sans raised his brows. “Oh yeah? Why?”

She shrugged. “Supposed to be in class. In New Home. But it’s so boring.”She winced. “You won’t tell anyone, will ya?”

He laughed tiredly and shook his head. “Why come here?”

“I like the water,” she said. “My mom moved us out when I was a baby, I think, but I never felt like I belonged in New Home. It’s weird, right? I been there my whole life, but I feel like… I haven’t really, I dunno.” She laughed at herself and leaned back. “I dunno why I’m telling you this. You don’t care. And, I mean. It’s not like anyone’ll notice I’m gone.”

“C’mon, kid, don’t be so hard on yourself,” he said.

“You wouldn’t understand,” she grumbled. 

She started to get up, but Sans raised his hand slightly and beckoned her back. 

“Maybe not, but I don’t mind bein’ a ventin’ spot,” he said. “Do that for my little sis all the time.”

The little croc looked unsure. After a moment, she cautiously sat down again. She clasped her hands together tight.

“How old is she?” she asked. “Your sister?”

“Ten and a bit,” he said. “Bout your age, right?”

“Eleven,” she muttered. “Is… she really popular? Ugh, what am I saying? Of course she is, right? She saved the world.”

Sans tilted his head. This kid he didn’t know seemed to know a whole lot. So much so, he wondered if her soul might even be red. He put that aside for a moment. The kid looked strangely hurt.

“Listen, don’t compare yourself to other kids, alright?” Sans said. “Even someone who, uh, saved the world might have a ton of troubles on their own, y’know? And none of that means what’s upsettin’ you doesn’t mean something.”

“I… I guess? I dunno. I just…” She shook her head. “None of the other kids like me. They act like they didn’t even notice I existed until this week.” She growled. “I just…” Her energy bristled. “I don’t understand why, so… So why bother going there?”

Her hum was faint, but it spiked. Sans saw chunks of colours going wrong again. He took a deep breath.

“Sorry, kid. I gotcha,” he said. “Uh. You mentioned the barrier, huh? You been up top, yet?”

“Ugh. No,” she pouted. “I was really excited about it and my big sister went, but now whenever I ask, she just tells me we can’t. And my neighbour said the same thing, and my teacher, and everyone. I don’t get why I can’t go.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Welp. Maybe I can repay ya, then,” he said.

“What?! Y-You’ll take me?” she asked.

“And. So long as I don’t catch ya skippin’ class down here too often,” he said with a wink, “I’ll introduce you to Captain Undyne, too. What d’ya think?”

The girl’s snout flushed and she began to smile. “W-Wow, really? I should pull skeletons outta rivers more often!!”

“Just don’t push ‘em in first,” he joked.

She snorted loudly.

“Sans? Saaaaans? Honey, are you down here?” Toriel’s voice bounced distantly off the cavern, taking the monsters by surprise. 

Sans flinched. Right. He must’ve disappeared from the lab or something. He got up and slid into the water, then picked up the kid by the soul and whisked her across to the path with her bag again as he waded across. 

“Yup,” he said, raising his voice slightly. 

The girl grabbed his hand and helped pull him back up onto solid ground and squinted into the darkness. “Who’s that?”

The huge shape or Toriel loomed from the shadows and she closed in on them quickly. She smiled warmly. 

“I thought I smelled you down here,” she said.

“Whoops,” he said. “Should I dunk myself in the river again?”

“No, no, hun, just…” She laughed and put a hand to her snout. “Just normal smell, you silly boy. And maybe a little ketchup. And…! Oh my, who is this?” She smiled fondly and knelt down. “Hello, dear one. I am Toriel. Principal and head teacher of the school in Snowdin. I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Oh! Uh. I’m, uh, Suzy,” she said sheepishly.

“I sorta had an episode. Kid dragged me outta the drink,” he said.

“Well! Suzy.” Toriel shook the little crocodino’s hand. “Thank you very much for helping out, that was very kind of you. Now, Sans, have you seen your brother? I swear, that boy can’t sit still for a minute.”

“Lab,” he said.

“Ah! Good. Also, where on earth is your arm?”

“Same place.” 

“Well, that’s a little disarming!” she said.

He snorted and grinned, but vertigo took him again and swayed him sideways. His vision scrambled into a mess of light and shadows. He grabbed for Toriel’s shoulder. “Uh… Sorry. Down again.” He heard her alarmed voice, but not what she said, and he was gone again.

\- - -

The gash in Sans’s right hand wasn’t closing. Though Papyrus had pumped in healing magic intensely through it, all he’d managed was to fade down the red to a small streak. Better than nothing, but the bone was scarred now.

Clutching the arm close, he peeked over at Alphys, who looked like she was turning an old laptop into a giant phone. 

“How is it going?” he asked.

“Good! I’m picking up some signals from, um, h-human cell phone stuff, I think I just have to bypass their security and bring this to the, um, surface, w-we’re good to go,” she said. “How about you?”

“It went about as well as could be expected. Which is, in fact, quite well, though he will have a scar,” Papyrus said. “My lazy brother waited too long. Though. I’m not sure I blame him, to a point. He’s been through so many medical things the last few days, he probably figured this was not a big deal. Which, I guess, it isn’t, but still.”

Alphys nodded, though her brow furrowed with worry. The skeleton patted her on the shoulder.

Big Dog had fallen asleep on their back across the floor in front of the escalator and on top of a pair of fuzzy pink slippers. Papyrus stepped over them and caught sight of Undyne reading her phone near the computer desk. She was squinting. 

“What is up?” he asked. 

“Just chekin’ the forums and UnderNet stuff, see if anyone’s mentioned being low. Figure it’ll save some time,” she said. She blinked hard. “Hm.”

“What?” he asked.

“Oh. Uh. Nothing,” she said.

Papyrus looked around. “Where’s Sans? Did he go downstairs, too?”

“He was just here, I… Uh…” Undyne frowned and closed her phone. She straightened up and almost tripped over the garbage can on her right. As she tried to correct, she stumbled and bonked her head on the wall. “Ow, shit.”

“Are you okay?” Papyrus asked.

She nodded and frowned. She held out both hands and stared at them, and then covered her eye with one and reached under her eyepatch with the other. “What the hell?”

“What? What is it?” he asked.

Undyne grimaced. “Ah. I dunno, something’s… Something’s wrong, I…” She froze. “Where’s Sans?”

“I just asked you that,” Papyrus said.

The big monster straightened up, growling under her breath, and put a hand to her brow. Papyrus put a gentle, healing hand against the side of her head. She squinted at him and then nodded.

“I’m gonna go look,” she said.

“What? Where?!” he asked.

She rushed for the door but whiffed the handle and ran into it instead. “NgaaaAAAH what’s wrong with me?!”

“I don’t know, what is wrong with you?” Papyrus asked in alarm. “Why not downstairs, first, doesn’t that make more…”

Suddenly, Sans’s arm moved in his grip. It waved at him, pointed at Undyne, and then beckoned backwards. The skeleton grabbed her shoulder and then pulled her away from the door, just in time as Toriel burst in, carrying Sans in one arm and a little purple crocodino in the other.

“Oh! Mom!! Sans!! And a small child!! What’s going on?” Papyrus squeaked. “Sans, are you okay?”

“Fainted again, whoops,” he said, wobbling a little as Toriel let him down. “I’m fine.” 

Papyrus sighed and rolled his eyes, and then bent down to gently click Sans’s arm back into place for them. “You’re all wet.”

“Yeah,” he said, checking out the mostly repaired, red scar. Didn’t hurt much at all anymore. “Hey, nice work.”

“When did you leave?!” Undyne demanded.

“Not sure,” Sans said.

“Something’s wrong,” she said.

“Tell me about it,” he said.

“Do you want me to get a change of clothes?” Toriel asked.

“I have some for him, don’t you worry,” Papyrus said, taking out his phone and whisking out a new set of things for Sans. He pushed the small pile into his brother’s arms. “He spills things on himself enough.”

“Thanks, bro,” Sans said as he wandered off.

“This is the lab?” The little purple monster spoke up tentatively. “It’s big.”

“Oh yes, and it’s much bigger even than it looks, it goes far below ground, even,” Papyrus said. Something clicked in his head and he whirled around, a hand on his chest. “Oh! How rude of me!! I am the great Papyrus!! It’s good to meet you, small crocodile girl!” He gestured around the room. “This is my mom, Toriel; you’ve met my lazy brother, Sans, this here is Guard Captain Undyne, and up there somewhere is Doctor Alphys, the Royal Scientist!”

The small monster’s face flushed. She looked up at Toriel, and then her gaze focussed on Undyne. “Y-You’re… Captain Undyne? Your arms are huge!!”

Undyne snorted and cracked a big, sharp-toothed grin. She flexed and, quietly, Papyrus did the same behind her. “Gotta be, punk! Hey, you look kinda familiar, but you’re not a Waterfall kid, right?”

She shook her head quickly.

“She’s from New Home,” Sans said as he rejoined them from wherever he’d been. He was in some dry clothes: typical shorts and some grey t-shirt with the design so faded it was incoherent. “Name’s Suzy, by the way. Told her we’d take her up top. Sounds like she might need it.”

“Pfff, doin’ my job for me?” Undyne joked. “The timeline really is messed up, huh?”

He shrugged. Toriel smiled fondly at the little monster.

“You’ll love it, little one,” she said. “The sun is…” She froze. Her eyes glazed for a moment. “Um. It’ll really be a bright spot in your day! Hah. Papyrus, hun, will you take her? I just need to check, um… Something here, first.”

“Oh! Yes, of course!” He offered a hand to the small monster as Toriel put her on the floor. “We have a shortcut to the King’s house! So this shouldn’t take long. But, oooh, let me show you around this floor first, it’s really pretty neat if you like weird scraps of junk and computer things.”

“Oh, yeah? C-Cool!” She cautiously took his hand, but then looked at Sans. “Are you, uh…? Are you coming, too? To the surface?”

“Me? Sure,” he said.

As Papyrus began to lead the kid across the lab, Toriel grabbed Sans and held him back for a moment.

“The surface,” she said, lowering her voice. “It’s… My memory, it’s…”

“I know,” he said apologetically. “You have a version where we’re up but one where we’re not, right?”

“Yes, exactly,” she said. She put a paw against the side of her head. “Oh, goodness…”

“This is getting really frickin’ weird,” Undyne grumbled. “You vanished and you didn’t.”

“I figured, since Paps didn’t start screamin’ when we came in,” he said. “And, uh… Your eye, huh?”

“What about my eye?” she asked.

“Swapped the bad one,” he said.

Her eyebrows just about shot off her head. “Was THAT what it was?!”

“Oh. Undyne…” Toriel held the other monster’s face gently. “Now that you mention it…”

“Guuuuhhh, no wonder!!!” she growled. “This is because those kids are missing?!”

“…Yeah,” Sans said reluctantly. The dimming in his eyes betrayed him again.

Toriel cooed sympathetically and bent down to hold him close. “It’s going to be okay. Sans. You’re brilliant—”

“Not really,” he said.

“Yes. You are. And you’re going to figure this out. You always do,” she assured him.

Sans flinched. He could hardly even keep his own bones together this time. He patted her shoulders appreciatively.

“Hope you’re right,” he said.

“Of course I am,” she assured him. “…I have to confess, though, I might need a little of that sunlight, myself.”

“Good timing, then,” he said.

At the other end of the room, Papyrus and Suzy were abruptly halted at the elevator door as Gaster burst out of it, stumbling to a halt as he almost ran into them.

“Ah! Papyrus! Good, I finished with the DT machines, we should be able to start, but I just sensed something very strange up he…” His eyes locked on the little kid. “Oh! Excuse me, little one, that was rude of me. I…” He froze as his soul flickered through his shirt. He cupped a hand over it. 

Suzy stared up at him, bemused. However, her soul let out a sound in response. It was unusually discordant. Gaster stared in bafflement.

“Um, dad, this is Suzy,” Papyrus said. “I was going to show her the surface.”

“Oh! Of course, but…” He moved the two of them aside and then knelt down to the kid. “Suzy? My name is Gaster. I’m a doctor. I’m sorry to ask, but may I take a look at your soul?”

“Why?” she asked worriedly.

“…It feels… unusual, doesn’t it?” he asked gently.

The kid froze. She put a hand to her chest.

Sans crept up behind and put a hand on the kid’s shoulder. She jumped.

“Oops. Didn’t mean to spook ya,” he said. “All you gotta do is hold a phone. If that’s okay with you.”

“Oh, um. Okay.”

“Right now? Really?” Papyrus asked.

“It’ll only take a few seconds,” Gaster said. He straightened up quickly and a magic hand of his flew up to the second level. “Alphys, your phone?” 

After a moment, the hands retrieved it and booted up SOULSCN, before passing it to Gaster’s proper hands. He checked it quickly. His own soul, Alphys’s, Sans’s, and Flora’s were all recorded. He told the program to run and passed it to the little monster.

“Just hold it against your soul for a few seconds,” he said.

Suzy hesitated, but she did as he asked. 

“Thank you so much. Suzy, right? I know it may seem odd, but this is very important,” he said.

“Important?” She perked up. “O-Okay. Cool.”

The phone soon let out a pleasant beep. When she pulled the it back away from herself, Sans was the first to see the data. His eyes went wide. She wasn’t a red soul, but something else entirely. Her colour was a bright, pinkish purple, but the whole soul was riddled with spikes of black. Gaster took the phone back with a grateful smile, but his expression shifted to mirror Sans’s the moment he looked at the screen.

Suzy drooped. “It’s… It really is weird, isn’t it?” She asked quietly, her fists clenching. “I am a freak, aren’t I?”

“Oh! Little one, it’s not like that,” Gaster said swiftly. He quickly showed her his own soul’s recording. “This is mine, see?” He flipped to Flora’s. “And this is a girl in Snowdin. There are a few monsters showing this sort of thing. See?”

Suzy’s jaw dropped. She shuddered. “I… I just noticed it this week,” she said quietly.

“…She said the other kids treated her like she didn’t exist until this week,” Sans said. He raised his brows. “She’s eleven.”

Papyrus looked between the three of them, baffled. Gaster took the meaning, though. He gritted his teeth and his eyes flared with colour.

“It’s… It’s going to be alright, from now on, little one,” he assured her. “I’m… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry this happened.”

“So a-am I sick, or what?” she squeaked. She clenched her fists tighter and a tear dripped down her cheek. “What’s wrong with me?”

Sans grimaced. Gaster didn’t know what to say. Cautiously, he put a hand on her shoulder, and when she didn’t recoil, he pulled her in to hug her tight. 

“You’re alright,” he cooed. “You’re okay.” He straightened up with her in his arms and he rubbed her hair gently. “Some sunlight will do you good. I promise. Is it alright if I carry you?”

“S-Sure?” she said shrilly. 

As Undyne excused herself to go check Waterfall and Snowdin, the monsters (except for Alphys) piled into the elevator and took a ride up to the shortcut that went to Asgore’s house. Though Gaster rushed on his way, carrying Suzy close, and Papyrus kept up easily, Sans needed another breather. Toriel waited with him as he supported the wall and massaged his temples.

“You need to take a break,” she said. “A real one.”

“Wish I could,” he said.

“I know.” She sighed and folded her arms. “…I wish I could remember. Wouldn’t that help you?”

“I dunno, to be honest,” he said. “Wanna try?” He held out a hand and blue glittered around his fingers.

She knelt down right away and he touched her temple and her soul spot. She closed her eyes but, after a few second, she shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

He shrugged. “Didn’t work on Paps, either.”

Toriel grimaced. She rubbed her head and snorted in annoyance. “If these two… These time children. They’re your siblings. They must be my children, right? I was their mother.”

“…Yeeeah,” he said.

“And my mind is… betraying me.” She growled. “What a nightmare.”

“Sorry,” he said. 

“No, don’t be,” she said. “When…? When did I take them in? The same time as you and Papyrus?”

“One at the same time,” he said. “Other one was before.”

She folded her arms; frowned in thought for a few, long moments. She sighed and shook her head at herself. “Are you alright to move on?”

He nodded and they slowly headed up the path after the others.

“Your father certainly seemed interested in that purple child,” she said. “What happened, exactly?”

“Ah. Um. D’you, uh, remember the void stuff?” he asked. “That he was missin’ for ten years?”

Toriel’s brow furrowed. She folded her arms again. “I… Yes. Yes. I do.”

“Happened to that kid, too,” Sans said. “But she can’t remember the void. And she’s only eleven so—”

“Oh. My god. So her whole life was…?”

“Her memories gotta be fill-ins,” he said quietly. “Poor kid. Same thing to a lesser extent with, uh, Kid’s oldest sister, Flora. Haven’t found more yet, but now I’m pretty sure a bunch of people near the CORE when it went up must’ve been… gone.”

“A caretaker or relative of hers, as well, then,” Toriel said, her voice cracking. “There’s no reason a one year old would have been near there on her own.”

Sans nodded thoughtfully. He grimaced. “CORE’d been actin’ up for a bit. Alph and I closed off all the nearby paths but I guess it… wasn’t enough.”

“Don’t even go there,” Toriel said sternly. “You have enough on your plate.”

Sans shrugged. Toriel plucked him up under his arms and stared him in the face. 

“Promise me,” she said.

“Not sure that I can,” he said.

“If they’re back already, they’re safe,” she said. “I’ll give it a look, alright? Please don’t take this on now.”

He wasn’t sure he had a choice. But, maybe he was getting ahead of himself. These people weren’t in danger, as far as he knew. “…I’ll try to chill.”

She pulled him in and kissed his forehead, before hefting him up in the crook of her arm and starting on their way again. “And now we can _pick up_ the pace.” She winked.

“Could always do with a pick-me-up,” Sans joked.

She snorted and smiled wide. “That’s my boy.”

\- - -

The surface was still bright and clear. Excited voices echoed from elsewhere out there, with Asgore’s deep laugh punctuating it every once in a while. Suzy was checking the whole plateau curiously, with Papyrus close on her metaphorical tail.

When Toriel and Sans emerged from the stairway, Gaster was leaning on the mountain at its side, smiling faintly, tears dribbling down his face. Toriel had to stop as well, a breath caught in her throat. She let Sans down and then held Gaster’s hand for just a moment before pulling him fully into a hug. He held her, too, and let out a raspy laugh.

“I’d… forgotten how warm it was,” he said.

For the second time that day, Sans went back to his rock. He watched the croc kid for a moment before turning his gaze out on the horizon. He clenched his hands together and breathed in the fresh air. He still felt empty.

“Hey, skeleton guy.” Suzy bounced up beside him and plunked down. “This is pretty cool.”

“Glad you like it,” he said. “The old guy didn’t freak you out too bad, did he?”

She shook her head. “It was k-kinda… Kinda nice. To see a grown-up with the same weird thing.”

“Don’t worry about that at all, little friend!!” Papyrus said, bouncing up behind them. “As long as it doesn’t hurt… It doesn’t, does it?!”

“No,” the little monster said. She looked between them curiously. “So, um, where’s your sister?”

Sans wasn’t sure what to say. Thankfully, he didn’t have to bother, as Alphys’s voice bounced up from the stairwell.

“H-Hey, guys? You’re u-up here, right?” The lizard emerged, her modified computer tucked under her arm. “Oh! Y-You are.” She cracked a smile. “O-Okay, who wants to talk?”

“I WILL!” Papyrus called.

“I’m assuming we’ll all at least sit around,” Toriel said.

“Who do you think she has the best chance of remembering?” Gaster wondered. “Probably Sans. Asgore, maybe?”

“We’ll see, I guess,” Alphys said. She wandered to the rocks to join Sans and shot him a smile.

Suzy scooted aside slightly, but she stayed close, watching curiously. Placing the laptop beside the skeleton, Alphys opened it up and pulled up a big antennae; the screen lit up soft pink with the symbol of a ringing cellphone that looked a lot like Mettaton on it. 

“Ready?”

“Guess so,” he said.

The others crowded around and Alphys hit a couple keys on the keyboard. Numbers ran along the bottom of the screen, the computer let out a weird squeal, then the sound of digital keys dialling out. Finally, it began to ring like a phone.

Alphys started to sweat. She grabbed tight to Sans’s arm. Suzy looked between the others with confusion and scooted off to chase bugs. Suddenly, there was a click.

“H… Hello?” June’s voice.

The monsters relaxed. Sans picked up the laptop and sat it on his leg.

“Hey, can you hear me?” he asked.

“Ah!! Yes! Yes, hello again! That’s much better,” she said. “Sans, right?”

“Yep,” he said.

“Oh thank god. I thought I was going crazy,” she muttered.

“Same,” Sans said.

“So, what’s going on? Did I do something wrong? What was it the King said about time magic?”

“May I answer that?” Gaster said. “Hello, we met only briefly. My name is Gaster. I’m a scientist.”

“Oh! You were… I remember you were the father of… Of…” June let out a ponderous _hmmm_.

“Yes, that’s exactly the issue,” he said. “We’ve lost… two very important children. Both of which are strongly connected to time itself. We are working to repair the problem, but it’s affected us as well. Our memories are also wrong.”

“Time…?” June sounded baffled. “How?”

Gaster opened his mouth, but Sans put up a hand to pause him.

“It’s pretty complicated and, uh, not really worth the explanation,” Sans said. “But, uh… Basically. They’re lost. Outside of time. We gotta get ‘em back to fix this stuff. Once we do, things’ll go back to normal. Your memories, job, and all that stuff, will be back like it’s supposed to be. But we, uh… We were hopin’ for… maybe a little help. If you can.”

“H-Help? Well, I mean. Yes. Of course! How can I help?”

“Can you drive us to the city?!” Papyrus asked loudly.

“Wh…?! What? Who…?”

Sans couldn’t help a laugh. “Heh. Uh. Actually, kinda that. There’s a book we’re lookin’ for. Should help us get farther with trackin’ the kids. Magic stuff. But it’s in Anthelion.”

“Do you know where?” she asked worriedly. “It’s a big city.”

“University, last we know of,” he said.

“…Hm. Well. I mean…” She took a deep breath. “I’m not sure how well… I mean, can some of you disguise yourselves? Is that possible?”

“I’m sure we can!” Papyrus said. “Well, some of us, not so much all of us, because I’m fairly sure you humans are not very tall and furry with horns, right?”

June mumbled something they couldn’t discern. She laughed; sounded like she didn’t quite believe what was happening. “Okay. Yes. If… If we can figure this out. Yes.”

Toriel squeezed Sans’s shoulder.

“What, really?” he asked. “Just like that?”

“This is too bizarre,” she said. “If this’ll fix things, I… I’ll take you. To Anthelion,” she said. “…I’m supposed to be the Ambassador, after all. I… I was supposed to live in your town, wasn’t I?”

“You’re still welcome to,” Gaster said.

“And I want to,” June said. “And if there’s kids missing; if this helps, I want to help.”

“Aah!! This is exciting!! Thank you so much!!” Papyrus said brightly.

“Just, um…” The woman laughed at herself quietly. “Oh my god. Okay. It’s going to be a long trip. Tell me… Tell me where to pick you up.”


	32. this'd look less suspicious if it were winter

There were no longer any roads to Starhome. Mostly because what had been the start of Starhome didn't exist. There was a road cutting through the forest, but the monsters would have to walk quite a ways to reach it and it didn't even point in the mountain's direction. June agreed to pick them up at eleven in the morning, surface time. That was a few hours earlier for them.

Alphys grabbed some binoculars and found the road from their vantage point on the mountaintop, and began to make a map. Anthelion was the city marked by that giant, ancient mountain castle they could clearly see from their plateau. It would be a long trip.

When Undyne finally joined them, she was accompanied by a graceful looking clam girl in a fancy purple outfit, a blue snakeish creature with small wings for ears from Snowdin's valley, and a tired looking rabbit boy. The reaction went as expected, and Asgore soon joined them with a gaggle of other monsters in tow, including an exceedingly sparkling Mettaton who quickly flounced away on his own to, in his own words, "give the clouds a concert". There was also a couple with them, a spotted lizard monster with lime scales and head spines and a pastel pink bird girl. There was a lot of hugging and crying. There always was.

The clam and Suzy seemed to know each other. The word babysitter was used. Sans wondered if Toriel's hunch was correct. He installed SOULSCN himself, synched it with his father's, then asked each monster to record an imprint of their soul onto it. Results were clear in an instant. The clam girl's seafoam green soul was riddled with void black, though not as much as Gaster or Suzy's, and more than Flora's. Neither Sans nor Gaster were sure what to do with this info, but they were glad to have it.

As those two plotted quietly, and Papyrus and Toriel took the small purple crocodino a little ways down the rough path along the mountainside, Undyne surveyed everything with a proud grin on her face. Felt good to help out. Her eye wandered over to Alphys who seemed pretty busy with her mapmaking. She gritted her teeth. Heat flushed in her scales, she gulped, ran her fingers through her hair and then strode up to join her. She missed a chunk of rock and stumbled on it. Cursing under her breath and quickly recovering, she stuck one foot up on the rocks and looked down at her.

"Hey," she said.

Alphys looked up from her work quickly. She fumbled with her binoculars and her cheek scales flushed with red. "H-H-Hi?"

"How's it going?" she asked.

"Oh, y-you know how it is…" Alphys shrugged sheepishly.

"Do you need any help?" She grinned and jabbed her thumb against her own chest. "I'm real good at stuff, so…"

"O-Oh! Um. N-No, no, I think I'm fine, thanks."

"Really? No, uh, lifting or… breaking stuff, or… Dump runs! You need anything from the dump?! It's right near my house. So."

"Oh! I… I'll keep that in m-mind. Thank you." Her blush deepened. "Um. So I… I noticed you around Sans a l-lot, huh? Are you involved in a-all this stuff that's happening, or…?"

Undyne gulped; her posture faltering. Her ears drooped. "You, uh… Don't remember, huh?"

"Remember what?" Alphys asked, tilting her head.

The big monster pulled away and sighed, folding her arms. Her soul faltered. She forced a grin. "I, uh… Yeah! You know. Stuff like this, figure Guard Captain oughtta have something to say about it, you know?"

"Ah… Y-Yeah. Yeah! I guess that m-makes sense," Alphys said. "Well, um, I'll let you know if I need anything, I guess? I, um… I appreciate it!"

Undyne nodded. She turned away with a heavily furrowed brow. She caught Sans's eye. She got the feeling he knew. She frowned at the ground.

When Asgore prepared to take the gaggle of monsters back down and Alphys joined them to chat with the other lizard— her cousin, in fact— Suzy hung back with Sans near the mountain's edge for a moment. She tugged on his sleeve.

"Sup, pal?" he asked.

"I heard what you guys said. About… About your family," she said. "Is… Is that why people suddenly started saying I couldn't come up here? Because they didn't remember?"

"Hey, smart kid," Sans said approvingly.

"Did I hear what I think I just heard?" Gaster snuck in beside them, wide-eyed.

"Makes sense, though," Sans said.

"Ah, little one, I'm sorry," Gaster said, dropping down to one knee. "This must be so confusing. But please don't worry. Things will go back to normal soon."

"But what should I do? Should I do anything?" Suzy asked worried.

"Just take it easy," Sans said. "There'll, uh… Probably be a point when you wake up and it's a few days back from where it should be. Once that happens, things'll be normal again."

"O-Okay," she said.

"Come," Gaster said, offering her a hand. "Someone will take you home. Feel free to phone the lab if anything strange happens, alright?"

She nodded and took his hand, and he stood and guided her to the rest of the group. The clam girl gave her a hug right away.

"Well, I'm glad that went well," Papyrus said, sliding up beside him. "Look at all these happy monsters! This was a good idea, I think! I can't wait until everyone else sees it, too."

"They already have," Sans said.

"Yes, but THEY don't know that," Papyrus insisted. He sighed. "Is is bad that I'm just the teeny tiniest bit jealous of that purple girl? It sounded like her memories are a lot better than mine. Which, I mean, makes me feel good for you because then you can feel less like a crazy bones, but I also feel bad for me, because…" He clenched his hand into his shirt. "Because I want to remember like that, too. I have such an itch in the back of my skull."

"Trust me, if I could bring it back for ya, I would," Sans grumbled.

"I know. I know, of course you would." He folded his arms and huffed heavily. "Nyeehhh… Okay. Okay okay. Should we go shopping now?"

"Shopping?" Sans looked up at him, brows raised. "What for?"

"Disguises, obviously," he said. "I don't know what a human looks like, but they don't look like us much, right?"

Sans stared at him. "You're not going, are you?"

"What?! Of course I am?! Who did you think was going?!" he demanded.

Sans pointed at his own chest.

"Not alone, you're not!" Papyrus barked.

"Neither of you are going, it'll be me," Gaster said as he rejoined them.

"You gotta do the NOCTURNE and the DT junk," Sans said.

"You can do that just as well as I can," he said.

"Not the NOCTURNE. You think I can generate enough magic to execute a composition like this?" Sans raised his brows. "Plus, I know the place. And somebody's gotta finish this if something happens to m—"

"Don't you dare."

"What are you two grumbling about?" Toriel teased.

"He wants to go meet the humans," Gaster said worriedly.

"So do I," Papyrus said brightly. "I am very friendly and sociable, I think it'd be a great idea."

Gaster rubbed his brow as if he was nursing a headache. "This is unfathomably dangerous. There's no way I can let the two of you—"

"Let me?" Sans scoffed. "What you gonna do, lock me in my room?"

"Don't give me ideas," Gaster joked weakly.

Sans sighed and he shot his brother a sideways smile. "Believe I'm here arguin' to go out and do somethin'?"

"Pfff, that is pretty odd for you," Papyrus said. "Dad, I think that means he's really serious, actually. I'm much more powerful than him, you know, I could protect him!"

"But who'll protect you, Paps?" Gaster asked worriedly.

"Could I go?" Undyne poked her head around Toriel and shouldered her way into the group. "Am I, uh, human-shaped enough? I think I kinda am, right? If I wore a hat or something?"

Gaster stared at her blankly for a long while. "You want to go?"

"Well yeah, these guys are sorta… my bros, you know? And I'm the Captain of the Royal Guard, if anyone should be sent out on a crazy mission, it should be me."

"Well, that settles it for me!" Papyrus said, grabbing Undyne's arm. "What do you think? Dad? You stay home and prepare alllll the DT stuff you need for whatever you need it for, and we'll get you your book."

Gaster folded his arms. Sans sighed and tapped his wrist. His father grimaced, and then stole a glance at Toriel.

"What do you think? Could they pass?"

"If they cover up, I think it's possible," she said.

The old skeleton massaged his temples. "What a bloody mess."

Sans rolled his eyes. He booted up SOULSCN and clunked his phone against his ribcage for a few seconds. "Cap, you okay, by the way?"

"Hm?! Oh. Ah… Yeah. Yeah! I'm…" She shot a cautious look back at Alphys. "I'm fine."

Sans patted her arm.

"Why, what's wrong?" Papyrus asked.

"It's okay, dude, don't worry," Undyne insisted.

Sans nodded, then looked at the screen, shielding it from view with his hand even as his brother looked at him curiously. Already below one. Zero point eight four. He shoved it towards his father. "We don't have time for either of us to take an out," he said.

"What does that mean?" Papyrus asked.

Gaster put his hand to his mouth. Toriel peered at the screen, too, and though worry flashed in her eyes, she kept as straight of a face as possible. She held Gaster's hand.

"I'll help them. As much as I can. I've raised a human, after all, so I'm fairly familiar," she said. "On the upside, none of them have tails or wings, or more than four limbs, so that certainly makes things easier."

Gaster wilted. "You're right. You're both… right." He nodded and looked at Sans. "I'll crack on with the DT and the NOCTURNE. If anything goes wrong—"

"We'll deal with it then." He nodded at his brother. "Shoppin', right? Lead the way."

"Ah! Fantastic!" He picked Sans right up and then thumped Gaster on the shoulder. "Don't worry! We're both very good at costuming and all that, so we will figure something out! The humans won't even know we were there!"

\- - -

Heading into the New Home clothing shops without a plan was maybe not the best idea, but Papyrus was quick on his feet and there weren't many places to look. Scarfs, they had at home. Gloves, just a few. Enough for Papyrus, at least. Sans had mitts, but he wasn't sure where, so new gloves were acquired, just in case. Undyne needed some that didn't have claw holes, which were surprisingly hard to find in her size.

One of the small, flashy MTT fashion outlets had some tinted sunglasses that would in no way actually work properly in sunlight. Though they did carry some cheap paper masks of Mettaton's face, all of them agreed that they were far too creepy and flat to be functional. Papyrus did pick up a little extra makeup there, but he wasn't sure how helpful it would actually be.

Back home, Papyrus gathered up jackets with hoods, scarves, gloves, boots, and facepaint, along with their new purchases. He sorted them all by size in the living room. Undyne leaned on the wall, arms folded, frowning thoughtfully. She looked at the stuff, and then at her hands.

"Man, I hope this works," she said.

"I'm sure it will!" Papyrus assured her. He plucked Sans up by the soul from his spot on in the middle of the couch and moved him aside to lay out sunglasses.

"If you bundle up a bit and dust just a little colour on your bones, I believe you'll do fine," Toriel said. "But… Undyne…" She grabbed one of the jackets and draped it around her shoulders, pulling the hood up for her. She tilted her head. "Well… Keep your head down."

"But, like I'm the right shape at least, right?" she asked, grinning awkwardly.

"Well, yes. But you're also blue," Toriel said. "And you're almost seven feet tall, aren't you? You may draw some eyes."

"What?! I'm too big? Man…" She rubbed her head. "Not much I can do 'bout that. You sure I can't wear my armour, huh?"

"Yes, hun, unfortunately plate armour went out of style a few centuries ago."

Undyne sighed, her ears drooping. "Maybe I should scrounge around for a mask that isn't super creepy or something. Bet Mettaton has something. Paps, you got a plan?"

"Welllll…" He gestured to his legs— he was currently wearing cut-offs. "I guess, long pants! And…" He threw on a brown jacket and hid under the hood, and pulled his scarf up over his face. He also threw on a pair of sunglasses. "Well?! Can you tell?!"

"Kinda?" Sans said. "S'gonna look pretty weird; buncha hooded goons strollin' around."

"You got a better idea?" Undyne asked.

"Not yet." He shrugged. "Maybe that human we're meetin' will, though."

"Come here." Toriel grabbed Papyrus gently and sat him on the arm of the couch. She took one of the makeup sets and, with a soft brush, dabbed a little peach and brown on Papyrus's forehead. "You're so pale, I'm not sure…"

"He could wear a hat," Undyne said. "Should I wear a hat?"

"Humans sometimes have red hair. Maybe not as vibrant as yours," Toriel said. "But they do also dye it, if I recall. So, that should be fine as long as they don't look too closely."

"It's also, uh… almost summer. So." Sans raised his brows. "Yeah, this is gonna look weird no matter what."

"Yes, unfortunately." Toriel pulled back and stuck her tongue out in thought, tapping the end of her brush against her cheek. "Ah… You're so smooth, I not sure it'll look real."

"Aw," Papyrus said.

She looked thoughtful and then packed on a little more around his eye sockets. "It might be just enough to create an illusion at a distance if you put those sunglasses on, as well." She rubbed her hand on the top of his skull. "Undyne's right. A hat would help. Maybe those ones with the visor."

"Ah! I have those!" he said.

"And what if…?" She picked up a brown and a black makeup pencil from the box. She held his face steady by his chin and gently began to draw on his brow. "Maybe if we just accentuate your eyebrows a little… Humans have hair on them."

"Really?! Weird!" he said.

"Keep still, though," she said with a laugh. "Sans, you're next."

"Pfff, like eyebrows are gonna help me."

"Well, then you should wear a hat as well," she said. "It's a shame. I believe there used to be disguise spells. Not every monster could use them, but something like that might have helped."

"Ooooh, do we have time to learn one?!" Papyrus asked.

"They were lost during the war, I'm afraid," she said apologetically. "I suppose overdressing for the season will have to do."

"Worse comes to worst, you and Paps just hide in the car or somethin'," Sans said, shooting Undyne a look. "I'm short, so, uh, I can sneak around a bit easier."

"Stop trying to go places on your own," she said. "From now until time stops being stupid, I'm apointin' myself your body guard."

"Don't have one of those," he said.

"You know what I mean!"

Papyrus pulled his scarf down and leaned forward towards the other monsters, raising his half-finished brows. "Since when are you two so buddy-buddy, actually?" he asked, only to have Toriel gently move him back to his spot and continue drawing.

"Since he needs all the help he can get," Undyne said. "Ah, man, Paps. We gotta get this done so your memories go back to normal, too."

"Nyeehhhh, yes, we dooo…" He grumbled. "Saaans, it's not fair, we're made of the same dad, but your memories are almost fully fine and mine are all over the place."

"I know, bro, sorry," Sans said. "To be fair, it's because you're made right and I'm an experiment gone wrong."

"Oh, come on, you know that's not true," Papyrus scolded.

"It's literally what happened. Minds aren't really, uh, made to cope with this kinda crap, y'know?" Sans chuckled tiredly. He put a hand to his head. "Don't worry. We'll, uh… We'll figure this out. You're doin' great, actually. That idea with the determination dogs was real good."

"I know! I thought so," he said brightly. "And dad can make it really work, right?"

"Sure."

Toriel sighed. She looked tired but, even so, she smiled at Sans. "I'm proud of you."

"Low standards," he joked. "Uh. What for?"

"Talking to us," she said. "Telling us your problem. Even if it's very odd to us. Normally, you're so guarded about these things."

"Desperate times." He said it jestingly, but it hid nothing.

"You can trust us," Toriel said.

"Oh. I know. Ain't a matter of trust at all," he said apologetically.

"Sans has always been a secretive skeleton," Papyrus said, putting a hand to his chest. "But I _know_ he trusts me. Completely! Um. Right, brother?"

Sans laughed and grinned fondly. "Course. Like I said. S'not about trust." He tapped the side of his head. "It's a mess in here. See, I know you guys don't remember right now, but, uh… There's a lot of crazy crap that's been goin' on for a long time. Last few months have been the calmest we've had in a while. The stuff I've seen, wouldn't wish it on anyone. So. Keepin' my mess to myself." He winked. "Figure I'm doin' you a favour."

Papyrus didn't look certain, but he nodded. Undyne, on the other hand, frowned and folded her arms. Toriel reached over and patted the skeleton on the head.

"Take your time. But we're always here." She pulled over a book bag and stared at it for a long few seconds. There was a child's history text book inside. She sighed and then looked up at the others. "I believe dimension boxes are not a thing up there, so pack what you can in a bag so as not to startle anyone."

Papyrus jumped to his feet. He took the bag and headed for the kitchen. "Nyeeh, humans need to catch up!"

\- - -

Sans didn't sleep well that night. His dreams were dark and empty. He thought he might have caught a glimpse of the goat kid's white fur, but he lost it out amongst the blackness. It was a deep, cold feeling of loss. They'd worked so hard to get that kid home. Now, he was off somewhere, too. He hoped the kids were together. He hoped they were watching over each other.

Only thing he saw when he woke up was purple. Not _their _purple, but the violet that belonged to Toriel. He could feel her magic seeping through his head. It was shining inside his eye sockets.

"Tori, what's the deal?" he asked groggily.

"You were rattling in your sleep," she said quietly. "Just relax. Get some rest."

"Oh. Sorry."

She chuckled softly. "Don't apologize."

Her weight shifted and she pulled away slightly. As her magic faded, he could see the shapes around them again. They were on the couch. He'd fallen asleep packing a bag. It hadn't made a terrible pillow. He sat up and rubbed his head, and the big monster gently put a blanket around his shoulders.

"You still have an hour before you need to leave," she said.

"Should start walkin' now, then," he joked.

"Are you sure you would not like some eyebrows?" she said half-jokingly.

"I'm good. Dad come home?"

She jerked her thumb up the stairs. "Not voluntarily. I basically had to carry him. And yet, he sleeps like a rock." She smiled, but the look in her eyes was forlorn. "I can't even imagine what he's feeling." She clenched her claws into the back of the couch. "He asked me if I could try one more time to persuade you to stay."

"Nope," he said.

"He even suggested you could share your memories of this city with him and he would go in your place," she said.

"Also nope."

She laughed. "I know. He's just worried. But you… I'm a little surprised. This whole thing seems to have really lit a fire under you."

"…Eh. Do what we have to, y'know?" he said with a shrug.

Toriel raised her brows. Sans was quiet for a few seconds. She put a hand on his shoulder as if to ask him what was on his mind.

"Figure I kinda know how to talk to humans if I have to. Paps and Undyne probably don't remember much of that." He'd worked in their city and had all the memories of certain little human in his head, after all. "And, uh…" He frowned. "Somethin' happens to me, we still got a shot, y'know?"

"Don't say that," she said quietly.

"It's true. If dad gets dusted, NOCTURNE's gonna be a bust, and we need that to find the kids. So. We'll have lost three. Instead of, y'know… Just one."

"Sweetheart…" Toriel sighed. She leaned over and kissed his head. "Determination is a stronger force than we really understand, isn't it?"

"Tell me about it."

Toriel reached into her pocket and clasped something in her fist. She took his hand and slipped him a polished orb of purple crystal. "I found this in some of my old things while I was searching for more clothes. I charged it up for you."

"Oh, yeah? Thanks." He turned it carefully in his fingers; looked like the purple was more magic inside the thing than the actual colour of it, now that he saw it up close, and it flickered faintly with pink. "What is it?"

"Oh! Of course, you wouldn't…" She chuckled. "It's quite old. I don't believe there are many still around, now that I think about it. It's a barrier."

Sans shot her a curious look.

"One use item. Just spark it and toss it at your feet, and it should provide enough protection if anything dangerous happens. I believe that Undyne or your brother would be able to withstand an attack of fear by an average human, but you…"

"Yeah, not even at one anymore," he said. "Thanks."

"I wish I could come with you," she said with a sigh.

"Same. Figure you might draw a couple looks, though," he said.

She chuckled. "Which part, the fur or the horns?"

Sans snorted. He forced himself up and onto his feet. His head spun for a second and those fragments of off-colour that were becoming unpleasantly familiar returned. The vertigo stopped after a second. He picked up his blue hoodie and stashed the orb in a pocket, and then gathered up a black scarf and some gloves.

"Why don't you rest for a little while longer?" Toriel asked.

"Wasn't jokin' about havin' to start walkin' now," he said. "Gotta get some stuff from Alph."

"I'll come with you. And don't argue, I don't want to hear it. Who knows if there will be a small purple monster to help you if you faint in Waterfall again."

Sans laughed. To be honest, he was glad for the company.

\- - -

Alphys had everything ready before they even got there. A new map, a specialized phone device to attach to a regular one to allow for communicating with the human network, and a stack of resistance boosting cookies in citrus and white chocolate flavour. She'd stayed up all night on it, she declared proudly, before promptly starting to doze off at her work table. They tucked her in under an extra lab coat.

As Toriel packed his book bag for him with things to be kept close at hand— tools, snacks, extra socks— Sans took some time to cover up. Proper sneakers and long slacks, a slightly oversized white turtleneck to hide his bones; some basic grey gloves. He had a black scarf that he put loosely around his neck under his regular blue hoodie, so it would be easy to pull up over his face. He stashed another inside his ribcage to dampen the potential glow of his soul, and he kept a tuque in his pocket just in case. He wasn't entirely confident, but maybe keeping his head down and putting sunglasses on would be enough.

Papyrus, Undyne, and Gaster met them at exactly the right time up on the plateau outside the mountain. The sun was already up, but just barely. Papyrus still had a little peachy makeup on and the eyebrows Toriel had drawn for him, as well as a pink baseball cap. He had shrouded himself in a similar way to his brother in a patchy brown jacket, but Undyne looked a little uncomfortable in a black coat that was simultaneously too big for her torso but too tight for her arms. She hadn't been able to find anything else that didn't leave her exposed somewhere.

Gaster didn't try to stop them this time. He dragged all three of them into a hug and held for maybe a little too long. He had nothing to offer them but well-wishes and a book about humans that was probably very outdated.

Thankfully, the path down the mountain hadn't been erased, even though the lift had been. It was recently worn where they started out, with tracks of talons and paws still clear in the dirt, and they could see it winding down through stone and brambly bushes for quite a while. The valley below was more sparse of woods in some spots, but mostly the greenery was quite thick and bright, making the distance a little hard to judge.

Undyne lead the way. She remembered this. Papyrus did not. He was fascinated and alert, picking up every rustle of wind and bird call in the air. The sun was slowly climbing higher, brightening the sky to his endless fascination.

"Oooh, I can't believe we're going to the human world," he said shrilly, for about the seventh time. "We get to see cars and humans and a… big school? Right? Have I ever seen a big university school before?!"

"A few times," Sans said.

"And we get to ride in a car! Do you think I can drive it?" he wondered.

"Eh, next time," Sans said. He winked. "Plus, you'll actually remember your lessons."

"You're really counting a whole lot on all this stuff comin' back, huh?" Undyne said.

"Gotta," he said.

"I'm pretty confident I could still do it in a pinch, though," Papyrus insisted.

Sans was already getting tired. He wandered slowly behind the others. Papyrus was talking a mile a minute, and Undyne seemed to be nodding along. Sans paused to peer out over the woods, shielding his eyes with his hand. Looked like a long way. He couldn't even see the road from here. He double-checked the map Alphys had made. The "_You Are Here_" marker was clear, at least. Not that it was very reassuring. They'd been going for a while, but it seemed like they'd hardly started.

Undyne's shoulders were tense. She kept her eye moving to the distance, checking for anything out of the ordinary."Yo, Sans, anything else we should know?"

"Uh. No magic. Don't do anything that glows," he said. "No dimension box in public. Oh. And no super jumps. They can't do those."

"What?! Really?!" Papyrus asked.

"Couldn't your sister do super jumps?" Undyne asked.

"Uh. Sorta. Underground gave her soul a boost; never really figured that out."

Undyne sighed heavily. Papyrus patted her on the back and she shot him an appreciative smile, only to trip and stumble forward off the edge of the path.

Sans caught the stumble; grabbed her soul in blue as her heels scraped the edge of the rock at the same time as Papyrus yelped and grabbed for her arm. Sans began to sweat instantly. His eye flared.

"Jeez!" she exclaimed.

"AAAH, UNDYNE, I'M SORRY!" Papyrus said.

"Pull her up," Sans grunted.

"What?!" Papyrus called back.

"I can't—" His magic flickered out and she plummeted like a stone, dragging Papyrus with her. "Oh shit."

Sans hurried to the edge of the path only to see the two monsters rolling roughly down the mountainside, yowling, until they vanished into foliage. He put a hand against his forehead and cautiously edged down the rough terrain of rock and prickly bushes.

"Guys?" he called.

There was a distinct, dull _wumph _somewhere way down below. He heard a whining, dazed _nyeeeeh _carried up on the wind.

"We're fiiiiine," Undyne called.

He pulled through some bushes to a small drop where he could see them laying on top of even more bushes, between a few small spruce trees. The way Undyne clutched to Papyrus, it was obvious she'd shielded the skeleton boy from the fall. Sans blew out a sigh of relief. He carefully climbed lower on the slope, edging through the precarious footholds.

"Anything broken?" he asked.

"Just my coat," Undyne grumbled. She sat up and rubbed her head. There were leaves and twigs caught in her hair. She took off her jacket: the whole back of it was ripped open. "Ah, crap."

Papyrus rolled upright and held his skull. He readjusted his cap. "Nyeeehhh, that was a lot. Undyne, I'm sorry, I knocked you off balance."

She shook her head, scattering debris. "Naw, my depth perception is screwed up." She pointed at her face. "Did you notice? My missing eye flipped."

"What? WHAT?!" He grabbed her face in both hands and squinted hard at her. "Waaaait a second… Oh wow, you're right! That's fully bizarre."

"Tell me about it," she said. She looked up the slope they'd tumbled down and then got to her feet and peered down the mountain. "Well. Saved some time, I guess."

"Oh! Sans! Here." Papyrus grabbed him in blue and lifted him off his feet, then gently floated him down to join them. "Whew! Glad you didn't fall, at least."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that," he said.

"You feeling okay?" Undyne asked.

"Been worse," he said. He checked his phone. "Welp. Looks like if we can get down here and keep goin' straight, we'll hit the road eventually."

Papyrus jumped to his feet. He took Undyne's jacket from her and handed it to his floating brother, along with a sewing kit from inside his backpack. "If you try to work on this, I will float you the whole way to the road."

"Deal," Sans said immediately.

"You don't have to—" Undyne started, only for Sans to teasingly _shhh_ in her direction.

"Don't wreck this for me, Cap, I got a good thing goin'," he said, pulling a needle out from the kit and drawing a thread of magic out from its eye.

She laughed. "Okay, okay. Thanks."

As Sans started to stitch, she turned her gaze out over the edge of the mountain again, grimacing.

"Wow," Papyrus said.

"Hmmm…" She took Sans's phone from his pocket to check the map, then squinted and rubbed the back of her head. "Man, mountains sure are big, huh?"

"Yup." Sans, floating nearby, absently began picking twigs out of her hair and tossing them down the slope.

"Ugh, if I didn't think I'd just land on my face, I'd just run us right down this," she grumbled.

"Why don't I do it?" Papyrus said.

"Huh?" Undyne shot him a puzzled look. "You think you can just book it down there without tripping or something?"

"Well! I mean! I can handle a fall or two! I'm not a fragile dainty brittle skeleton, after all! Unlike Sans. Except the dainty part," he said. He cut his eyes at his brother. "You are not dainty at all."

"I was about to say," Sans said.

"Oh! I know!" He dropped him from his magic unceremoniously right into Undyne's arms. "What if you take Sans and then I carry you?" He grasped her soul in blue and lifted her up off the ground. "Hmmm?! Good idea, right?"

"Uhhhh." Undyne wiggled her feet in the air. She looked at Sans, who she was holding like a princess.

He shrugged. She started to grin, wide and unnerving.

"Just don't drop me," he said.

"YEEEAAH! LET'S GO!"

Papyrus grinned bright, winked, and stuck his thumb up, and then took a leap, dragging the other two floating in blue behind him. Undyne yelled and cheered as Papyrus dug his red boots into the dirt and skid down the side of mountain like an expert snowboarder. Rocks acted as a ramp and he sailed over bushes only to regain his footing on the other side. He ran straight down the incline, his scarf streaming bright behind him, a streak of red in the cool wind.

Undyne whooped loudly as Papyrus jumped and plummeted downwards until his feet connected with another small outcrop.

"Nyeh heh heh!" He took a quick look to gauge the distance between him and the upcoming trees, and then vaulted over the cliff. "Allllmooosst…!" His feet made contact and he skid between the trunks, weaving the others around them.

"YEEEAH, PAPS, THIS IS GREAT!" Undyne cheered.

"I KNOW!" he yelled back.

When the steep incline finally levelled out enough so as not to be a dramatic drop, they were in the woods near the base of the mountain. Papyrus skidded to a stop, kicking up dirt and moss. He grinned and dropped Undyne back on the ground.

"And there we go!" He announced. "The great Papyrus express comes to a halt."

She guffawed. "Nice job, kid! Jeez! That went alright, huh?"

"Great job, bro," Sans said, sticking his thumb up.

"I know!" He set Sans's soul aglow with deep blue and lifted him out of of Undyne's grip. "Thank you! Now, where to?"

Undyne showed him the map. They were almost entering the bulk of the woods now. The road was to the west; their meeting spot a little to the southwest from there. The skeleton took a deep breath, needlessly shielded his eyes with his hand to peer into the distance, and then started jogging west, straight as an arrow.

"Come on, follow me!" he said. "I have a fantastic sense of direction you know! Won't take us long at all!"

The woods were a lot easier to traverse than the mountain was. Undyne walked more carefully this time, sticking close to Papyrus. Sans was happy not to have to traipse through all the bushes nor hop over small streams and muddy ditches— sewing was much, much easier. He finished and dozed off, only awakening again when he dropped suddenly from a casual floating spot into Undyne's arms. It had to have been hours later. He'd slept like a rock.

"Welcome back," she teased, putting him back on his feet.

He handed over her jacket, good as new. She grinned and put it on. It still didn't fit quite right. Papyrus was a few trees ahead, squatting, peering up a small embankment that was totally flat and clear of foliage. The road.

"Seems like we got here a little early," Undyne said, handing Sans back his phone.

"Nobody's been by, though, right?" he asked.

"Nope! Nothing!" Papyrus said. "Not a single car or human or anything at all, really. Except some teeny tiny birds, but they didn't have anything to say at all." He tapped the side of his head. "I've been listening very closely. Nothing m…" He perked up. He laid both hands against the ground and then leaned forward to rest the side of his head on the dirt.

Undyne's ear-fins lifted, too. Sans pulled his scarf up over his nasal cavity and covered his head with his hood. The big monster copied him, but she put a wooden owl mask with eerie black eyes on over her face. Sans shot her a questioning look.

"It was all I could find," she protested. "Most of Mettaton's stuff was way creepier than this."

Papyrus, on the other hand, was still listening closely to the ground. Sans snuck over and pulled his hood up for him, but he was up and on his feet in an instant, and heading straight for the road.

"Dude, wait," Sans said.

"But I hear someone coming," he said.

"Exactly."

A distant drone that was the sound of an engine got closer. Tires growled on the old dirt road. The monsters stuck to the tree line cautiously.

"Dark blue car, okay?" Sans said. "Anything else, stay back."

"Appropriately cautious, for once!" Papyrus teased. "Don't worry. I know just what to do!" He darted forward, standing on his toes. His face lit up and, though he pulled his scarf up over his nasal cavity, he eagerly hopped up onto the embankment and started to wave. "Hellooooo! Human, is that you?!"

"PAPS!" Undyne barked.

Sans grabbed his soul and yanked him back off the road and into the trees, where they stuck themselves behind trunks as much as they could. A few seconds later, a navy coloured car, covered in brown dirt and grime, pulled off to the side and chugged to a halt, engine rumbling.

A pale woman with straight black hair and glasses stumbled out of the driver's side of the car. Her boots with a short heel scuffed on the rough dirt, and she ran around the hood, peering out into the woods. She looked just a smidge overdressed for the weather in a heavy, purple cable knit sweatshirt. She held her keys tight in her hand. She was shaking; they could hear the metal jingling.

"H-Hello?" The voice was familiar. "…Are you out there? It's June! Um…"

"I knew it!" Papyrus said brightly. He stepped confidently out from behind the trees and stuck his hand up to wave. "Hello, June the human! I! Am the great Papyrus! I believe we probably met but my memory is gone, so hello once again!"

"H…! Hello!" she squeaked. Her eyes were wide. She skidded down the small embankment without hesitation and looked up at Papyrus, stunned. She reached out and held his arms. "Y-Yes, I… I remember you, I think? You're… You're a… skeleton?"

"Fully yes, a skeleton," Papyrus said.

She pulled back, seemingly embarrassed. "How many are you?" she asked.

"Skeletons, or…? Oh! You mean here. Three of us," he said. "Which is also coincidentally the answer to how many skeletons. That's okay, right?"

She nodded. "Okay. I… I have enough seatbelts, at least."

Sans casually wandered out from the trees and stuck his hand up. "Hey."

"And there's another voice I recognize," she said, cracking a smile. "That's something, at least, right?" She froze upon looking into his face and then shifted her gaze between the two skeletons. "M-Maybe… some sunglasses or something would be good."

"We have some!" Papyrus said. "It's important, right?"

"Our eyes kinda spook 'em," Sans said.

"What?! Really?!"

"Sorry," June said sheepishly.

"Don't be," Sans said. "We appreciate you comin' all the way out here."

She nodded and smiled. "Well, I… I felt like… It was important. And this thing with my memories…" She shook her head. "It's like this for you, too?"

"Sans, no, the rest of us, yes," Papyrus said as Undyne slid up behind the human and stared down at her curiously. "So… You remember a lot because you're a human, right? Do you have a red soul?"

"A red…? Uh… I… I don't know," she said, eyes wide.

"You don't know?!" Papyrus demanded worriedly. "Do humans usually not know?"

"…I guess not," June said.

"We should get goin'," Sans suggested.

"Oh! Right, but where's your—?" She turned and almost ran right into Undyne. She squeaked loudly and backed up.

"Hey," Undyne said.

"H-Hey!" June gulped. She looked her up and down and then relaxed slightly. "Oh that's… not your face."

"Nah, just a mask. My face's a lot scarier." She was undoubtedly grinning widely.

"We…? We've met?" she asked cautiously.

"Yup. Captain of the Guard," Undyne said.

"Oh! Right! Like I said, I'm Papyrus, he's Sans, and she's Undyne," Papyrus said brightly. "So can we… ride in your car?"

"Right! Yes. Let's go," June said.

Undyne vaulted effortlessly up the embankment and lifted all the others up onto the road. Sans took the passenger's seat, and the larger monsters squeezed into the back. Undyne slouched on purpose. Human cars were not really meant for people almost seven feet tall.

June got in the driver's seat and closed the door. The front panel of the car wasn't overly fancy but there were a lot of small buttons and a computer screen with a map on it easily in view past the wheel. She hit two of the buttons and every window shifted darker just a shade. She smiled cautiously.

"You, um, don't need to cover your faces in here, at least," she said. "The windows all tint so you can't see in from the outside."

"What?! Really?!" Papyrus was immediately out of the car. He ran around it in a circle before jumping back in and closing the door. "Wowie! That's high tech!"

"Oh! Uh, not really! Privacy screens came in with auto-drivers when I was a kid," she said.

"Dig it," Undyne said. She unzipped her coat, pushed down her hood, and took off her mask. She ran her fingers through her hair tiredly. "Man, stuff's stuffy."

June looked at her in the rearview mirror, her eyes like moons. She gulped. Undyne grinned her huge, pointed teeth.

"See? Way scarier, right?" she teased.

Though June's face flushed, she didn't answer. Papyrus cackled as he pulled his scarf back down around his neck properly.

"Oh stop, Captain, the human's not scared! Right? Of course not!"

Sans snorted. He shot June an apologetic smile. "You okay? Must be weird."

"Well. I mean. Yes? Completely, yes, this is incredibly weird," she said, clenching her fingers tight on the steering wheel. "But. To be honest. I always dreamed of meeting monsters someday. I used to draw comics about it when I was a little girl. About the King under the mountain. He's real, right? I didn't just imagine him, did I?"

"Nope." Sans had a picture of Asgore on his phone somewhere. He scrolled through. Noticed a bunch of the others were corrupted and pixelated strangely— ones with those kids in them. Figured. Took a second to find one with Asgore that wasn't a mess. "See?"

June cautiously took his phone and stared at the screen intently. She cracked a smile. "…I remember. He… He's very kind, isn't he?"

"I'd say so!" Papyrus volunteered. "Everyone likes the King! Well. Except our mom, sometimes. But there's a whole history there, it's a long story."

Though the human looked puzzled, she didn't ask. She pushed a small lever inside the car and then put her foot on the gas. The engine grumbled and she pulled back onto the gravelly road. Papyrus perked up, instantly excited.

"Nyeh, I can't believe we're actually going," he said.

"Same here," June said with a hoarse laugh.

She drove down the road very slowly. It was incredibly bumpy and unkempt, and very narrow.

"I just need to go down a bit to find a spot to turn around," she said. "So, you three, you're planning on… going into Anthelion then? Into the university."

"Gotta," Sans said.

"Hm. Then, we might need to make a stop or two first," she said. "Um. No offence, but you guys are still pretty conspicuous."

"Are we?! Damn it, I knew it," Undyne grumbled.

"And mom drew me human eyebrows any everything," Papyrus said with a sigh.

June laughed. "No, that's actually not bad, it's… Oh! I know." She shot a smile back at Undyne. "My brother runs a bike shop in Gullport. I think we can get you something."

"Uh. We don't have human money," Undyne said.

"We got gold, though," Sans said. "Should cover it, right?"

"We can work something out," June said.

After a small bend in the road, the embankment flattened out. June checked both ways out of habit, and then did a cautious U-turn to point the car back the way she'd come. She didn't start driving again yet; she checked her phone. "I'll try to call the university once we're closer," she said. "It's kind of a dead-zone out here near the mountain."

"So do not many people come here, then?" Papyrus asked.

"No, it's, ah… Sort of what we'd call a no man's land. The only thing out here was a sketchy campground that closed maybe twenty years ago," June explained. "It's outside the borders of Sollund and then there's the ocean. So."

Papyrus nodded. "Sollund, that's…? Youuurr… town?"

"Country," Sans said.

"Ooooh, country, I see, I see." Papyrus sounded like he didn't quite see.

"I can show you." She touched a button on the dashboard console to bring up a map.

The monsters leaned up from the back seat. Their mountain was on a wide peninsula off the east end of a continent with a whole lot of nothing around it. The border of Sollund was a big arc to the west. The nearest city was Gullport, to the south along the coast. Anthelion was much farther west than that.

"Sheesh, that's far, huh?" Undyne said.

"…Speaking of," June said hesitantly. "I… I think that was part of why I was sent to check in on you, right? Because… There was a young girl. A human. Who lived with you. Right? And I remember thinking it was so strange that she had managed to get to the mountain at all."

Papyrus gasped loudly and put his hands to his face. "You remember her?!"

"Well, it's… really odd, actually. I remember… meeting all three of you, and her. But her face…"

"Can't remember it," Sans said.

"Exactly! Or… Or what we talked about. But nobody else is really like that," she said.

Papyrus's face fell quickly and he pouted. "This is NOT FAIR at all, she's not even related to her and SHE gets to remember her?!"

"Paps, chill, it's no one's fault," Undyne said.

"I know, sorry for shouting," Papyrus said, folding his arms tightly. "Ugh. Terrible."

"I… don't quite understand." June looked at Sans worriedly. "Why wouldn't you remember her? And… I feel bad, but I can't remember her name, either."

"No one can," Sans said.

"So, what exactly is going on here?"

The monsters settled uncomfortably. Papyrus opened his mouth, but Undyne held his arm and pointed to Sans. He reluctantly remained quiet.

Sans considered his options. June's memory was better than he anticipated. Probably due to being human and visiting the mountain. He also recalled she might have actually come into contact with some of his sister's blood when she did that test on her. Might've helped with retention. Honesty would probably keep her on their side, but their sister's secret was one that shouldn't get out. But, he thought, the kiddo would undoubtedly crank time backwards a bit when she got home if he asked. And a full reversal was different than a strange removal. But still, he couldn't be sure what June'd keep and what she wouldn't. He tapped his teeth thoughtfully.

"Thing is," he said. "The kid's… special. Time kinda, uh… bends around her different. It's a magic thing. Kinda complex. Issue is, she's been, uh… Lifted, let's say. From the world. Her and our brother, too. Need something special to get them back. We're hoping we can find an old book of magic in Anthelion. Might help. Does that, uh, make any sense at all?"

June grimaced. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel anxiously. "Honestly, I… I don't know. I don't think you're lying. I just… don't understand."

"It's the same for us, mostly," Papyrus volunteered. "You're lucky. This kid that is missing and the other kid that is missing, they're my siblings and I can't even remember them at all." His soul warbled quietly on its own accord.

"Yeah, I got only the tiniest sliver of somethin'," Undyne agreed. "But stuff's been goin' wonky since they left. I'm missing an eye and it just swapped which one on me for no reason yesterday."

"And the fact that your job thing didn't happen for anyone but you," Sans pointed out.

"So… So they all really don't know. It's like it never happened at all?" June huffed out a sigh. "How can all this be tied to a kid like this?"

"Long story," Sans said.

"It's a long drive," the woman retorted with a tired smile.

Sans folded his arms. "Welp. Lemme ask you somethin' first," he said. "You humans, you ever have a time where the world just looped the same days for a long time?"

"What? N… No?" she said.

So it wasn't just humans in general being more attuned to time travel. Not at all. Of course, that wouldn't make sense. It would have been a worldwide crisis, and none of the humans in the year that was undone had ever mentioned something similar. No, maybe June's memory was a combination of exposure to the kid herself and the mountain. Maybe the CORE.

"Welp. We did," Sans said. "Kid showed up and stopped it. She's real important. But, without her, things kinda go… off."

"But, why?" she asked worriedly.

Sans winced. Truth was, it was his fault. World had ended too many times. Shifted off its axis and he would never have enough strength to set it straight.

"It's… complicated," he said. "Oh. Hey. You don't happen to still have her blood sample, do ya?"

"I only had that DN-Double A-Scanner because of my assignment. Which… is a job I don't have anymore. So…" She shook her head apologetically.

"Do you think it's still in there, though? Could we steal the machine or something?" Undyne asked quickly. "Sans, what do you think? If it's part of her…"

"Reading the DNA destroys the sample," June said.

The monsters in the back were audibly disappointed. Sans sighed.

"Figures," he said.

"What's DNA?" Papyrus asked.

"Oh, it's… Like a chemical code inside our bodies that tells it all kinds of things. Physical features; medical conditions. Passed down from parents to children," June said. "You guys… don't have that?"

"We're made of magic so, naw, not really," Undyne said.

June looked thoughtful. She pulled the car back out onto the road properly. "Okay, put your seatbelts on. If Gullport first is okay, then—"

A humanoid figure suddenly ran out into the road in front of them and slammed their hands down onto the hood of the car, causing Papyrus to yelp and June to scream and jam her foot down onto the brakes. There was a loud _clang _and the someone went tumbling down into the road.

"WHAT THE—?!" Undyne yelled.

It was Mettaton. He jumped back up a few feet away, smiling bright and waving. "Heelllooooo~! Guys! You can't go without meeee!" He had removed his shoulder plates and was dressed in an off-shouldered pink shirt and long gloves, and otherwise looked pretty normal. "Come on, I saw you from the woooods, let me iiiiinnn~!"

"Is he serious?" Sans wondered.

"Probably," Papyrus said.

Sans and Undyne shared a look.

"I didn't tell him!" Undyne protested.

"Who is that?!" June asked.

"Oh, that's Mettaton, but… Um…" Papyrus shrugged. "Should I let him in? I should, right?"

"Ugh," Undyne grunted. She threw her door open and Mettaton jumped over to greet her like an excited puppy.

"Helllooo, my dear Guard Captain!" he said brightly.

"What the hell are you doin' here, punk?!" Undyne demanded.

"What do you think I'm doing, silly? You're going to the human world. I am coming with you. Obviously!"

She scowled. "Do you even know why we're going?"

"Oh yes, Alphie told me all about it; how Sans is having a mental break because some mysterious children have been pulled out of time by some sort of mysterious means and now you must acquire a mysterious book for Doctor Gaster so he can cast some spell or something so that the world as we know it doesn't flip on its head, right?"

"Alphys wouldn't have told you about that without telling us," she growled.

"Well, I mean, okay. But I overheard it. On the mountain with our wonderful King. And in the lab last night when I went to visit Alphie while she was toiling away, you know, after you came over. And old Doctor Gaster really does enjoy talking to himself out loud when he's making notes."

"So. You were spying," she said, folding her arms.

"Spying?! Moi?" He put a hand to his chest and look aghast.

"Don't gimme that, you spy all the time!" she said.

"Well. Okay. Yes. Spying. But only because it was so interesting, darling, it wasn't intentional initially! Besides!" He tossed his hair; pink glitters appeared from nowhere. "As you can see. Aside from an actual human, I look the most human! I might be helpful, wouldn't you agree?"

Undyne glowered at him. She shot a look back into the car. Sans shrugged and Papyrus relayed it to her by shrugging himself.

"You okay with one more?" Sans asked June.

"I have one more seatbelt," she said.

"Eeeeee!" Mettaton leapt into the car, absolutely beaming as he squished himself in beside Papyrus. "Heellloooo, human?! I am Mettaton, superstar extraordinaire of the underground, and you are?"

She turned awkwardly in her seat. "I'm, uh, June—"

"JUNE! What a beautiful name, darling, I'm so glad to meet you," he said, fluttering his eyelashes and extending his hand to her. "Oh, I'm so excited."

"A-Are… Are you…? A robot?" she asked, cautiously shaking his hand.

"Well, nnnnooo… doubt! About it!" he said brightly. "Made by our own resident genius, Doctor Alphys, back in the mountain, don't you know."

"Shove over." Undyne got back in the car and closed the door, maybe a little too hard.

"And you're… a monster?" June asked.

"Basically," Sans said. "Goin'?"

"R-Right!" June relaxed her nervous grip on the steering wheel. "Mettaton, you said? I guess we'll need to take care of you a bit, too. Maybe a costume store…"

"Hmm?!" Mettaton blinked. "A costume? For moi? Whatever for? Doesn't my striking visage resemble a human?"

"Oh! Of course, absolutely," she said. "Only you're… metallic. And those grooves in your face. I thought, maybe we could use some make-up to fill them in or just make you… matte?"

"Aton." Sans said.

Undyne snorted and Papyrus cawed loudly.

"Sans, no terrible jokes in front of the human! We want her to like us!"

"It's fine," June assured them.

"Well, I suppose I could be a human named Matt if you like," Mettaton said.

"No, no, matte. Not…" June smiled sideways. "Just, less shiny."

"Ah! I see! I apologize, the word was not in my vocabulary." He winked.

Undyne rolled her eyes. She pulled on her seatbelt and slouched down. "Let's just get going."

June obliged, and they were soon on their way. Mettaton was all smiles. Papyrus tried to smear some peachy coloured face paint on his cheek, but it didn't stick very well.

"Human?" Mettaton said. "Do you have any music from your world to play? Alternatively, I am actually a prolific singer, and I've brought some of my own—"

"We are not listening to your music for the whole damn trip," Undyne growled.

"But what if she wants to?!" Mettaton said.

"No way."

"Oh, come on! Everyone likes my music! Right?" He looked around the car.

Sans shrugged. "It's fine."

"I do like it quite a bit, actually," said Papyrus, "but—"

"See?! He likes me!" He grabbed Papyrus into a hug. "He is an excellent fan!"

"He's just bein' polite," Undyne said.

"Nyeh! Though I appreciate the hug, I think since it's the human's car, she should decide the music," Papyrus said.

June laughed. She turned on the radio. Though it buzzed with a strange undertone, the sound of an electric guitar began to play through it. The monsters in the back quit bickering and their attention was taken. Mettaton began to beam, his eyes glistening. He clung even tighter to Papyrus, and to Undyne's closest arm as well.

"Human music," he said at a whisper. "From a human radio!"

Sans rested his cheek on his fist and couldn't help a tired smile. They'd been like this the first time, too. He ignored the chunks of colour distorting in the air before him and simply took a little rest as the music played and the car bounced on the old dirt road towards civilization.


	33. of course we have to take a detour what kinda trip do you think this is?

Sprawling forests barely gave way even when small signs of habitation began to pop up along the road. A few houses here and there, a small market selling produce; an abandoned looking place with old machinery in front that looked as if it would never finish being built. The border area was sparse. Not a single human was out and about until the town was in sight.

As Mettaton talked a mile a minute with June about all things human media, Papyrus was pressed up against the window, watching the cars that had started to join them, fascinated. Undyne was pretty interested too, but it was more a force of habit. The farther they got from home, the more alert she got, taking in every little detail she could about the route and the environment. Sans was the opposite. He knew the road well. He dozed off periodically, every time he flickered back into the waking world bringing them a bit closer.

Trees thinned and more buildings sprung up along the road. The outline of the small harbour city started to show itself. A sign in blue with a white gull and a lighthouse painted on it welcomed them as they passed under a bridge and then the vastness of the ocean spread before them to the east, broken only by a bridge that crossed the water from the mainland to a peninsula at the town's other end. The rippling waves glittered under the sun and drew the monsters to it like magpies to a coin.

Mettaton squealed and pointed to a turn-off a little up ahead. "It looks like there's a park there, darling! Do you think maybe we could stop for a moment?"

"But you don't look human," June said a little shrilly.

"We don't need to get out," he said quickly.

"He's gonna try to get out," Undyne said.

"Not if it's compromising! Promise!" he assured them. "Just for a little look! I've never seen so much water in my life!"

"…I sort of feel the same, actually," Papyrus added with a hopeful look on his face.

June shot Sans a look. He shrugged. She acquiesced.

There was a parking lot just off the main road where there were humans out and about. Mettaton and Papyrus both pressed themselves close to the windows to look as they slowly drove by, even if the metallic monster had to smoosh himself into Undyne to do so. There were a couple adults and some very short kids in striped shirts as well, crossing the pavement to grass that then lead into sand towards the water.

"This is amazing," Mettaton breathed.

"Man, get off, would ya?" Undyne grumbled.

A small extra, unpaved road led down between some trees parallel to the water. June took that, and they found it lead to a more secluded spot on top of a stone retaining wall that looked out into the ocean. There was no beach here, but the view was nice. There was a set of benches and a table in the grass, paint faded and edges splintery. June parked in the vacant, gravelly spot

"Wait a second," she said. She got out and peeked around, and came back to her open door. "If… If you can cover yourselves a bit, I think you can take a look."

Papyrus immediately readjusted his baseball cap, put on his hood, and then pulled his scarf up over his face before jumping out of the car. "Oh wow! This wind!"

"Nice, right?" June asked with a smile.

"It smells interesting," he said. "Reminds me of you, Undyne!"

"Stop sniffin' me," she joked.

Mettaton snuck into the skeleton's vacant seat. He looked out, but didn't leave the car. Even so, he was beaming. "What do you think, Captain?! I would have thought you'd be all over this."

"I… remember it," she said, though she smiled faintly. "Yeah. It's nice."

"Remember it?" he asked.

"It's a long story," Sans said.

"Sans, come on!" Papyrus dashed around the side of the car and pulled him out. "Look at this! Isn't it amazing!"

"Sure is," he said.

"You don't sound very amazed. You've been here before, right?"

"…Yeah."

Papyrus sighed. He put Sans down on the bench and folded his arms tight. "I hope we can go to a place we both haven't seen at some point, brother."

"That'd be nice," he agreed tiredly.

"It's been a while. You should eat something."

Sans shrugged. Papyrus rolled his eyes and pulled a hot dog out of his bag. He passed it over and looked around cautiously, then stuck his thumb up. The short skeleton wasn't hungry in the least, but he figured Papyrus was right.

As Sans snacked, June took a seat on the bench and looked over the monsters with a sort of quiet disbelief on her face. She took a deep breath of the fresh sea air.

"This is so strange, isn't it?" she said quietly.

"Sure is," Sans said.

"So. Can I ask?" she said. "When we… When everyone could remember, how did all of this go over? Were you okay? Were we?"

"I was kinda surprised," Sans admitted. "It was pretty alright. Still freaked some of you guys out, but we didn't actually have any big problems."

"I still can't believe humans are so scared of us, though," Papyrus said. "We really are very friendly most of the time!"

"And you guys are the ones who can kill _us_ super easy," Undyne added.

"Which they will very hopefully not do," Mettaton said with a nervous laugh.

"We explored a bit but we did keep to ourselves a lot," Sans said. "And our sister, bein' a human and all, that helped with the perception of stuff. King got a couple angry letters about it but sis would answer them and they stopped pretty quick."

Though June's brow was furrowed, she nodded. She looked over Undyne and Mettton again and she perked up a little. "Well. I think as long as we keep you under wraps for now, we'll be alright. I should probably call my brother first, though."

"Pfff, yeah, guess dumping a bunch of us on a normie is _not_ gonna go over too well without an introduction, huh?" Undyne said.

"Exactly." She pulled out her phone and started up a call. She held up one finger as if to ask the monsters to wait.

"Hey," a nasally male voice answered.

"Hey, Ken, are you busy?" June asked.

"Wh…? Oh! Jeez. Not really, why?"

"I have some, ah… Friends. With me. I need to get them maybe some gear; helmets or something? Can you close up the store for thirty minutes? We're less than ten away."

"Close the…? Oh! Nah, I'm out with a cold today," the man, presumably June's brother, said. "But, uh, if you still got a key and they can pay, go in around the back and that's…" He sneezed very loudly. "Oof! Th-That's okay with me. Sorry, blow your ears out?"

"I'm okay," she said with a laugh.

"So. Are your friends gangsters?" he asked in jest.

"Nnnno, no, but, ah… It'd be better if there wasn't anyone else there," she said.

"She says as suspicious as possible," Sans teased.

June's face flushed. The skeleton went back to his hotdog.

"Right?!" The man on the other end of the phone agreed. "Who's that?"

She covered the receiver. "What do I say?"

"We're famous actors," Mettaton said at a whisper.

"A-Ah, they're, um…! Actors! Recognizable ones. Um. I'll tell you all about it later," she assured him.

"Oh? They in anything I've seen? That voice sounded familiar, now that I think about it…"

"I-I'm sure you have! They're in, um…" She scrunched up her face. "Fantasy, mostly?"

"Too many deets might trip you up," Sans said quietly.

"A-Anyway! Thanks so much, Ken, they're very grateful! Talk to you later, bye! Oh! And feel better!" She hung up quickly and sighed heavily. "I… am not very good at that."

Mettaton clapped. "I thought you did fabulously!" he said.

June rubbed her brow and huffed. She looked at the ocean absently for a few seconds and then stood up, clutching her phone tightly. "I guess we should get going."

"Ah! Right!" Papyrus swooped Sans up into his arms just as he finished his snack. "On our way! Can I drive?"

"Um. Maybe some other time," June said.

\- - -

June took them off the large road along the oceanside and to a small, windowless grey shop on its own in a parking lot alongside a few others on the same road that looked very similar. A metal sign above the door said _Gullport Gears_ and was accompanied by an image of a gull with flaming wings. A much smaller sign on the door said that the shop was closed.

She drove around back to a big, shuttered garage and a solid door, and parked there. After unlocking it, she hurried the mostly disguised monsters into the dark shop. Fumbling for only a moment, she flicked the light switch and they thunked on, scattering a fluorescent sheen across the room. The place was mostly grey and black, with a few streaks of red and orange in sharp lines painted on. The rest of it was hangers and shelves displaying all kinds of weatherproof clothing and much of the floor was occupied by motorcycles.

"My, is this a human store? How fascinating," Mettaton said, striding away to peer over the bikes. "Are they all like this?"

"N-No, this one just sells motorcycles," June said.

"Hm. I see. This is not my aesthetic at all."

"Really? Looks like that could be a cousin," Undyne joked as she wandered off.

"Hush, you!"

"Just don't touch anything too much," June said worriedly.

"Don't you worry, we will be very clean and we will definitely not touch everything in the store," Papyrus assured her as he bounced over to some jackets on the wall and began to rifle through them. "Saaans, do you need anything? Do I need anything?"

June looked down at the short skeleton, who was still pretty bundled up compared to the others. "I think he's okay."

"But I am not okay?" he asked worriedly.

"It's just it's not very…" She gestured up and down: Papyrus was in a brown jacket, his red scarf and boots, and a bright pink baseball cap, along with white pants that were bruised with dirt. "Cohesive."

"Oooh. I see. Well, I mean." He blushed. "I-I usually have someone to help out a little, you know!"

Sans perked up. "Oh yeah? Who?"

"I…! I don't remember, never mind. Come with me, you'll just have to be a stand in today!" he said, swooping his brother up in his magic.

June squeaked and stepped out of the way as Sans shrugged.

Undyne was at the other end of the store, closer to where Mettaton was peering at himself in the side mirror of one of the motorcycles as he posed in flashy black biker jacket. There were posters on the wall of more bikes or humans riding bikes from movies, probably. A dramatic black rider outracing a storm, a bike on its own trailing lightning behind; a more whimsical scene of two women driving down a mountain road. Undyne folded her arms. Something in the back of her mind felt muddled. What was she doing here? This was crazy, wasn't it? She frowned. Told herself it was important. It was definitely important. It was like an itch in her thoughts.

"You found anything you like?" June cautiously slid up to join her, her posture a little stiff. "Oh. You found my brother's collection. Between you and me, he hasn't even seen most of these."

Undyne nodded. June looked her over and gulped. She edged closer.

"So, um. Can I ask? How are you involved in this, exactly?" she asked.

"Bodyguard," she said.

"That can't be all."

Undyne snorted. "Nah, guess not. These missing kids, I don't really remember, but I feel like something's wrong without them. Plus…" Her brow furrowed. "This time thing."

"It's crazy, right?" June said quickly.

"Yeah, it's… not great." Her ears drooped. "I, uh, have a girlfriend who forgets we're a thing, y'know? So I'd like to get back to normal."

"Oh… That's… I'm sorry." June's mouth went thin and she folded her arms tight. "I, uh… Actually, in the time that's… different? I just left a relationship that wasn't really working. I sort of used the new job; moving to a new city to… you know, make it easier. So, imagine my surprise when I woke up a few days ago back in the same old house with my ex-girlfriend."

Undyne winced. "That's rough." Everything was such a mess. She shook her head. "She couldn't have known…"

"Hm? Who?"

"The kid. There's no way this was on purpose," she said, though her soul felt twisted in her chest. "She'll fix this."

"You have a lot of faith in this kid," June said.

"Mostly in Sans, I guess. He's so sure," she said. "I believe in him, weirdly enough. Kinda feel like… he might be the key to all this. But I, uh…" She grimaced. "I can… kinda feel… my memories goin' weird. I just keep reminding myself: no matter what I think, it's important. And I owe that bonehead, anyway. So. I guess even if I lose it, that'll keep me in check."

"Owe him? Something important?" June wondered.

"Oh. Yeah sure. Can never repay it," she said. "Well. With my life, maybe. That's about it."

"Wow. Serious stuff, huh?"

Undyne smiled sideways. "Just true, I guess." She took a step back and stretched. "Yo, Sans?!"

"What?" he called from somewhere.

"You got somewhere you can keep a list of stuff that won't get wrecked when time gets weird?"

"Maybe?" he said.

"Remind me to get a bike when this is all done, huh?"

"Pfff, okay."

They didn't stay much longer. Though Undyne still couldn't find a jacket that fit, they did manage to find one with big enough sleeves so Sans could at least swap them over for her. She also grabbed a blacked-out motorcycle helmet that made her look much less suspicious but not much less intimidating. Papyrus swapped his mismatched clothes for windproof stuff in white with grey and orange detailing. He also found a special face-mask that covered the nose and mouth meant to ward off wind and debris, and coincidentally was patterned like the teeth of an oni skeleton. Together, he, Mettaton, and Undyne looked like an unusual biker gang. They overpaid in gold and leftover sleeves hidden behind the counter.

June wanted to make one more stop before moving on— to a basic general store on a main street for some makeup for Mettaton. As the monsters waited for her in the car outside, Sans did as Undyne had asked. The only thing he could think of, however, was to text his sister's phone despite the system's protests that the number wasn't real. Didn't matter, he didn't believe it.

There was a stark loneliness in how empty his texts were. Universe couldn't even allow him to keep a simple hello.

Mettaton had shifted to the window seat, and was currently pressed up against it, human-watching with wide eyes and a big grin. "Ugh, I'm so glad I came along, look at all these humans out here! They're so cute!" He pointed at a girl with long hair, wearing a red dress under a long tan coat. "That outfit is stunning— oh, and that red! Someone remind me to duplicate it, alright?! Papyruuuss, darling, do you think I would look good with long hair like that?"

"I'm sure!" he assured him. "What about me?"

"Oh, absolutely."

Undyne snorted in amusement and then leaned up to peek into the front seat. Sans was already half asleep, nestled into his coat and scarf, his phone halfway falling out of his hand. She took it from him and put it in his pocket for him.

"Jeez, dude," she teased.

"What do you think, Sans, long hair?" Papyrus asked.

"You're good whatever you do, bro," he said groggily.

"Papyyrrusss, can you be a doll and take some photos. I must replicate that blue in a gorgeous gown," Mettaton cooed.

"Thought you said red," Undyne said.

"What?! I have no idea what you mean," he said.

Sans sunk down farther in the seat. Undyne's brow furrowed.

"Hey," she said. "You okay?"

He raised one shoulder halfheartedly. He slumped on the window, and the look in his eye said for sure that he was starting to drift. A dark shimmer shifted across his bones for just an instant and he winced. He cracked the door and slipped outside despite the others scrabbling to ask what he was doing. Undyne paused them, shoved on her helmet, and stepped out into the street.

It was surreal all of a sudden, boots scuffing on sidewalk, looking around at this overcast world of humans and cars. Shops felt like they were penning them in, but she drew only a passing look from the humans that were so much shorter than her. Sans was already across the street and down a ways, wandering towards an alleyway.

She darted across the road, chased by the beeping of cars, and walked briskly after him, wondering how he'd gotten so far down the street already. She followed him into the shadows, where garbage littered the ground and deconstructed chunks of wood lay haphazard against grimy brick walls.

"Hey, Sans!" she called.

Rounding a corner, she caught the skeleton. He had stopped right in front of a glowing, bright tear in time. She hesitated until she saw him reach out for it. She sprinted to him and snatched his hand, but as she whirled on him to demand what the hell he was thinking, she saw his eyes were black and leaking. Kneeling down, she grabbed his shoulders tight and stared him down.

"Hey!" she insisted. "Wake up!"

He tried to back away from her, but she held him tight and glowed her soul. Though it was invisible beneath her jacket, the sound was strong and pulled on his just enough to stall him. His shoulders slumped and his bones rattled, but the light came back to his eyes. He looked around quickly, clearly trying to assess where he was.

"Cap?" he asked cautiously.

"Duh. What happened?!" she asked. "You were like, sleep walking or some crap."

"Oh. Jeez. Sorry. Bad timing," he muttered.

"Is that normal?!" she demanded.

"Welp. Yes and no," he said. "Gettin' worse. Last time it happened, that purple kid yanked me outta a river."

"Did you see something?" she asked.

"Like, uhh… A black lake," he said quietly. "S'okay."

She straightened up and pointed at the tear in time. He tilted his head, brows raised.

"You were goin' for this," she said. "Is this supposed to be here? Did you know?"

"No," he said. "Guess dad did it at some point."

"You sure? It's not ripping or something?"

He shook his head. "You can tell by the shape. Star like that is cut on purpose. Somethin' wrong is more like a hole." He got a little closer, peering at it cautiously. He sighed and backed off. "Ah. Better not."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Welp, you wanna deal with me oozin' out my eyes a bit?" he asked.

"You already did that."

Sans snorted. He rubbed the back of his head. She put a big hand on his shoulder and nodded.

The short skeleton lightly brushed the light with his fingers. Though he braced, after a few seconds, he relaxed. "Ah. Nope. Nothin'."

"Oh yeah?" she asked.

"Welp. I mean. Feels like crap," he said, slowly pulling back. "But not like back home."

"So… Why did you come here?" she asked.

"Dunno."

Undyne rolled her eye and scoffed. "Gimme your best guess."

He shrugged. "Might be just… tryin' to find the kids, I dunno." He took out his phone and entered a note for himself. "Another thing to add to the pile, huh?"

"Try to warn me, huh?" she said.

"Do my best."

Papyrus was back at the car waiting for them, arms folded, somehow looking intimidating enough that people were crossing the street to avoid him.

"What happened?!" he demanded.

"Spaced. Sorry," Sans said.

"Are you okay?!"

"Inside," Undyne ordered.

Though Papyrus was probably pouting, he hopped into the back seat.

"Nice stroll?" Mettaton asked.

"Nope," Sans said, closing the door hard.

"Seriously, are you okay?!" Papyrus demanded as he pulled his face cover down. "You gave us a thorough spooking."

"Ah. Sorry," he said.

"Just nap, then," Undyne suggested.

He chuckled. His eyes were already closed. "Don't have to tell me twice."

When June came back with bags in hand, she was on the phone again with a cross look on her face. She was just hanging up when she got back in the driver's seat— the door closing roused the drowsy skeleton— and passed the makeup back to Mettaton. He traded her a small handful of gold for it.

"Oh, um. Thanks. So. Bad news," she said. "Historical artifacts that aren't out on display are in their archives. And they wouldn't say if they had a book or not. We need someone to let us in. I think I have enough credentials to get us a guest pass to the campus, but they're pretty protective of the archives."

"So we break in," Undyne said.

"Or we could try to convince someone to let us in. Instead of. You know. Breaking things," Papyrus suggested as he took off his gloves and opened a tube of concealer in June's colour.

"Who do I need to seduce?" Mettaton joked, holding still as Papyrus began to smear makeup on his face.

"We could steal a pass card. Pay a history student to borrow one," Sans said. His brow furrowed. "Actually, I know the systems okay. If we can get any pass, I can probably fudge some records."

"OOH! And I have top of the line computerized program thingies installed in here," Mettaton said proudly, tapping on his chest. "Just plug me in and that'll be fabulously simple. What do you think?"

"What, he can use you to hack into their stuff?" Undyne asked, brows raised.

"Well, of course! I may not be a big old clunky science computer but Alphie definitely installed all kinds of neat things in me. If you can hook me into the human UnderNet, that'll be easy, right?" He grinned. "Plus, think of all the human movies I'll be able to download while we're there!"

"That's, uhh…" Sans grinned sideways. "Actually. Not that bad of a plan."

"Hah! Bet you're glad I came along now, hmm?" he teased.

"I'm glad regardless," Papyrus said.

"Aaah, I know you are, darling, you're the nicest one," he said.

"So." Sans shot June a curious look. "You know anyone who went to U.A.?"

June thought for a moment. "Oh! Actually! A really good friend of mine," she said. "He doesn't live too far from here." She called her friend, but he didn't pick up.

They were on their way again. It really wasn't very far at all before they entered an unremarkable area of closely-packed bungalows. They stopped on the road in front of one and June ran up the unkempt yard past a tree and up the porch to a door. She knocked and waited. She pulled out her phone and called again and waited a few moments longer. Dejected, she came back, shaking her head.

"No good," she said. "He's not answering."

"Welp. Guess we're thieves," Sans said.

"Want me to bust into his house?" Undyne asked.

"No, no no no, that's not necessary," June said swiftly.

"I am good at picking locks!" Papyrus said. He smiled sheepishly when he received several bemused looks. "I had a lock puzzle when I was just a little Papyrus! I got very good at it!"

"It'd get undone, to be fair," Sans told the human.

"No, he's… No," she said. "It's fine, we'll figure something else out."

\- - -

The CORE was rumbling. It was like the maelstrom of magic spiralling inside it somehow knew something was amiss. The pillar of energy reaching up through the mountain had more red in it than usual. Certainly dangerous to the average monster. To Gaster, it was nothing more than a little extra heat. He quite liked the thrum in the lower chamber in a nostalgic sort of way, despite everything. The magic in a spectrum of colour liked to coalesce in the holes in his palms. It reminded him of his daughter.

Alphys had barred him from the lab and from his DT reader. Insisted he take a break. That completely defeated the purpose of his son's sacrifice of time. And, it wasn't as if she could stop him from here unless she stood at the doorway banging pots together to the point of distraction. He'd had to sneak his computer out while she wasn't looking.

The NOCTURNE was affixed inside the control console, an intensely red loop of a key that was plunged right into the magic that made up the CORE's interior. Gaster drew out a red thread from it and looped it into a capsule attached to his computer. From there, he started priming it ahead of time to receive the new composition.

The skeleton got up from the fold-out chair he'd dragged along with him and stretched. His magic shimmered black with flecks of gold and blue in the air around him. He took a deep breath, letting a little extra energy flow between his bones. He flexed his magic, conjuring hundreds of black, twisted spears in the air around him— sharpening them, dulling them; letting them shatter back into sparkling shards. He stretched out magical duplicates of his hands until they loomed around the room before breaking them as well. He didn't feel too bad, all things considering.

Nerves struck him but, with a glow at his fingertips, he cut the universe in a small, star shaped gap. He wondered if, bolstered by this power, he might be able to see more than nothing. However, the second he dipped a finger in, he collapsed and black goo fell from his mouth and eyes.

He coughed and hacked, rattling, but forced himself back up onto his knees and wiped his face on his arm despite the sludge disappearing into nothingness on its own. Still a failure. He grabbed his recorder and turned it on.

"V-Void searching ph…" He coughed again, spluttering pitch, vanishing tar onto his hand. "Bloody hell. Void searching physically is a failure. Do not attempt. And don't forget not to attempt, please." He pinched the rip closed and rubbed his hands over his face. He grabbed a marker from his pocket and wrote the word _VOID_ with a line through it on the back of his left hand.

He sat down on the stone and tried to catch his breath. He'd hoped it would be easier from here. No such luck. He rubbed his brow. With his daughter here, though it had hurt, it had been simple. His attunement to the empty, timeless space meant next to nothing out there without her.

He sluggishly went back to his computer. Strange, small warnings had been pinging him all day. Little energy shifts that were too fleeting to catch, and he wasn't sure he had time to begin with. He went back to work, though a headache was pressing in.

His composition was nearly done. A tracking spell that would be powered by pure determination. He hated how much of this was trial and error. Shifting notes, energy values, magic types. He felt like he was close.

The door at the other end of the chamber creaked; Gaster jumped upright worriedly. Toriel stood there, shielding her eyes from the orange light.

"Toriel?! What are you doing here?!" he called.

"Alphys said you were down here," she said. "Can I…? God, how can you stand this heat?!"

He reached out around her and called up his HAARM-blocker. "How on earth did Alphys know?"

The translucent magic encapsulated her in a protective shell and she let out a sigh of relief. "Her cameras, I assume," she said, crossing the stone walkway to him. "Thank you, but are you alright? You don't look good." She looked around and up at the pillar of magic at the CORE's centre. "Phew. It's been a while."

"What do you need?" he asked worriedly. "You don't feel odd in here, do you? The determination level is high but—"

"No, I'm perfectly fine," she said. "Please, don't let me interrupt. I wanted to check on you, mostly. And I have some… odd news."

He cautiously went back to his computer and his program, summoning his extra hands to keep working as he kept attention mostly on her. "Nothing too worrying, is it?"

"I was walking down the main street; I believe I saw something change before my eyes," she said as she sat down on the rock with him. She grabbed his arm and held his hand, her magic glowing in a light, healing flow. "Just something simple. The sign in front of town. The wording altered slightly." Nonetheless, she shuddered. "I know it's… nothing, really, but I felt sick looking at it."

"Don't downplay it. You've seen the world shift." His face flushed slightly. "I'm sorry this is quite selfish, but I'm glad you remember _something_. This is… a lonely job."

"It must be. And missing your children." She winced. "Our children, I suppose." She cracked a small smile. "How was that working out?"

He laughed tiredly. "It's new for me, but I thought it was going quite well, to be honest."

Toriel nodded. She put a hand on his brow, tilted her head thoughtfully, and then pulled away, satisfied. She took a grey notebook out of her pocket and flipped to one of the pages near the back where she'd already made some notes. It looked like a timeline. She'd also jotted down what she'd said about that sign, as well as about Undyne's eye, and a few other little shifts.

"I'm just trying to keep everything straight," she said.

"That's a good idea," he said.

"Lots to do, hm? By the way. Do phones not work in here?"

"They don't, but also I don't have one."

"Oh." She laughed. She watched his phantom hands working away at the computer for a moment. "Always the multitasker, hm?"

"Well, it's definitely helpful." He perked up. "I think I have it."

He stood up and stretched. He brought his computer back and held it in the air, leaning forward to look at the notes. "You may want to head out. I'm not sure if I can sustain the shield and cast at once, in the state I'm in."

"It's just a minor discomfort," she said, getting to her feet. She peered at the notes as well. "Ooh. A little complicated, hm?"

"It's to compensate for working through determination rather than normal magic." He took a step down the path to get a little space. "Alright."

He took a deep breath and let his magic swell around him. He hummed the notes and his soul bristled and let out a discordant burst. He grimaced and tried to force it to follow the melody, but it faltered and scratched the air, notes too sharp to match. The tension hurt his ribs and he had to stop, clutching a hand over his soul spot.

"_Chuaigh cos,_" he said, his voice cracking. "Banjaxed." He tried again.

The magic swirled, sparks in the air jerking up and down, assembling in a waveform that was spiky and incorrect. It stopped and he faltered where he stood.

Toriel grabbed him and helped hold him steady. "No good, hm?"

"I… My soul, it's…" He grimaced. "I… didn't think it was that bad."

"Let me do it," she said.

His eyes glimmered. "Are you sure?"

She raised her brows at him. He nodded hurriedly.

"Thank you. It may be unpleasant."

"Oh, Gaster, as if I care," she teased. She gestured for him to back up and give her space and he did, leaving his computer in the air with her.

As Toriel took a moment to read the notes, another phantom hand hovered over her shoulder to observe. She nodded to herself and raised her paws, calling up melodic purple in each palm. Her soul sang and the energy buffeted her ears like a breeze. It seeped into the stone and through the hot air, and ribbons of glowing, undulating magic circled in an arc around her. Gaster clasped his hands together tightly, and the notes swelled. Sparks of red and pink flickered in Toriel's fur and along the spiralling magic and, the ground underneath her began to surge with crisp lines, forming an elaborate circle marked with the delta rune, a disk of the sun and moon, incomprehensible runes of a monster language long lost, and the notes of the song itself, weaving together seamlessly with Toriel's own resonance.

Gaster's eyes glowed and welled up with tears, steaming his glasses. He found himself beaming. His extra hands flittered around like birds, giving him a good view of every inch of it.

Toriel let out a long, calm breath in a stream of pink flame. It shifted to a vibrant red, and that determination seeped through every inch of colour she had projected, from her paws down to the circle of magic beneath her. She joined the magic in her hands together and held it lightly. What was left in the air burst into glittering dust and everything settled, leaving a humming, shining orb in her palm.

"I think that's it." Her voice was a little strained, but she wasn't out of breath. "Now where?"

Gaster rushed to the panel where the red NOCTURNE shone, and he beckoned to her. As she joined him, he pointed out the key and took her hand to guide her to it. She fitted it into the hole. It shimmered, and then absorbed into the red. Both of them leaned in, waiting silently; listening intently. It let out a soft pulse and its resonance shifted to accept the new one.

The skeleton deflated with a long, loud sigh, and then threw his arms around her as he burst out laughing. She chuckled and held him close, patting his head gently.

"You did it," she said.

"Thank you! Thank you…" He slumped and tried to get ahold of himself; pulling off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "Did you see, you cast a full circle?"

"Did I?" she asked. "God, I haven't seen one of those in…? A very, very long time." She sat back and smiled. "Your composition was very good."

"Well I'm sure there's more efficient ways to—"

"Gaster. Shush," she said. She rolled her fingers over her thumbs as her magic sparkled gently through her fur. "Phew. Fully custom, right?"

"It was," he said.

"You told me, it was your mother who taught you, right?" she asked.

He nodded. "The basics. I lost her before I could learn much; I was very young." He sat back, leaning on his hands. "I'm mostly self-taught, which is why this takes me so bloody long, even after all this time."

"And yet, refined enough that it allowed for a proper circle." She shot him a smile. "So that spell, it's… a tracker, right?"

He nodded. "Once we can enter the hums of the kids, the NOCTURNE should be able to show us where they are," he said. "Thank you so much. I…" He sighed. "I'm still too weak."

"Your soul is off-key," she said sympathetically. "It's not as if there's nothing we can do, though."

"I just don't know that I have time," he said.

"Then, leave your spells to me," she said. She clicked her tongue. "And now, if you're finished, I could do without sitting on these rocks. They're still quite hot. And you could do with a rest."

\- - -

They decided— or rather, Toriel insisted— that they should take a proper break this time. Grillby's was the obvious choice.

Snowdin was unusually bustling. The King was there, down main street near the Gyftmas tree. Toriel ducked back into the house, claiming she wanted to change, but Gaster knew better.

As she went up to her room, Gaster slowly paced the ground floor. The place was oddly silent. Stagnant. Wafting with an air of incongruence. The couch was laid out with a bunch of items that weren't usually there. Children's text books. An old striped shirt in green and yellow. Games, and books. A treasure chest filled with child-sized clothes, many of the shirts scribbled on in Papyrus's writing for some purpose. _SKELETON 3. COOL KID. #1 PASTA ASSISTANT. CAPTAIN CHAOS._

Toriel came back in a purple sweater with white hems, brushing the fur on her ears as she walked down the stairs. "I was searching for clues," she said. "Those things… They're clearly used, aren't they? But they hardly have any scent on them at all." She traded her brush for one of the handheld game consoles and switched it on; there were save files registered in it. "I've never once seen Sans or Papyrus using this and yet…"

Gaster gently took it from her and entered the save file to see if he could parse any hints from it. The game file was called _fartmaster_. That wasn't helpful in the least.

"Are there more of them?" he asked.

"I checked through every one I could find," she said. "Two names that come up a few times are _Disaster Blaster_ and _Captain Chaos, _but other than that…"

"That's on one of the shirts as well," he said.

Toriel nodded and her brow furrowed heavily. She snorted to herself and folded her arms. "I can't believe this," she grumbled in a low voice. Her fangs were showing.

"Hm?" Gaster closed the game and put it back down. "What's wrong?"

"I am the mother to two children I can't even remember." Her expression was twisting into one of disappointment and anger. Fur around her neck bristled. "How pathetic. I can't even… I…"

"Tori, please," Gaster said quickly, holding onto her arm. "Please, don't blame yourself, this is my fault."

"The longer this goes, the more vacant I feel," she growled. "I hope we solve this soon." She took a deep breath and her face softened. "I told Sans I'd start looking into those monsters with the black souls for him. Take some weight off. What do you think, might that help?"

"If that's something you want to take on, I'm sure it won't hurt. I have a sort of hodgepodge tracking machine in the lab that you can use," he said.

"…Better than doing nothing but tell the poor boy how bad I feel for him." She froze, her eyes going wide. "What…?! Oh, for god's sake."

"What?!" Gaster asked.

She pointed behind him, and he followed her finger. The couch hadn't always been brown, had it? It made him viscerally uncomfortable to look at.

"O-Oh."

Toriel huffed, pulled out her notebook, and added another entry as she shook her head. Suddenly, she froze. Her purple eyes glazed. Gaster shot her a worried look and he gently slipped her book and pen away from her.

"Tori?" he asked.

She blinked, hard, and then shook her head again. "Damn it."

"Must be serious," he teased gently. "What happened?"

"Just feeling a little drained," she said. "I don't suppose…?" She sighed. "Come on, let's get this over with."

Outside, Toriel walked with purpose, outpacing Gaster easily, and was halfway to Grillby's by the time he'd even got down the steps. She was thwarted right outside the bar's door, however, when Kid, ran up to her with a big smile. He almost tripped in the snow and she bent to catch him. He laughed and hopped back, regaining his footing like nothing had happened.

"Thanks!" he said. "We've been missing you at school, Miss Toriel! I was just wondering if everything's okay?"

"Oh. Hello, Kid. Well, to be honest," she said with a tepid smile, "my son is a little sick. So I've had to take some personal time, I'm afraid."

"Oh?! Who?!" he asked worriedly.

"Sans," she said.

"Oh, that short skeleton, right? Man, I'm sorry," he said.

"Pff, Kid, talking like you don't know." A larger, young adult lizard monster strolled up with a sympathetic smile on her face. "I hope he feels better soon. Is it something your daughter can't turn back?"

Toriel froze. Her fur stood on end. "Pardon?" She shot a look back at Gaster, and nodded for him to hurry up and join her

"Oh! Sorry, was it a secret?" she asked, lowering her voice.

"Flora, what're you talkin' about?" Kid said teasingly.

"What are _you_ talking about?" she said with a laugh. "Your little human friend."

"Uhhh…" He stared at her blankly. "…Huh?"

"Stop teasing, you little dork," she said.

"I'm not!" Kid protested.

Gaster caught up and greeted them with a raised hand.

"Doctor Gaster! Was the, um, data helpful?" Flora asked.

"Very much so, thank you," he said.

Toriel held his shoulder to pause him. She put on a gentle smile.

"Flora, is it? Can we speak to you for a moment?" she asked.

"Hm?! Oh! Uh. Sure thing," she said. "Kid, why don't you go say hi to the King?"

"Hah! You don't have to shoo me away, sis, I'm not a total dummy," he said with a wink. He scampered off to where a group of other monsters had congregated around Asgore.

"Is there something wrong?" Flora asked.

"You remember… our daughter," Toriel said. "The human?"

"Yeeeah, why?" Flora asked.

Gaster's brows raised. "Oh! Of course…" he said under his breath.

"This'll sound awful, but do you recall her name?" Toriel asked.

The lizard stared at her blankly for a few seconds. She blushed. "Um… N-No. Sorry."

Toriel grimaced, but she nodded. "Thank you anyway, dear."

"Is there something going on?" Flora pushed. "…Kid's been acting weird. He was really worried about not hearing from his friends for a few days, and then suddenly stopped talking about it. He even had this red scarf he got from, um, Papyrus, I think? He would wear it all the time but suddenly it wasn't in the house and, when I mentioned it, he acted like he didn't know what I was talking about. Did they have a falling out or something?"

"Oh. Oh no. I mean, no, they didn't. It's just…" She didn't know how much to say. "I'll figure this out. Thank you, hun. We appreciate it."

Flora looked confused, but she nodded nonetheless. "Okay. Well. Either of you need me, give me a call." She smiled sideways. "Good luck with whatever's going on."

As the lizard left, Toriel turned to Gaster with a heavy, worried frown on her brow. She grabbed his arm. "I need you to tell me everything you know about the missing children."

"…Are you sure?" he asked, and he put his hands up when she shot him a skeptical glare. "It's just that…" He clenched his fingers together. "Some of the details will be very hard to hear. Which… is probably why Sans hasn't already told you the whole thing already. But if you're sure—"

"Very," she said.

She pushed her way into Grillby's but both monsters froze immediately as they saw the interior of the place was like a classy, metropolitan bar. Behind the counter, there was an elemental made of golden fire drying wine glasses. A neon sign on the wall behind her said _Flambé's. _Gaster and Toriel shared a wide-eyed look before doubling back out the door. Gaster rushed across the road to get a good look up at the sign. Just like inside. _Flambé's_.

"This is bad," he said.

"Yes it is." Toriel wrote in her notebook. "Oh, Sans is going to be so disappointed." She looked up quickly. "Why on earth is it like this?"

Before Gaster could postulate, both of them were grabbed and pulled to face a grinning Asgore.

"Howdy, you two!" he said brightly. Up close, his fur seemed a bit brighter than usual. "My, you look like you've just received quite a start! How are you?"

"Very busy," Toriel said curtly.

"Oh. With what?" he asked earnestly.

"The world might be falling apart, if you haven't noticed," she said.

"Is it that bad?" he asked worriedly.

She pointed up at the sign on the bar. He looked up and frowned curiously.

"Oh, that's interesting, when did this get here?" he wondered.

"I hope Grillby is alright," Gaster said quietly.

"Things are changing before our eyes, Asgore," Toriel said. "It didn't just arrive. Not to mention everything else…"

"The children?" he asked gently.

She dipped her head. Gaster folded his arms and his soul wavered audibly before he could do a thing to subvert it. Asgore's expression was overcome with sympathy and he grabbed the skeleton into his big, warm arms.

"I can't even imagine. Would you like to come get some sun with us?" Asgore asked. "Would that help?"

"I'm afraid we have a lot to work on, still," Gaster said apologetically.

"As I said," Toriel said, albeit more gently. "We are busy, Asgore."

The big King didn't seem put off. He squished the skeleton, smiled, and patted Toriel's shoulder warmly as he pulled away. He beckoned to the other monsters and called for them to come along. It was like a little parade as the group left down the snowy road. Toriel sighed and rubbed her face.

"What now?" she asked.

Gaster shrugged. He tepidly gestured to the bar. "Try Flambé's?"

\- - -

Leaving the town of Gullport behind, the monsters and their human guide embarked on the long drive to Anthelion. It was the capital of the province they were in and had a large human population. It was also quite the tourist hub, apparently, mostly due to its unusual architecture style and that giant, ancient castle around the mountain it sat nestled against.

Sans took some time with the specialized phone attachment to check some maps of the place to make sure he was still familiar with it. Big city. Wasn't a hundred percent sure what to expect once they got there. He'd never been there in spring, and human towns actually changed somewhat frequently, at least compared to monster ones.

He also browsed some local forums. Found, to his surprise, a couple posts about the tears in time, caught in pictures, with people wondering what the hell they were, even though some people commented that they didn't see anything unusual in the photos at all. He saw a few pictures of humans sticking their hands through them, or writing about how they'd found one in a storage room in a grocery store, or in a parking lot, or underneath an overpass. A bunch of people, the ones who couldn't see, seemed to think it was all an elaborate hoax. Probably for the best, for now. He hadn't noticed any at all above ground on their first run, so they must've been more recent cuts Gaster had made.

About an hour into their travels, June got a call. She quickly shushed the chattering monsters in the back seat, nudged Sans to make sure he was awake, and answered through the screen on her dashboard.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey, what d'you need? You called, right?" A man's voice. Kind of gruff.

Sans sat up groggily. He could have sworn that was someone he'd heard before.

"Yes, um, where are you?" she asked.

"Arrow Valley, why?" The man sounded confused.

"Arrow Valley?! Why are you there?!" she asked.

"You in private?"

"Wh…? Um. Well, there's people in the car with me, but—"

"I'll call you back."

"Waaait, wait wait wait." June hurriedly pulled onto the shoulder of the road and stopped the car; a big truck rumbled past a little too close for comfort. "Boyd, wait, okay? What's going on?"

"Look, I'm tryin' to… find someone, okay?" he said. He sighed, frustrated. "I'm just trying to follow what that kid said she saw."

"Wh…What kid?" she said.

"You know, kid at the mountain? The psychic one or something? I told you, she gave me a lead on Ellie."

"Wait, what?!" Undyne barked. "You're _that_ guy?!"

"You remember the kid?!" Papyrus yelped.

"Who the hell is that?!" the man asked in alarm.

"We're looking for that kid! From the mountain!" Papyrus said loudly. "You remember her?!"

"…Well, yeah, of course. Hard to forget a kid that starts glowing and… June, who is that?"

"A friend," she assured him. "It's… a long story. But, wait, you found Ellie?!"

"Found my ex-mother-in-law," he said. "…I'm not sure if she's seen me. Oh, shit, I think she… Look, I gotta go, what was it you needed?"

"Oh, we were just hoping… you might, um. Be able to get us into U.A."

"What? Why? Never mind, I can't, not until I'm done here."

"Who's Ellie?" Papyrus asked under his breath.

"I think it's his kid," Sans said.

"Wait, you're looking for a kid, too?" Papyrus asked shrilly. "Do you need any help?!"

"Whoa, do we have time?!" Undyne asked.

"What could we do?" Mettaton wondered worriedly.

"Wh…? Help?" Boyd sounded perplexed. "Oh, shit, she's following me, I gotta g—"

"Boyd, breathe," June said. "Tell us everything."

"Tell me who these guys are first," he said.

June shot Sans a worried look, but the skeleton stuck his thumb up. She nodded. "They're… They're monsters from the mountain. Mostly the family of that, um, psychic kid. They're trying to find an old monster artifact in Anthelion and we need to get into the archive at U.A. to look for it."

"Oh." Much of the tension left the man's voice. "Ah. Sorry I didn't get to meet you guys much, I just, uh, wasn't in a good headspace." He let out a deep sigh. "…The kid from the mountain, she hinted pretty hard it was my mother-in-law who has my daughter. So I tracked her here. I… I gotta find her house, but I think she recognized my car or somethin'. Shit."

"Oh my god. Okay. Hang on one second." June muted the call and turned in her seat to look at the others. "This is really serious, his daughter's been missing for years."

"That's why he wanted to go to the mountain to begin with, right?" Sans said.

June's face flushed. She nodded.

"And he remembers a lot, sounds like," Undyne said.

"Yeah, that was almost unaltered," Sans mused. Guy had a red soul himself, maybe.

"But we're going to go help him, right?" Papyrus asked.

"We certainly should, I think," Mettaton said. "I've written enough crime thriller dramas that I have a plan. We can provide a decoy for him so he can go find the child!"

"Swap it around," Undyne said. "Lady recognizes him. _He_ can be the decoy and we can go find the kid."

"Oooh, that's even more interesting," Mettaton said.

"That… That actually might work, if we can find her house," June admitted. "…What do you guys think? A favour for a favour?"

Sans grimaced. "Might not be so easy," he said reluctantly. "It, uh, might not stick."

"But he's still suffering now," June said. "And… And if you want to go to U.A., he's our best shot without resorting to theft."

"He remembers a lot more than average," Undyne pointed out. "If things go back, it still might help. We can warn him. Or. I mean. We could help him again. It's not a big deal, right? Especially if humans'll know we're out when things go back to normal."

Papyrus clasped his hands together and looked at his brother with big eyes. After a moment more of thought, Sans smiled and shrugged.

"Oh, don't get me wrong. Not sayin' no," he said. "We're goin' if you're up for the drive. Just, uh, might need to warn him once we get there."

June's face broke into a wide grin. "Thank you, Sans." She went back to the call. "We're going to come give you a hand."

"…What? But you can't… Can you? Oh, hell, I dunno what's okay or not," Boyd said.

"She doesn't have custody, you do," June pointed out. "As long as Ellie goes with you, and we take this to the police afterwards, we have this, okay? We'll be there soon. Just keep tabs as best you can. You provide a distraction and we'll go to her house. Do you have the address?"

"Still working on it." He cursed low under his breath. "R-Right. Right. Meet you, uh… I'll text. Thank you."

The call disconnected and June pulled back onto the road, blowing out a sigh of relief. "Aaaand, now I missed a turn off. It's back to the south."

"So why he gotta go to the cops after?" Undyne asked. "He's just taking his own kid home."

"Things are… complicated," June said. "The police want to help, but it's… It's been a mess ever since Ellie went missing. They were supposed to have already checked if she was with these people."

"So, what, are they just garbage at their jobs?" she wondered.

"She might have been told to hide. I've seen things like this before." June flinched. "Who knows what those people told that poor girl."

"If she had a good dad, they would have had to lie to get her not to try to see him, is that what you mean?" Papyrus asked. "That's awful… I can't believe anyone would do that."

"I have trouble believing it sometimes, too, but I've seen people do worse than that to keep kids away from a good parent before." She smiled ruefully. "Some people are just… selfish."

"How long's it been?" Sans asked.

"Three years, I think?"

"…That's one of the worst things I've ever heard," Papyrus said. "Three whole years…" He shook his head and frowned with determination. "I'm sure we can help somehow!"

"Yes, I hope so," she said. "I really appreciate this."

"Don't sweat it," Undyne said.

"_Mon cheri_, since you have asked us, of course we'd agree," Mettaton said. "Now, how about we listen to some of my tracks on this leg of the drive, hm?" He stretched a leg up over Undyne and she shoved him off instantly.

June laughed. "Okay, okay," she said.

She set the music up to play and, as it started, shot Sans a look. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Sure. Why?" he said.

"Well, I mean, I know I'm not very familiar with skeleton faces, but you do look pretty tired."

"Heh. Sounds like you're familiar enough." He leaned back snugly in his seat. "S'okay."

"Thank you again."

He nodded. What chance was there he was going to turn down helping a missing kid get home? Even if it cost him a few decimal points. He added it to the list he sent into the void.


	34. I’m getting real sick of myself to be honest

Night shifted to morning without fanfare, and without Asriel as well. It hadn't been a bad time by any stretch of the imagination. The kids and the younger skeleton spent much of the evening doing puzzles and simple strategic board games, all ones that Frisk had never seen before but at least two of them vaguely resembling chess.

For Frisk, Papyrus was a comfortable constant. He was so much like her brother that she caught herself doing double-takes pretty frequently when she heard him talking over her shoulder. He was also just as huggy which, to be honest, she needed desperately.

Hanging out with Pidge was interesting: Frisk had never really spent time with another human in earnest before. The girl stuck her with an inescapable sense of uncanny familiarity, which she guessed was probably normal— or whatever one could really call normal in a situation like this. She liked her, though. There was something solid, steady, and oddly protective about her. Despite Frisk's nerves, it was nice to meet a human and not instantly fear for the safety of everyone around her.

Unlike the others, Sans kept more to himself, switching between napping periodically and vanishing inside the cabin. When he did check in, though, he was chilled out and kind in his tone. He brought them more chai.

Despite all that and the hours that passed, Frisk hadn't slept a wink. Pidge and Papyrus had made a valiant effort of staying up with her, but both had eventually succumbed to the warmth of their sleeping bags. Sans had tapped out a long while ago. The kid sat on her own in the cavern, staring at the Soul of the World, watching its colours shift softly. Above it, patterns of crystals glowed periodically in the rock like foreign constellations. She had no idea what to do with herself. Be patient, she thought, though it wasn't easy.

These people— these fully real, different versions of her own family; of her own role in the world— were more comforting than they might have realized. More than she had expected, too. Even so, each minute dragged by like an hour as she watched the magic glow, hoping for a monster to come hurtling out of it. She wasn't very good at waiting.

She got up on tired feet, rubbed her eyes, and edged closer to the Soul. She circled it carefully, peering up at those crystals, but she couldn't make heads nor tails of them. It felt like it was pulling on her. Sans had said not to touch it, though, so she kept her distance.

The grass was soft and welcoming when Frisk sat down again. She pulled out her phone and tried to ignore the shaking in her fingers. She snapped a photo of the Soul and then swiped back at her older stuff. The picture from the last world was so surreal. That hadn't even been that long ago. She hoped they were okay. That young Papyrus especially. It was kind of funny, now that she thought about it: she was still wearing the clothes the Sans back there had given her.

Against her better judgement, she went farther back, feeling a deep ache at the sight of her father, her mother; her family. She knew she'd tear up the second she saw Sans, yet she looked anyway. She wanted to grab him and heal him and shield him from this void mess. She put her phone away before the pain in her chest overwhelmed her.

The other phone in her pocket belonged to her father. She curiously checked through his stuff again. There was a book in there. Something to read, maybe? She took it out and a big, dark blue tome dropped out and onto her lap. When she flipped it open, though, it was mostly sheet music.

"Oh!" She remembered now: the magic book her dad had shown her. She sure hoped he didn't need it while she was gone.

"Complex stuff." Sans groggily dropped down to sit beside her, leaning over slightly to sneak a peek with heavy eyes. "Where'd ya get that?"

"It's my dad's," she said. "It's spells, right?"

"Mhm." He stretched. "So. You can do magic but don't know 'bout spells?"

"Nope. Just started doing magic a few months ago, too," she said. "I've never really seen much about spellbooks or anything, actually." She frowned and thought back into her brother's memories. "I think… I think most of that kind of stuff got lost in the war? Between humans and monsters and stuff. Sans has that, um, he'd heard of composers but he never met one, and he knows everybody, so…"

"He _has that_, what's that mean?" he asked.

"Oh! Um, sorry, I just have all his memories, I can kinda look back at them for stuff he knows, too, at least from the part where we, umm… shared souls and stuff. But, like, can't exactly steal skills or anything like that."

Sans's brows shot up. He leaned forward curiously, looking a lot more awake. "Oh yeah? You did a fuse? Like, last resort or—"

"Yeah, but on purpose; my idea," she said.

He laughed. "Sheesh, kid!" He reached over and gently tapped on the page with a claw. "So, can you read this?"

"Um, not well," she said. "I can't really play anything except a bit of piano."

"Keep that close, huh?" he said.

She nodded. Just in case, she swapped out a candy bar from her phone and stored the book in there as well. She offered it to Sans and, though he looked curious, he gladly took it and began to munch.

Frisk sat back and watched the skeleton for a few moments. Truthfully, she was glad he had some very different features from her brother, despite how surreal it was and how familiar he still seemed. Her heart started to hurt again. She folded her arms tight against her chest.

"Kid, why don't ya hit the hay?" he asked.

"Hit the what?"

"Go to bed," he said with a laugh.

"Oh! I, um…" She shrugged. "S'just hard, I guess."

"But you got those raccoon eyes," he said. "You had a big day."

"I just still don't even know if anyone's okay, though," she muttered.

"You're not gonna learn anything new by staying up," he said.

"But what if Asriel gets here?" she asked.

"Then he'll probably wake ya up." The skeleton put his big hand on her head and gently mussed up her hair. "You know you're safe here, right?"

"Y-Yeah," she said quietly.

Sans looked thoughtful. He tapped his teeth. "Wanna take a walk?"

Frisk nodded. The skeleton took her hand and helped her to her feet, but she swooned a little, head heavy. He _tsked _quietly and felt her forehead.

"Can almost feel your brain whirrin' away in there," he teased gently. He pulled a thick, black jacket with a fuzzy hood from nowhere and put it on, immediately making him look a whole lot bigger. He backed up a few steps from the Soul, snapped his fingers, and a portal appeared. "After you."

"Shouldn't we tell them we're leaving?" she asked.

"Nah. Both of us gone; they'll get where we went," he said.

Outside, in that big field he'd brought her to before, the heights of the sky were dark blue and smattered with stars, but somewhere on the horizon was warmed by a touch of orange, as if a fire were flickering below. Frisk didn't recognize any of the constellations— stars she'd used like a map for a long time probably didn't exist here at all.

Sans stretched. "Nice breeze, hm?"

"Yeah," she said quietly. She sighed. "Maybe we should go back."

"Yeesh, that was fast," Sans said. He nodded towards the field. "Come on, kid, it'll do ya good." He wandered on ahead lazily in his slightly lopsided gate.

Frisk hopped to catch up. "Sorry, it's just… I wanna be doing something, y'know?"

"You are," he said.

"I mean something to help," she said.

"Same answer."

She raised her eyebrow questioningly. He merely grinned in reply, but his smile faltered a bit when she drooped and shoved her hands into her pockets.

"Aw, kid, c'mon, helpin' yourself is important too."

"How is this helping myself, though?" she asked quietly. "I can't sleep, I can't find Az, I don't know how to get home or how long it's been there or if Sans is okay, and I—"

"Frisk." He said her name rather sternly, so much so that she stalled in her tracks. He knelt down and held her shoulders. "Listen. Deep breaths. Okay? You're alright. Would y'feel better if I gave ya somethin' to do?"

"It's not just take a nap, is it?" she asked.

"Oof. Clever little goober, ain't ya?" he said. "Alright. How about…" He grinned and his eye glittered. "Oh! Actually. I got it. Low stakes energy test, you into it?"

"Yes," she said. Anything to not just count the seconds as they crawled past.

He laughed, patted her on the head, took her by the hands, and backed up a couple steps. "Hang on tight."

The world shifted and they were standing on a book-laden table in the middle of a giant library, crammed shelves towering over them so high that Frisk couldn't see the tops in the low light. There were many long, rectangular tables laid out on the floor, each adorned with a small, glowing crystal. They were scattered with tomes and paper, and one had someone's dinner left behind.

Sans snickered and stepped down, and then grabbed the kid under the arms to put her on the ground.

"Welp. Missed by a bit," he said. "No worries. 'Nother little stroll." He started on his way and, again, Frisk hurried to keep up.

"Where is this?" she said.

"Ah, I should get ya a map," he said. "This is west side of the Inner Circle. Big honkin' library and school. Not too far from the palace, really."

"Okay," she said, as if it meant something to her.

Sans patted her on the back. "Look, I know you're one of these hold-it-all-in kinda kids, but if you're too tired for this, tell me, alright?"

Frisk raised her brows, but she nodded. Again, the skeleton chuckled at the look on her face.

"My sis told me a lot. Since she was kinda spyin'. She told ya that, right?"

"Yeah," Frisk said. "It's kinda weird but, I mean, it's not like I have anything worth hiding, anyway."

"I think she likes ya. T'be honest," he said, "I never heard her talk so good about a human before. She's, uh, not really a fan. Might be puttin' it lightly, actually."

"Guess she didn't have it easy either, huh?" Frisk asked worriedly.

Sans nodded. "How 'bout you?"

"Oh. Um. I guess I'm a little scared of them," she admitted. "Maybe they can't shoot stuff out their hands at you, but… I dunno, I found monsters a lot easier to be around. I think it's…" She frowned to herself. "I mean, it's really weird. Now, after everything, I met a few that were okay to me. But… I kinda think sometimes that it's only because I have people older than me around now."

"How'd ya figure?" the skeleton asked curiously.

"Well, it's just… With monsters, right? Even if you're a kid, someone's gonna listen to you and take you serious, y'know? Even when I was on my own, if I had a problem and I asked a monster for help, they would just… help. Sometimes even if we were just fighting like three seconds ago." She grimaced. "I was on my own around humans, too, but when you're a kid, it just feels like nobody takes you serious. They always think you're lying or you're being weird or joking or something."

"Or y'just want attention," he said.

"Yeah, duh, of course I wanted attention, I was a friggin' toddler," she grumbled.

"Sorry, kid," he said.

"No no, it's just…" She shook her head. "I'm trying. I dunno, maybe I won't care so much when I'm a grown-up or something." She looked up at the skeleton worriedly. "Did she see any of that stuff? I mean… surface stuff?"

"Mostly mountain stuff, far as I've heard," Sans said. "Told me a bunch about it. Your world sounds interestin'."

"Well, I like it," Frisk joked.

At the end of the long, immense library chamber was a huge set of double doors set into a high archway, framed on either side by similar statues of pointy-eared dogs holding a sun disk each in their front paws. Sans shoved his shoulder against the door and it opened onto a balcony overlooking a hallway decorated in fanciful tapestries, with huge, thin arched windows letting in that orange dawn glow from the outside and another set of large doors marking the way out. There was another statue of a dog there, much larger and dressed in a fanciful robe. This one looked like it was peacefully asleep. It held a crescent moon like a slice of watermelon, while a big, stone sun disk somehow floated above its head.

Frisk followed the skeleton down a set of high stairs, but when a door began to open across the hall, he shoved her behind him and froze. The monster that emerged wasn't the least bit threatening, though. She peeked out from behind him to see what had to be Alphys.

She was the most different of anyone Frisk had seen so far. She was taller, for one, having half a head on Sans, and she was longer as well, with a spiralled chameleon tail waving behind her. Her yellow scales had some faint bronze striping up her head spikes and on her arms. She had fangs like a snake rather than the buck teeth Frisk recognized, and a little horn on her nose. However, she was wearing a t-shirt that proclaimed a love for a cute cartoon cat creature sitting on a bed of sushi rice and seaweed, and she had little nerdy glasses perched on the bridge of her snout. She was holding a glowing crystal for light in one hand and blinking through dark, bleary eyes.

"Sans? That you?" Alphys asked.

"Who else?" he said. "Sorry, set off your crystal ball?"

"Oh, hah hah." She cracked a smile. "I w-was going to make some tea. Is that y-your sister with you?"

"Nope. Call her my, uh, cousin," he said with a wink. He looked over his shoulder at the kid. "What d'ya think, pal, introduce yourself?"

"O-Oh! Um, hi," Frisk said, stepping out from behind the skeleton. She raised her hand cautiously. "I'm Frisk. I'm visiting."

"Frisk?" Alphys tilted her head curiously. She smiled. "Awww, a little human! I'm Alphys. Oh! The, um, Archwizard! N-Nice to meet you."

"Y-Yeah, nice to meet you too," she squeaked.

"We're goin' to my trainin' room," Sans said.

"Oh! W-Would you like m-me to bring some tea?" she asked.

"Sure. And a couple extra cups," he said. "I got a feelin' there'll be a few more of us soon."

The lizard laughed. "Alright, alright. Go easy o-on her, okay?"

Sans thumped Frisk on the back gently and steered her towards another door on their left. Behind it were some unassuming stone steps that lead downwards. There was a final door at the bottom, but this one lead into a much brighter room, made of shiny purple stone. Crystals jutted out of different sections as if they were growing, and there were a couple of wide, squishy cushions on the floor.

"Welcome to, uh, this place, I guess," he said. He flopped on a pillow and beckoned for her to join him on another one.

She sat down, eyeing the walls curiously. "So, um, what do you need, exactly?"

"Hey, slow down." He stretched his arms high above his head and popped his back. He settled and rubbed one eye sleepily. "So. Basically. What we're gonna have to do is, uh, spend some time gettin' your magic all over this room."

"Okay," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"It's gonna help."

"How?"

He laughed. "Why y'wanna know _how_, you don't gotta do much more than that."

Frisk pouted. The skeleton's brow took on a sympathetic tilt.

"It's so I can find your home, kid," he said. "Need a record of your magic. This is the best way. It's actually real good that you can project it at all. Takes down a bunch of guesswork."

"I guess I… I just wanna know how it works. Why I can't…? Why's the Soul so dangerous?"

"Oof, you're really gonna make me explain all that?" he asked.

"I-If you don't mind?" she pressed.

Sans sighed. He leaned back on his bad hand. He looked pretty tired, but he raised one finger. "Soul sees a lot of time and space all at once, and that shoots into ya if y'touch it. Totally messes up people's heads. And sometimes bodies. Won't do any good to throw yourself at it." He raised a second finger. "Need to attune ya to it." A third one. "Gotta get a good grasp of your hum and that whole melody thing; how your magic feels and all that." Fourth one. "Then gotta use that to find where y'came from and send ya straight back home. Any lingerin' around this thing might be bad, so what I figure is if I can just shoot ya outta it, you'll be good."

"O-Oh. That sounds like a lot," Frisk said quietly.

The skeleton shrugged one shoulder. "Eh. Kinda. It's all pretty easy. 'Cept the, uh, findin' your place thing. I mean, not that it's hard. It's just time consumin'."

"What about Asriel?" she asked worriedly.

"What about 'im?"

"Do you need to do all the same stuff to him or—"

"He's strong like you, right? Doubt it. Just the attunement part. Then, uh, just hang onto each other real tight and you'll be fine. I think."

Frisk nodded, but her throat had gone dry and her stomach was roiling. It all seemed like so much. So much time, space, weighing heavy darkness onto her. She crossed her arms tightly as her eyes got hot.

Sans gave her a worried look. "What?"

"Nothing, I'm… I'm fine." She rolled her eyes at herself. Could she have managed to sound less convincing? She gritted her teeth and then let out a long sigh. "Sorry, I'm just… It's a lot."

"Can you be patient for me?" he asked.

"I'm gonna do my best," she said.

"Thatta girl. Okay." He sat up a little and held out his hand. "So, let's feel this red stuff."

Frisk nodded and conjured her magic into her palm to offer him. The bands on her wrists mimicked the colour. He carefully held her hand and the magic glittered along his bones for a moment. His left eye lit with blue and little flecks of red danced in the glow.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yup." His voice croaked a little. "Whew, that's, uh… strong stuff."

"Does it hurt?" she insisted.

"Nah." He closed his shining eye and kept his other half-lidded. He cupped his bad hand over hers and then, quietly, began to hum her song.

Frisk's heart skipped a beat. Her magic pulsed softly in her skin at every note. Sparkles of red and blue rose up around the skeleton's broad shoulders and, for a moment, he went quiet. His right eye opened wide and the faint light of his pupil stared at her blankly. Then, it began to shift back and forth as if he was reading some passage written in the air.

"Um. You sure you're okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Your eye's goin' nuts."

"Ah. That's normal. Just give me a…" He carefully released her hand and then nodded to himself. He grinned. He opened his other eye, the one shining with blue, and then knocked his head as if to shove his wandering eye back in the right direction. "Okay! Calibrated."

"Caliwhat?"

"Don't worry 'bout it, it's just to see your magic better."

Frisk looked confused. Sans sighed.

"You're really into explanations, huh?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Jeez." He put a hand to his head and laughed. "Okay. As y'probably noticed," he said as he gestured to his right side, "this whole side of me got caught on the pointy end of a boss monster. So. Can't exactly see outta this eye. Except for a little magic. Just gotta be able to recognize it." He grinned. "Also, it kinda zooms around when I'm analysin' stuff or readin' even if it can't actually see."

"Sorry," she said quietly.

"Nah, don't be," he said. "Alright, part two." He put a hand on his busted knee and forced himself to his feet. "Now, use it on me."

"What?!" she squeaked.

"Oh, c'mon, it's not so bad. Just give it a shot."

Frisk cautiously stood up. She eyed the skeleton worriedly, took a few steps back, and then beckoned him to come towards her. He did, slowly, and she put out her hand. Her red magic flared and stopped his leg mid-step, running it over in a loop that kept it in stasis.

"Oh, okay, that feels pretty weird," he said.

"Sorry," Frisk said; she let him go and he quickly re-situated himself.

He looked at his leg and touched it thoughtfully. "Precise," he said. "You're gentle with it. Had some practice?"

"Just a little," she said. "Had to use it in two fights like… today. Yesterday. I dunno."

"Huh. How'd that go?"

"Well, one guy broke his arm pushing against it, b-but I healed him right after," she said. "And then Undyne was—"

"Wait, you can heal with it?" he asked.

"Well. Yeah. I can turn things back in time," she said. "Like, y'know, before it was hurt and stuff."

"H-Hello? Am I interrupting?" The door pushed in slightly and Alphys poked her snout into the room, smiling sheepishly.

"Nah, not at all," Sans said.

The lizard crept in. She carried a tray with a teapot and quite a few cups on it. Sans raised his hand to greet her and Frisk cautiously did the same. He pointed back the way she came.

"Can I talk to you for just a sec?"

Alphys nodded. First, though, she laid out the tray, pouring a cup of tea and offering it to the kid. "Y-You're okay with monster food, right?"

"Oh! Um. Yeah." She took the cup gingerly. "Thank you."

The monsters left, closing the door behind them. Frisk grimaced. She smelled the tea: it reminded her of freshly cut grass.

She took the moment to catch her breath. She could hear the hushed rhythm of their words beyond the walls. Wandering the room, she looked at the crystals. Some of them seemed to be growing slightly. Others were shifting with a little red, which they hadn't been doing before. She cautiously rested her fingertips against one. It was warm on her skin.

Frisk sensed the door opening before she saw it. The monsters returned and Sans flopped down on the ground, letting out a tired sigh. Alphys snickered and joined him, tipping the teapot to fill a few more cups.

"I hope you don't m-mind me sitting in," she said, looking to Frisk. "It's b-been a few years since I've s-seen a new human here. Or. I m-mean. At least, one that wasn't here to c-cause trouble." She tilted her head to the side. "Also, um, I was told you have m-magic? C-Can I see?"

Frisk shot Sans a curious look; he gave her a thumbs up. She tried to ignore her thumping heart and she hurriedly took a seat and a swig of the hot tea. It tasted as much like lawn clippings as it smelled. She offered her hand, letting it shine red again.

"Yeah, um, just let me know if it stings or anything," Frisk said.

"Oh wow!" The lizard tentatively brushed her fingers through the energy and her eyes glazed. Her jaw dropped. "Wow. That's… Th-There's a lot of complicated f-feelings going on, isn't there?"

"Guess so," she said sheepishly.

"I h-heard you, um, had a battle with Undyne, is th-that right?" Alphys asked. "I h-hope she didn't go t-too hard on you."

"C-Couldda gone easier," Frisk said half-jokingly. She took another gulp of tea. It wasn't her favourite, but it was hot, and she felt like she needed it. "I'm, um… I'm used to it, I guess."

"Aw! B-But you're so small!"

Frisk shrugged. "People usually don't care."

Alphys's dark eyes went wide. She looked to Sans worriedly, but he seemed unbothered.

"Back to it?" he asked.

The kid nodded. Sans shuffled closer to Frisk and then laid his hand over his soul spot as it began to glow. She could already feel its energy chilling the air.

"What colour is this?" he asked.

Frisk frowned, bemused. "Uh. Blue? Light blue?"

Alphys looked excited and the skeleton grinned.

"You heard of attunements?"

"Yeah," she said. "My, uh… My big sister. She helped me with one."

"Oh?! Your sister? S-So, are there more of you? With m-magic, I mean," Alphys asked.

"My sister's a monster," Frisk said quickly. "My whole family are monsters. I don't really know any humans."

Though Alphys was visibly confused, Sans nodded thoughtfully.

"That's good news, actually," he said. "We're gonna do a small one now, okay with you?"

Frisk was exhausted, but she nodded. She raised her hand and let her magic glow. A bubble of red lifted out much more quickly and smoothly than she'd ever done before despite the quaking of her fingers. Alphys cooed in awe. Sans smiled and let his magic follow, blue shining from his palm.

"Hopefully our methods are similar," he said. "Just, uh, follow what I do, okay?"

She nodded. He scooted closer, sat cross-legged, held his hands with his index and middle fingers touching, the rest of them curled together to form the shape of a heart, and closed his eyes. Frisk copied him. Their magic floated in between the gaps in their fingers.

His energy was like a pulsing, cool breeze. She took a deep breath and tried to mimic him, like she remembered doing with Undyne. It was easy, at first, and they lost a while in that phase until his soul pressed close enough that she could hear his hum clearly. It was a song steeped in determination. Her eyes began to water and she gritted her teeth. She had a sudden, heart-achingly strong urge to hug the skeleton.

"…S… Sans?" She opened her eyes.

For some reason, he had faint tears running down his cheeks too. She reached out for his hands and had to stop herself. Her voice cracked as her heart broke.

"A-Are…? Are you okay?"

Before he could answer, the door swung inwards bombastically and Pidge and Papyrus barrelled in with overlapping, loud salutations to all inside. Sans opened his eyes, grinning at his siblings as he quickly wiped his face on his sleeve. Frisk was ripped from the magic and the hum in her ears. The deep, deafening pounding of her heart replaced it. As the two of them greeted Alphys as well, Frisk felt utterly alone. She folded her arms tight and curled up as her stomach twisted itself in knots.

A hand on her shoulder made her jerk around, only to find Pidge staring her in the face. Her blood ran cold and her heart thumped heavily in her chest, though she couldn't fathom why.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Pidge asked.

"N-Nothing, sorry," she said quickly.

"Sans, what'd you do to her?" she asked.

"What? Nothin'," he said. "We were just doin' attunement."

"But she looks so upset, though!"

"Hey, she was the one who—"

"I wanted to," Frisk said quickly. "I just… couldn't sit around doing nothing."

"What?! Don't tell me you still haven't slept!?" Papyrus demanded, sneaking in close.

Frisk's face flushed. Pidge groaned.

"Friiiisk, c'mon! You gotta sleep!"

Alphys leaned forward with a worried frown on her face. "H-Hey, human, what can we do for you? Anything?"

"I'm okay," she said, even as her voice cracked.

"You don't look okay, though," Pidge said.

"Oh, you guys, come on now," Papyrus said quickly. He settled in with the kid and plucked her up, lifting her into his lap. "Look at her, did nobody think to give her a hug?!"

As the others looked at each other awkwardly, Papyrus tutted and squished the kid into his arms.

"Don't you worry, human, I have you," he told her gently. "What do you need? Can you tell me?"

Frisk faltered. His soul hummed against hers and the sound wrapped it up warmly. She tried to get a word out, but her throat was too tight. Her voice broke, then she did and hid her face in her hands. She didn't know why it hurt so bad, but she was heartsick and felt a million miles away from everything. Papyrus cooed and lifted her up to cradle her against his chest. He glowed his soul warmly and that did nothing but set her bawling into his shirt.

"O-Oh no, what happened?" Alphys asked quietly.

"…She wants to go home." Sans's eyes dropped to the ground and he sighed. "Better get to work." He started to stand, but his sister grabbed his sleeve and shot him a look that told him to wait. "What?"

"I think she needs you," she whispered.

"Me?" he asked blankly.

She pushed closer to him. "You're… The other you, he's the one she's most worried about."

"Which is why I should stay as far away as I can without bein' a jerk," he said under his breath.

The girl shook her head insistently, and Sans frowned.

Alphys's eyes began watering in sympathy. She hurriedly refilled Frisk's cup and snuck in close to her and Papyrus.

"H-Hey… Hey. Human. It's okay. It's o-okay." She brushed Frisk's hair from her face and cooed at her gently. "Take deep breaths, a-alright? You're g-going to be just fine."

"I-I'm s-s-sorry," Frisk choked. "This i-i-is so a-awkward, I'm s-sorry."

"Nooo, no no no, it's fine! Really," Papyrus assured her. "Take deep breaths with me, okay?" He made an act of drawing in very deep breaths and puffing them out a few times.

The kid couldn't help but rasp out a laugh. She tried, but her throat still hitched. Papyrus let her settle onto his knee and Alphys held out her drink for her to take. Sniffling, she did, and she took as big a swig of the hot tea as she could. For all its grassiness, it did clear the sinuses.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"Stop, it's okay," Pidge said. "You're really that off, huh?"

"I… I shouldn't be, it h-hasn't even been that long," she grumbled.

"H-Hey, it's okay. It's pretty n-normal to be homesick on trips," Alphys said gently. "I-Is this your first big one away from y-your parents?"

"I, uh… I guess so," she said. She had to wipe her eyes again.

"Truth is," Sans said, "she had to leave home to find a cure for her sick brother. And now it's kinda an ordeal to get her back there."

"Aww, yeah, that's… That's not great," Alphys said. "Y-You guys tell m-me if there's anything I can do to help, huh?"

"We definitely will," Papyrus said. He held Frisk's face in his hands and gently wiped under her eyes. "Let's think, what can we do for you?"

"Y-You guys are already doing enough," the kid said quickly. "It's just me, I-I'm just a mess."

"Frisk, just let us help," Pidge said, rolling her eyes. "You're so stubborn, you know that? Just tell us what you need."

Frisk blushed shamefully. She clenched her hands into her sleeves. She didn't know how to answer. Pidge nudged Sans gently in the ribs. He winced. He got up slowly and then grabbed Alphys's hands to pull her up with him.

"Come with me a minute," he said.

"Oh, um, sure," she said.

Pidge glared daggers at him and he shrugged, though his cheekbones flushed blue as he left. She rolled her eyes again. She got close to Frisk and grabbed her hand.

"Sorry about him, he's just—"

"Why a-are you sorry?" she asked.

"Hasn't he been giving you a hard time?"

Frisk shrugged and shook her head. Pidge frowned, her eyes darting between her and the door. She raised her brows at Papyrus. He sighed and gently put Frisk back on a pillow.

"I'll be right back, too," he said as he left.

Pidge settled in beside the kid and inspected the red bands glowing on her wrist. "I'm serious. If there's anything you need…"

"Why does Sans's soul sound like that?" she asked worriedly.

The girl's eyes went wide. "Sound like… what?" Her tone was heavily cautious.

"I dunno, maybe… Maybe it's normal here? In my world, his hum never sounds all the way like that unless he went through something awful," she said. "And he…" She put her hand over her own soul spot. "He felt… cold, I guess. Is he okay?"

"Oh…! You hear those, too. Of course." Pidge nodded thoughtfully. "He's… okay. Yeah. He just…" She sighed. "You should probably ask him about it."

"Guess it'll just have to stay a mystery," Frisk joked.

Pidge chuckled. "You're not wrong." She sighed. "We all went through some stuff breaking the curse. His stuff was just a bit… rougher, I guess."

"Never met a guy named Sans who could catch a break," Frisk said quietly.

"He saved a lot of people," the girl said.

"I believe it."

Pidge got up and went to the door. She leaned her ear against it and then pulled back, pouting. "Wanna just go? This sucks."

"B-But I thought I needed to do this to go home," Frisk said.

"Yeah, but…" The girl huffed, frustrated. She went to the wall where some of the jutting crystals shimmered. She grabbed a few of the ones that were humming with red and clutched them close. "Okay. Hit me."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Wouldn't have said it if I wasn't." She braced herself. "I gotta channel it right. Hurry up."

Frisk had never used this kind of magic on a human before. She took a deep breath and brought the red glow to her hands. She focussed on those crystals as much as she could, letting the magic freeze them in time. They started to shimmer and vibrate, letting out a strange, ethereal resonance. Pidge winced. She closed her eyes and her own soul shone red as well. She began to shake, and she held her breath. The crystals washed over completely with Frisk's colour and Pidge huffed.

"Okay," she said.

Frisk dropped the magic instantly and the other girl rubbed a hand across her face. She took a moment to catch her breath, but then quickly crossed the room, pushing Frisk lightly back into the wall. She hovered her fingers over the kid's soul spot.

"Hang on." Her voice was low and steady.

"Are you okay?" Frisk asked.

"Shhh. Just let me…" Her fingers bent like a claw and she dragged out the light; with an extra pull, the white pinpricks shimmered across it. She leaned her ear in closer. Her eyes went wide and stared a million miles away. "…Is that…?"

"H-How'd you get it to do that?" Frisk asked. She put her hand over her soul but the white vanished. "…Aw."

"Ah! I'm sorry," Pidge said quickly, pulling back. "It's… weird. Like they're there but also not."

"Yeah…" She shrugged sheepishly. "We, um, were still trying to figure it out. Could…? Could you feel them?"

Though there was a troubled frown on the girl's brow, she nodded. "I… thought I could hear… Never mind." She picked up a cup of tea and chugged it. "Let's get outta here."

Taking Frisk by the hand, the freckled girl guided her out and up the stairs. The two skeletons and the lizard were up in the hallway above, in a huddle, talking in hushed tones. Frisk sighed. She'd made everything weird, hadn't she? She brushed her hand over her eyes.

Pidge darted over to Sans and presented him with the red crystals. He looked surprised as he took them.

"You channeled on your own?" he asked. "Didn't hurt?"

"Course it hurt, but we need to do it," she said.

He sighed and patted her on the head. "Thanks."

"Nyeeeh, be careful, okay?!" Papyrus said, hugging the girl tight.

"I know, I know, don't worry," she said.

"We're gettin' there." Sans looked up and caught Frisk's eye. He beckoned her over to join them.

She hesitantly came close and the skeleton put his hand on her shoulder.

"Doin' okay?" he asked. "Sorry, seems my soul made ya a little _blue_."

Though Pidge and Papyrus winced, Frisk cracked a smile.

"It's just, y'know I do gotta _indi-go_ home," she said.

Collective groans were drowned out by Sans chortling loudly. He mussed up the kid's hair.

"I guess the s-sense of humour had to run in the family _somewhere_," Alphys teased.

"Huh?!" Pidge bleated.

"W-Well, she's your cousin, right?" The lizard winked.

"O-Oh! Yeah! Of course," she said, grabbing Frisk's hand.

Frisk had a flash— something behind her. She turned and stepped back as the doors burst open with a swirl of green magic, like wind given shape. A skeleton in silver armour stood there, eyes blazing in the low light. Papyrus quickly grabbed Frisk up and Sans stepped in front of them both.

"Cool it," he said. "S'just us."

"Hey, Mist," Pidge said.

Mistral wilted. "Oh." She came inside and politely closed the doors behind her, rubbing the back of her skull. She stuck a hand up to greet them. "You really need to get all this under control, Sans. You're lucky it was me."

"Yeah yeah." He rolled his eyes.

"These things just let you find me wherever, huh?" Frisk asked, holding out her arms so the bands were clear.

"Of course," Mistral asserted. "That's what they're for, human."

"Don't w-worry, they just lit up with her magic, we were a-all here," Alphys said with a smile.

"Right. Yes. I see"

"Nyeh! Why wouldn't you believe _me_, then?!" Papyrus asked.

"You're sweet and soft-hearted, and too forgiving," Mistral said as she folded her arms.

"Wh…?! No I'm not!" he said, clutching Frisk closer protectively.

"Eh, kinda are," Pidge said quietly.

"Sshhhh shhh shush, sister, you're supposed to be on my side," he said at a too-loud whisper.

Sans chuckled. "You didn't come all the way here just for this, did ya?"

"No, in fact, I was looking for the Queen," Mistral said. "She was here the last dozen times I couldn't find her."

Alphys blushed. "Sh-She left a little while ago to do a patrol."

"Without telling me. Again. Of course." Mistral rolled her eyes. "Well. You wouldn't happen to know where?"

The lizard tepidly shrugged. Mistral sighed. She turned on her heel and marched away.

"I'm off, then. Keep out of trouble," she said.

Frisk saluted. Pidge hid her face behind her hands and snorted laughing as the skeleton left. Alphys shook her head, smiling fondly. She turned on the others and gestured down the hall.

"It's a-about breakfast time, would you like to j-join me?"

"Yes," Pidge said right away.

"But…?" Frisk wanted to ask more about attunement, but the eyes of the others on her forced the words back down her throat.

Sans looked at her knowingly. He smiled. "Wanna just try to finish up our first round?"

She nodded quickly. "I… I'll try not to cry too much this time," she said.

He laughed. "Great. Same."

\- - -

Attunement went smoother the second time. Their souls still reacted strangely, echoing and repeating emotions. It made them both a little misty-eyed, but Frisk staved off most of the heavy crying this time. Even so, Sans seemed to have gotten what he needed. As they finished up, somehow, she actually felt a lot better.

When she and Sans joined the others in a cozy little kitchen with pillowy floor seating and a low table (a lot like the cabin Frisk had awoken in to begin with), the big, fluffy pancakes Alphys had made were cold, but they were still good, especially with butter and marmalade. The anxious energy inside Frisk was starting to fade. If she remembered right, finishing the attunement would probably knock her out for a little bit, soon. Hopefully not too long, but she couldn't help but acknowledge that she needed the rest. In the meanwhile, though, she took some photos of the pancakes and snapped a quick one of the room, too. Maybe that could be something to pass the time. She was sure some of the others back home would love to see how this place looked, despite how weirdly existential it might be.

Pidge leaned in over her shoulder. "What's…? Oh! Is that one of those phone things? Can I see?"

"Sure," Frisk said, handing it off.

The girl grinned and shuffled in close. She peered at the screen intently and cautiously touched it. The photo scrolled to the next on the roll, and she squealed with surprising shrillness. "Oh, look at this! Aaah, we don't have these here! Oh, my gosh, can this do videos?!"

"Yeah," Frisk said.

"Ah, I love that! We used to have to use these big clunky camcorder things," she said. "And then you had to extract the crystal and fit it into a cassette deck, and the whole thing was a huge pain, to be honest." She grinned. "Did you know, monsters had those like hundreds of years before humans even thought to try it?!"

"Wh…? Um. N-No, I had no clue," Frisk said.

"She's a litttttle bit obsessed," Papyrus teased. "I still have yet to see one of these mysterious camcorders."

"Wh…?! Um!" Pidge gulped and she smiled sideways. "M-Maybe in the Inner Circle! Anyway, get me a box and a lens and some record crystals and I bet I can make one! But forget that junk!" She turned her excited gaze sharply on Frisk. "Do you have any cartoons?!"

"Cartoons?" Frisk repeated.

"Yeah, can you store any cartoons?" Her eyes seemed to sparkle. "Ooh, I love cartoons, they're just starting to make them here."

Frisk couldn't help the confusion on her face. "But they had them where you came from?"

"Y… Um. Well, yeah, I mean… They, um, had some different stuff, I guess." She smiled bashfully. "I feel like I missed a lot."

"Same," Frisk admitted. "I, um, kinda only started having a house like a year ago and I mostly just watch what my brothers do or I watch anime, um…" Her eyes darted to Alphys for a moment. "With some friends." She caught a look of pity on Pidge's face. "But, um! No, I mostly just have music on there. You can look at whatever, though."

"Can I look, too?" Papyrus asked, sliding over and leaning around the kids.

"As long as you don't mind maybe seeing… Papyrus," Frisk said.

"Actually, I'd love to!"

"Don't freak out, though." Sans was half-asleep, but he still looked thoroughly amused.

"Bah! I won't!"

As he settled in with her, Frisk started to feel the drowsiness weighing her lids down. Sans was already out and snoring. Alphys was stealing his jacket from him and replacing it with a blanket. She rubbed her eyes and she blinked, drifting away for longer and longer each time.

Then, mist was all around her. The thrum of magic and the clunking of machinery. The CORE. She was upright, heart already pounding as she tried to figure out what was going. The glow of green eyes dyed the fog and she stepped backwards worriedly. A skeleton emerged; her father's form with an aura of hatred, arm extended with threatening magic spiking around him. Her heart broke. Now this guy lived in her dreams, too.

He began to say something but his left arm grabbed to his right and forced it downwards as if it was possessed. He staggered and collapsed onto his knees, retching out black sludge.

"Wha…?" Frisk's eyes went wide. She fought her instinct to run— this wasn't the proper memory.

Suddenly, that glow wasn't the same. It was blue and gold. Her mind tripped over itself. It couldn't be…

He lunged for her and pulled her into a tight, warm hug. She squeaked with surprise and her heart ached. Was this just because she missed him so much? It twisted that cruel skeleton into the Gaster she knew?

He said something, but it was like a mumble just out of her hearing range. His soul made a noise she recognized and, to her shock, she felt it brush against hers just for an instant. Through the words she couldn't understand, she heard two that she could:

"I'm searching." He gave her a squeeze.

Frisk's heart dropped. That sounded like him; his accent, his cadence. She grabbed him tight, her eyes watering. "D… Dad?"

Then, she was holding air. She grimaced and sat back on the floor as the fog blanketed her, quickly rubbing her eyes on the back of her hand. Could it have really been him? Or was that just wishful thinking? But, _searching_, that wasn't something that she really associated with him. Why would her mind have him say that? What if those were his actual words? His actual soul? She put a hand to her chest.

The ground gave way and Frisk floated off, the mist pressing in white, then grey, and then giving way to darkness. She didn't want to leave; she wanted to figure this out. But, she couldn't fight it. She shut off.

When Frisk woke up, she immediately hurled black goo all over the floor, much to the chagrin of the other little human and the skeleton that held her. Her brain vaguely acknowledged their shrieking and some sort of questioning tone, but she was too busy trying to figure out where exactly she was or why her head hurt so badly.

She sat back, eyeing over a living room that looked like the one she was used to, but slightly different. Oh, right, she thought. Different world. That was still real. She put a hand against her head and took a deep breath. She was yanked from her thoughts and from the floor as well by skeleton hands.

"Nyeeeh, what happened?!" Papyrus barked.

"Ugh, I thought sleep was supposed to help!" Pidge whined.

"Sorry. Sorry, I'm okay," Frisk said.

"What was that?!" the girl demanded. She hopped onto the couch as Papyrus put Frisk down, and she grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her over. "Huh, I expected there to be slime all over you."

She shook her head. "It goes away super fast. It's weird time goo." She put a hand to her head and sighed. She shot Papyrus a curious look. "You guys don't have a Gaster, do you?"

"Who?" The skeleton asked.

"No, no Gaster," Pidge said swiftly. "…Why?"

"Oh, it's just… he's one of the best with all this time stuff, I just thought maybe…" Frisk shook her head. "Nah, never mind." Maybe it was for the best. She wasn't sure if she could handle meeting another one in any capacity now, if she were honest with herself. "Th-That's fine. Guess I shouldn't really expect to see him if he keeps getting knocked outta time and space, actually."

"He did what?!" Pidge exclaimed.

"Wait, who?" Papyrus insisted again.

"My dad. He's in the pictures," she said. "Dunno if you saw a skeleton with a cracked face? But—"

"Oh yes! I remember," Papyrus said.

"Wait, that's…?" Again, Pidge looked aghast, though she tried to hide it. Her face was unusually pale. She clamped her mouth shut and rested her face in her sleeve. "O-Oh, interesting!"

Frisk tilted her head. "…Do you know him?" she asked hesitantly.

"Nope! No! Just, um, saw a little through the dreams and stuff, that's all," she said quickly. "I didn't realize it was… That he was your dad."

"Yeah, it was new to me, too," Frisk joked, even though her heart hurt.

"I thought you said you knew eeeeverything about her, little sister," Papyrus teased.

"Ssshhuuush, shuddup," Pidge said, waving him off quickly. "I-I was exaggerating!"

Papyrus cackled and mussed up her hair. He shot Frisk a smile. "It was interesting seeing faces that were familiar but also different. Especially the other Papyrus! And that tiny Papyrus! They weren't the same Papyrus, though, were they?"

"No, the really young one, that was…" A sharp pain stung Frisk in the temple. She drew in a sharp breath. "Eck… He was, um, from another timeline."

"Are you okay?" Pidge asked.

"I, uh…" Chunks of light in shifting colours smattered across the room before her eyes. She blinked hard. "I'm having weird, um, time visions?"

"What?!" The girl squawked.

"What are you seeing?" Papyrus asked.

"Just… bits of different time, it happened before but…" She shook her head quickly.

A hard thunk from upstairs drew all of their eyes. Sans's door flung open and the skeleton, in just a sleeveless tee and dog-and-bone patterned pyjama pants, stumbled out of the room. He looked dazed.

"Brother?" Papyrus asked.

Sans vanished and reappeared in front of Frisk. He held out a blinking crystal. "Somethin's goin' on."

It took her a moment to understand, but the second she did, she jumped to her feet. "Can we go?"

Sans nodded. He looked to the others.

"W-We'll… We'll catch up." Pidge was holding very tightly to Papyrus's arm. "Don't want to throw you off course."

Sans nodded, grabbed Frisk, and they were back out in the field near the Soul of the World in an instant. By the time they got into the mountain chamber, half of the kid's vision was made up of chunks of something off of reality. The glowing centre of the Soul was flickering, but otherwise, everything was silent. Something was wrong, though. Frisk could sense it in the melody in the air.

Sans went for the chair he'd put near the light. The crystal he'd left behind flickered in tandem with the one that he held. Both synched with the wavering Soul. Asriel was nowhere to be seen.

"That ain't normal," Sans said under his breath. "Kid, you okay?"

"I'm seeing things," she said. "I-It's fine, whatever. Do you know what's going on?"

"Uh…" He stuck his hands against the magic light and the radiant energy flitted between his bones and up his arms. "Something, uhh… Oh. Maybe it's somethin' tryin' to get in?"

"Is it Asriel?" she asked shrilly.

"I can't, uhh…" He huffed. "Whew. I can't do anything out there."

"I can, isn't there something I could—?"

"Don't touch it," he said quickly. "We aren't dunkin' you into an existential time hell on my watch, kiddo."

Jerking back, the skeleton shook out his hands. A strange symbol was glowing on the back of his left one. Frisk grabbed it to look: it was a like a thin crescent moon under his knuckles, curved overtop of a circle in the middle of his hand.

"Is it okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Fine," he said. "Normal." He rubbed his skull. "Damn." He began to pace as the colours running through the white of the Soul began to shift towards blue. He shook his head, but he stopped in front of Frisk. "You can see into this stuff, yeah? Touch it and stuff?"

"Yeah," she said.

"Got a plan."

"Okay."

"Need you," he said.

"Okay," she repeated.

He frowned slightly. "Might hurt."

"I said okay," she said.

"Might leave a scar somewhere."

"That's fine!" she insisted. "If it's to help— if it'll help Az— I'll do whatever!"

Sans nodded. He grabbed her hand and held her tight, his claws pricking into her skin. The multi-coloured magic in his bones slithered down his fingers and stung her gently. It scrambled her vision even more and she blinked hard.

"Alright?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Can you sync up with me? I need to, uh, borrow a bit of your stuff."

Frisk was getting dizzy. She cupped a hand over her soul and let it glow red. His mirrored her, and the shift to purple was almost instant. He drew in a sharp breath— hadn't expected it— but his shoulders went slack. He let go of her hand but pulled her close with his other arm and held onto her.

"Just, uh… I'm not sure what'll happen," he said.

She nodded. He steadied himself, closed his eyes, and touched the Soul.

The world around them shimmered and Frisk's scrambled vision went black. She squeaked but realized swiftly that she was looking at the void. Her gaze shot around on its own and she realized she wasn't looking herself, but that it was Sans who she was seeing through.

"_Well would you look at that."_ His awed voice came in through her mind. "_But where's…?_"

A shock of white in the corner of his eye— he turned to face it. A clawed paw reaching out; blazing pale green eyes shining in the dark. His soul was beaming red.

"_A-Az!"_ Frisk squeaked.

Sans reached his hand out, magic from the Soul coursing over it like a skin.

"Frisk?!" Asriel barked. His voice sounded like it was coming through water. He grasped Sans's hand tight. "Almost there, I—!"

He was hit, hard, yanking him from Sans's grip. Some other form, light and pitch black, shot past them, and then a beam of light in a vibrant spectrum with a thrum of deep, vibrating magic thudded into him.

"_Nooo, no no no, not again!" _Frisk yelled. "_Az!"_

"Go! I'll find you!" he shouted.

They couldn't see him. Sans began to shudder. Frisk pushed her soul closer to his to try to bolster him, but he couldn't withstand any more.

They both collapsed into the real world, heads spinning, staring up at the crystals glowing on the ceiling. Frisk rolled onto her side and coughed out sludge as her vision unscrambled and her heart pounding drowned out all sounds. She was yanked back suddenly and was looking into Pidge's face as the girl supported her in her arms. She was saying something.

"I… I can't…" Frisk's head was throbbing. She sat up as much as she could only to see Papyrus leaning down over Sans.

He had not gotten up.

Frisk pushed herself to her feet and wobbled over to him, dropping down to her knees in the grass. He was unconscious. Papyrus grabbed her shoulder.

"What happened?!" His shrillness and the buzz of his soul broke through her daze. "You two were stuck there for hours!"

The kid gulped hard. She gently moved away from him and she touched onto Sans's soul. He was hurt badly, somewhere, but she could feel it more than she could see it. It instantly brought back sickening memories of her brother's melting skull, from when a tear in time had burst through his bones. She took a deep breath, pulled her magic up into her hands, and gasped him tight, rewinding him as much as she could. His body seemed to shift before her and she sensed a moment where he didn't feel sick. She let him latch and released him, and he shot up instantly, eyes wide and glowing.

"Oh thank god," Papyrus wheezed.

Frisk let out a long sigh and she shook. Her vision blurred and Sans quickly grabbed her against his chest as she swooned.

"Kid?" he said.

"S'okay. Okay. I… I gotta…" She was so tired. She blinked hard and tried to sit up. "We gotta… Gotta go back, we g-gotta…"

"Relax. Relax," Sans said gently.

"But… Az is…"

Pidge grabbed her hand. "What's happening to her?!"

"She's exhausted." The short skeleton cradled her in his arms. "Chill out, kid. It's okay. Rest."

"B-But… Asriel, I…" She couldn't keep her eyes open. "I… I gotta find… another w-way, I…"

"You will. Just rest. I gotcha."

"I g-gotta… I gotta…" Gone.

The skeleton sighed softly and rocked her, humming quietly. Papyrus huffed and rubbed his head. Shellshocked, the other girl plopped down and stared, wide-eyed.

"You a-almost died," she squeaked.

"I'm fine," he whispered. "Don't worry. Knew I would be."

"Tell me next time!" she said sharply. She pouted and wiped her eyes. "S-Stupid."

He chuckled. "Just a bit quieter, huh?" His gaze was a million miles away. "…I saw him."

The girl grimaced. She nodded. "Was he okay?"

"He was fightin'," he said. "We'll find a way."

"Who is he fighting, though?" Papyrus asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure. It was too dark," Sans said. He stared at Frisk's flickering red soul until it relaxed and died down, and her breathing calmed. He smiled sideways. "We gotta get this kid a faintin' couch or somethin'."

"Ugh, Sans, don't tease, this is rough," the kid grumbled.

"Mhm. Definitely not for the faint of heart."

"You think you're a real comedian, huh?" she rebuked, though it was mostly in jest.

"You're literally holding that passed out kid in your arms and you're doing wordplay?" Papyrus said.

"I feel like she'd appreciate it." Sans grinned and shrugged a shoulder. His eyes flitted down— the claw marks he'd left on her hand shimmered with light, but they quickly faded. "…We'll see."


	35. time for a good old fashioned reverse-kidnapping

Arrow Valley was named not for any topographical features of the mountain it sat under, nor for the sharp bend of the river running alongside it, but instead for some ancient puzzle plates the founding humans discovered on a mysterious rock chamber, left by a monster long since vanished. The puzzle, solved for the first time after two hundred years, lead to a door, which lead to another door, which in turn opened into a cellar of pickles, much to the disappointment of literally everyone. Aside from that, the little town had just as little to boast of in their history.

There were two main areas: continuing along the highway would lead them straight through a sparse, quaint main street, while veering to north would take them through a grungier area of stores and fast food joints. Scattered houses were all over, but the main bulk of housing was in the south, and there was an underworked old mining factory in the west, all nestled in the shadow of that big mountain.

Sans could find nothing else of interest in his research, and the human internet-searching Bloodhound returned with only a shrug of her ears when asked for anything more than that and a map. Not many people would have a reason to go there, making it what must have seemed to be a suitable choice for some unscrupulous people to vanish to along with a child that wasn't theirs.

Such a long time in the car didn't bother Sans one bit— he could sleep upside down on jutting rocks and still be comfortable— but he could tell Undyne was getting antsier by the minute. Calling Mettaton a chatterbox was an understatement and she was squished in right beside him. He passed her the book from his bag and she gladly took it to distract herself.

The mountain was looming closer and the shapes of buildings were cropping up as well. Despite the road getting bumpier as they went, Papyrus had all but finished Mettaton's human-like makeup. A special cream normally used for hiding scars had given the faint illusion of texture underneath, and his chrome casing was now the same tone as June's normal human skin. Papyrus was very specific on the details, though, and after studying some photos from the human internet, had dusted on some small extra bits of variation to make him seem more realistic. And, following a special request, the deft-fingered skeleton also did a very serviceable job of painting on purple eyeshadow for him. There were still a few grooves that were slightly visible, but overall, as long as someone wasn't only an inch away from his face, he looked a lot like a human instead of a human-shaped metal robot. Luckily, they only had to cover his head and part of his neck. They had used more makeup at once than June had used in a year.

Mettaton gleefully admired himself in a mirror that was shaped like his old, box-like form and grinned. "Stunning!" he said brightly. "What do you think, Junebug, do I look good?!"

"I'll let you know when we stop," she said.

"Is that soon?" Undyne asked swiftly.

June checked her map. "Mhm."

The big monster blew out a sigh of relief and slumped, burying herself in her outdated encyclopedic tome once more.

After a while, they pulled off the main road at a bright yellow chip wagon that was closed down for the season and parked off to the side on a bunch of chunky gravel. June got out of the car and, after a cursory look around, she beckoned to the others. Undyne put on her helmet instantly and hopped out, stretching her arms in the air.

"Aaaaaah, wow, I don't think I like cars," she said.

"Sorry," June said, hiding a laugh. "Maybe if you found something bigger. Or. Without a roof."

"I would like a car with no roof," Papyrus said brightly, covering his face. "Is this where your friend is?"

"He'll be here soon. Hopefully." The woman went to the back of the car and Mettaton popped out with a big, flashy smile. She froze, blinked, and then looked him up and down. "Oh wow." She looked at Papyrus. "You did this?"

"Yes," he said.

"With… no fingerpads?" she asked, grabbing Mettaton by the shoulders and leaning close to look at him.

"Yes!" Papyrus said proudly. "I think it looks pretty good!"

"It does!" She grabbed a tissue from her pocket and blotted a little bit of extra, damp foundation from around the robot's hairline. "Your eyes are pretty bright, but you look sort of like you're doing a cyberpunk aesthetic that the kids like, so I think that'd be okay."

"Oooh ho ho ho, I'd fit in with the modern kids?!" Mettaton looked absolutely elated. "Hear that, you ruffians? I'm about to to pass completely incognito!"

"Maybe just keep your voice down a little," June suggested.

"You sound like you're talkin' through a tin can," Sans teased.

"Oh, shush, I do not," he said dismissively. He perked up and looked around curiously, cupping a hand against the side of his head. "Do you hear that?"

The monsters went quiet. Footsteps on gravel. There was a pale, bald man in a weathered blue windbreaker trudging towards them up the shoulder of the road, coming from the direction of town. His brow was furrowed, his eyes were sunken and grey, and his beard was scruffy. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. The sky was forming heavy, dim clouds behind him around the mountain, as if carrying his mood with them. June perked up.

"That's him," she said.

Papyrus instantly bounded towards him, sticking up a hand to wave. "Hello, human! We've been waiting for you! Come join us!"

"Paps, you can't just greet every human as _human,_" Undyne said.

"What?! Oh! Sorry! I mean, I guess maybe humans don't say hello to each other by acknowledging their human-ness. Do they?" Papyrus asked bashfully. "Sorry! But! Hello!"

The man, Boyd, looked at the skeleton with wide eyes and he cracked a tired, bemused smile. "Uh. Nah. Not really." He noticed June and picked up the pace. "Thanks for comin'."

She greeted him with a quick, warm hug. "It's good to see you. Thing've been… crazy."

"Sounds like it. Uh…" He looked Undyne up and down. "Sheesh, you guys aren't takin' any risks, are ya?"

"Could you tell I was a skeleton right away?" Papyrus asked.

"Wait, you're a _what_?"

"Success!" He grinned, though it wouldn't be known behind his oni skeleton mask. "I am the great Papyrus, by the way! In case we haven't met."

Boyd rubbed his face with his hands. "Okay. So. Uh. Just get into it then?"

"Might as well, darling, we're all ears," Mettaton said.

The man froze for a second. His gaze bounced between all four monsters but it was clear he still wasn't sure what he was looking at. "You're a…?" He shook his head. "Okay. Uh. She was tailing me. I left the car back in the parking lot of a BigBear's."

"So she's onto you. She know you're onto her?" Sans asked.

"Uh. No, I don't think so," he said.

"So, we figure, you act as bait, we find your kid," he said.

"No, I should be there, I should—"

"Boyd, if she thinks you know, there's nothing stopping her from grabbing Ellie and driving right out of town with her," June said. "She's clearly already suspicious. These guys… No people in the world will recognize them."

"And Sans is real good with kids," Undyne said, jerking her thumb at the short skeleton.

"It's because he's short and non-threatening," Papyrus said, nodding.

"Did we meet?" the man asked, puzzled.

"We were at the King's place," Sans said, pointing between himself and the fish monster, "when you came to talk to my kid sister. The, uh, psychic kid."

"So it's the psychic kid that's missin'?!" His eyes went wide and he put his hands up. "I swear, we didn't—"

"We know," Undyne said.

"Do you have any idea where to start looking for Ellie?" June asked.

"Suburbs. Apartments. I'm not sure." Boyd's brows furrowed and he clenched his teeth. "I just… I don't know, the only reason I found my mother-in-law here was 'cause her old neighbour was a blabbermouth when I asked about it."

"Guess she's goin' by a pseudonym if she didn't wanna be found." Sans rubbed his chin. He handed the man his phone. "Put in any names you can think of. Relatives, pets, whatever she might hide under."

"Uh. Right. Okay." He raised his brows. "You guys don't mess around, huh? I mean, uh, don't get me wrong. 'Preciate it."

"What d'ya think, Cap, got any other ideas?" Sans asked. "You've run an investigation or two, right?"

She folded her arms and tilted her head. "Well. Usually we do a canvas of an area. Go door to door. We can't exactly do that since we can't show our faces." She looked at June. "Maybe you could, though. You, uh, had a pic of the kid, right?"

"Not anymore."

"I got some print-outs," Boyd said, digging into his pockets.

"So. Use the, uh, human version of UnderNet or whatever to see if we can narrow down neighbourhoods. Then we start knocking on doors."

"But we don't want to scare them off," June said quickly. "If the grandmother isn't alone— and she might not be, her aunt—"

"Wait a second," Papyrus interjected. "This is all still bizarre to me. Why did this even happen?"

"My wife, uh…" Boyd's pale face flushed ruddy. "She, uh… didn't have a good relationship with her family. We didn't talk to them at all. They'd hardly even met Ellie. I made the mistake of letting them know when my wife had… y'know, passed? All this time, I thought Ellie'd run away and something awful'd happened to her, but that psychic kid, she thought she saw my mother-in-law in a place she never shouldda been in my memories." He shrugged weakly and handed a folded paper over to June. "That neighbour I mentioned said she caught sight of a young kid once or twice. So. I think we gotta be on the right track. Right?"

Mettaton tutted softly. Papyrus raised his hands to his face. He nodded quickly.

"Y-Yes, I sure hope so." His voice cracked. "Okay! OKAY!" He puffed himself back up and put his hand on the human's shoulder. "Not to worry, human! We've got this covered! And we will definitely find your daughter! Promise!"

"Also, don't forget I'm a supercomputer, darlings!" Mettaton said with a wink. "And I have a couple extra nifty tricks up my sleeves."

"Just gotta warn you," Sans said, looking to the man. "This whole thing… There's… time magic goin' whacky, alright? Not to say this doesn't matter, but whatever we do, it's gonna get reversed soon."

"Wait, wh…?! What?! You can't be serious," Boyd said. He looked at June, hoping for reassurance, but she nodded stiffly.

"Time already changed for me," she said. "You don't seem to be affected too much, and I'm happy for that, but… There's definitely something going on."

"This isn't possible," he muttered. "What does that even mean?!"

"Whatever it means, we're definitely going to help you," Papyrus assured him. "Even if we have to help you several times!"

"Just, uh, if you wake up and it's a few days back, don't panic," Sans said.

Though the man's face said he didn't understand, June held his shoulder and nodded at him.

"It's going to be okay."

Sans raised his brows. "So we divide our time. Someone goin' with this guy?"

"Moi!" Mettaton announced as he grabbed onto Boyd's arm with a grin. "I look enough like a human, yes? Nobody'll give me a second look!"

"People'll definitely give you a second look," Undyne said.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment!" he said. "What about Papyrus: darling, will you come with us?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind," he said. "I can also heal humans, I think, so wherever you think I should go, I will go!"

"Then you go wherever my daughter might be," Boyd said quickly.

"Yes, okay, that makes the most sense," Papyrus said. "Mettaton, you'll be okay, right? You can call us? "

"Absolutely! Alright!" Mettaton grinned and he pulled on the man's arm. "We'll get started!"

"Wait, uh—!" Boyd looked baffled, especially as the robot gleefully began to lead him back the way he'd come.

"It's okay," June assured him. "Don't worry!"

"Don't you dare do anything stupid," Undyne said.

"Me?! Perish the thought!" Mettaton assured her. "You fiends focus on finding the child!"

Undyne folded her arms apprehensively. "Shit. Okay. So, start with searching the names?"

Sans pulled out his phone. "Yup."

"We could do two things at once, couldn't we?!" Papyrus asked. "There's a place many people live, right? Or a place where a small human child might go? A… school or a puzzle zone or something? Maybe we can search there at the same time."

June ran her fingers through her hair. "God, I hope this works." She headed back for her car. "Ah, I should have offered them a ride!"

"Chance of bein' spotted and bein' associated, though," Sans said.

"Ugh, you're right." She beckoned to the monsters. "Come on, we should get to work." She hurried into the front seat. "And we should find somewhere else to park before someone calls the police."

As Sans started scouring the internet and local directories for anything potentially useful, Mettaton gleefully trotted down the gravelly shoulder of the road, eyes up and skimming everything with interest. The sky was growing gloomier, and the brightest thing for miles looked to be his bright pink boots.

"Jeez, you sure walk fast in heels," the human man grunted.

"Oh ho! Yes, I do, I'm built for them, after all. Literally," Mettaton said, flashing a grin.

"I don't, uh… So, wait, what are you?" Boyd asked.

"A robot, darling! Can't you tell?"

"Not… really. Uh. There's somethin' in the face that's not quite…"

"What?! My face?!" he yelped. "What is it?! Is it the nose? The cheeks?! It better not be the eyelashes, my dear, because I'm quite fond of those!"

"I, uh, can't quite place it," Boyd admitted. "Look, it's fine, I mean… You look human enough."

"I am also built for that," he said with a wink. "Personal preference. Not anything nefarious, I assure you."

"Right." Boyd sighed. "You don't have to hold my arm, y'know."

"I know! But! I'm here to protect you!" Mettaton said.

"Protect… me?" He laughed tiredly. "Don't worry about that."

A grumble of distant thunder drew their attention. Boyd finally detached himself from the monster and rummaged in his coat pocket. He pulled out a small cylinder that was half plastic and half fabric.

"Here," he said, handing it over.

"What is it?" Mettaton asked.

Boyd pointed upwards. "Looks like it's gonna rain."

The robot blinked. "Rain? As in _Singing in the Rain_, rain?"

"…Wh…? Oh, right, you're from a mountain, uh… Yeah, guess so?" he said. "That's insanely old, mate, how'd you even…?" He shook his head and pointed to the object. "It's an umbrella."

"Oh! I definitely know about those!" Mettaton said. He pressed a button on the side and the top popped up into a small, black umbrella. He put it over his shoulder. "Thank you!"

Boyd nodded. "So, uh… Don't suppose you know more about what's going on than I do, huh?"

"Maybe only a little. Most of what they were saying was nonsense to me," he said. "But! I have known them— especially the short one— for a long time. So I trust what they're doing is serious. And if there are tiny kids involved who need help, wellll, most of us are sort of saps for that. Plus, it makes for a great story, doesn't it? I think I could get at least two hour-long specials' worth of content out of this."

"This is a lot," Boyd said, rubbing the back of his bald head. "God, I hope she's… here. And not with her aunt or someone else."

"You said you got this info from a psychic child?" Mettaton winced at the sound of rain hitting the umbrella, and he scooted a little closer to the human to share it.

"The kid in the mountain," he said. "She could… look into my memories, I guess. Saw some stuff I didn't even realize I saw."

"Oh? And why did you come to our mountain, exactly?"

"I, uh… Used to be military. Work in security now. Small town stuff mostly. June— we been friends for a long time— got me a placement with her agency when she got made Ambassador, because she saw this kid there who kinda looked like Ellie in the pictures. Wasn't her at all, but… The kid really did me a solid, even though I accidentally scared the hell outta her," he said.

"Uh-huuhhh…" Mettaton nodded, pretending to understand. As more rain began to fall, he hoped his legs wouldn't short circuit on him or, worse, that his boots wouldn't get caked with grime. "Well! I wouldn't worry too much."

As they turned off the main road to a slightly smaller side one, Mettaton delved internally and called Sans with his built-in phone.

"Miss us already?" the skeleton joked as he picked up.

"Hah-hah, " Mettaton answered inside his casing, projecting his voice straight into the device. "I just thought I should keep the line open. You know. In case. Any luck?"

"Not yet. I'm tryin' variations of these names," he said. "We're, uh, just gonna head straight towards the burbs so we don't waste time. Gonna hang up."

"Nooo no no no, just keep me on with you in case!" Mettaton said.

"Gee, you nervous? You sound nervous."

He pouted outwardly. "I just think. It would be prudent. To at least have the option."

Papyrus said something in the background. Sans sighed.

"Alright. Puttin' it on mute, though, so you don't gotta hear us yammerin' unless it's important."

"Thank yooouuu!"

The road was getting slick with water, and cars passing by kicked up mucky splashes. The road they were on was sparse in terms of buildings, but far up ahead there was a large area clear of all vegetation and full-up with vehicles of all shapes and colours. Boyd lead the way there and to an old, beat-up looking grey four-seater with the symbol of a bird in a metal emblem on the back. The two didn't match at all. The whole, large yard of cars was in front of a massive store: a building with a completely rectangular, uninteresting profile, but half of it was painted green and it had a big, round, cute bear mascot on it as well.

As Boyd made to get into his car, though, Mettaton stood on his toes and looked around. There were a lot of humans. None paid them much mind, except a lady who checked out his boots and smiled approvingly to herself. He reflexively shot her a wink and she giggled as she went on to the building.

"Hey, get in here, will ya?" Boyd called.

Mettaton hurriedly complied, shaking off the umbrella and hopping into the passenger seat. "So, what is the plan? Also, give me your phone." He held out his hand expectantly.

Puzzled, Boyd handed it over and the robot instantly checked the connector port. As he scanned his internal item boxes for a cable to match, the human man clenched a hand onto the steering wheel and frowned.

"Well. Her car's parked a few rows back." He checked in the rearview mirror, though it was getting harder to see at distance through the pouring rain outside. "Rose gold Percheron."

"A what?"

"It's a car. Uh, and a horse. It's a car named after a horse."

"I seeee…" Mettaton found a cable that matched and brought it out into the world with a shimmer of sparkles, much to the wide-eyed bemusement of the human in the seat beside him. "So is she in there?"

"She followed me into the store, but I snuck out the back," he said. "Guessin' she's must still be there, yeah. I wasn't gone long."

The monster _hmmed_ thoughtfully. He plugged Boyd's phone into a port in the back of his neck and let his internal programs update their compatibility. He folded his arms and drummed his fingers. "So, we… buy time. While the others search? But we have to appear like we do not know she is following, is that right?"

"I guess so."

Mettaton nodded. He'd absorbed some of the basic data from Boyd's phone: its number, its recent maps; the signal it would use to call into it. For some reason, he found he already has the basis for that deep down in his computer core's programming, somewhere. That was odd, but he brushed it off. It was interesting, also, to see the maps. It seemed like the phones served as personal tracking devices, too. He unplugged and passed it back, but held out one finger to ask him to wait.

"Sans?" he asked internally. "Can you hear me?"

"No! It's me! Nyeh heh heh!" Papyrus said brightly. "Do you have a problem? Are you caught in this storm?! It's very loud!"

"Any luck where you are?" Papyrus asked.

"No. Our human friend found a school for tiny humans, though, and she's inside asking if anyone has seen the one we're looking for. Sans is asking some humans on the street but it looks like they're saying no. And he's getting very soggy."

"Hmm…" He turned to Boyd. "How big is this town, do you think? How many humans?"

"Uh. Dunno. Twenty thousand, maybe?"

"T-Twenty…?!" Mettaton's eyes went wide. "That's… In this one town?! Twenty… That's double the number of every monster on earth!"

Boyd shrugged awkwardly.

"Did you hear that, darling?" Mettaton asked Papyrus. "That's a lot of people to look through."

"I'm sure we'll figure something out!" he said.

"I wonder if…!" The robot blinked. "Oh! Hey! Do you think we could snatch her phone?" He tapped on his chest. "I saw your map data. Maybe we could find hers?"

"That's…" Boyd's eyes went wide. "That's not half-bad. Maybe…"

Lights flicked on behind them and Boyd's gaze shot to the mirror again. The car parked in the space at their rear was backing out. He let out a small sigh, but then froze up. There was a shape in the driver's side of the rose gold car.

"She's already there."

"Is she?!" Mettaton turned slightly to look. "Where?! Is she watching us?"

The windows of the car tinted up. Mettaton looked at their own worriedly.

"Can she see us? Junebug said she had special windows on hers."

"We're alright for now," Boyd said. He started the car and its map blinked on. "I guess, uh… we just give 'er the runaround, right? Should we call the other guys?"

"I have them in here." Mettaton tapped on his chest.

"H…? What?"

"I can possess parts of a phone. So I can speak directly through it. I can do it with many mechanical or computer things, actually," he said. His eyes got big and he pointed to the car's screen. "Wait a moment. WAIT. A. MOMENT!"

"What?!" Boyd asked.

"Do all cars have these?!" He jabbed a finger at the map.

"Yeah, but we can't exactly get in her car."

Mettaton grimaced. He clenched his hands nervously as they began to drive. As they headed from the parking lot, the rose gold car began to follow them.

"Oof, brazen, isn't she?" he said. "Why is this her plan, exactly?"

"I dunno. I dunno how she even noticed me, actually," he said. "I guess she wants to make sure I'm not on her tail."

"While sticking to ours. Ugh." Mettaton drummed his fingers. "Hm. Say. What if we could, actually, get in her car?"

"I don't follow," he said.

"Well. I mean…" He huffed and grumbled under his breath. He buckled himself into his seat tightly and took a completely unnecessary deep breath. He held out a hand to the man. "You have to promise me. PROMISE. That you will never mention what I'm about to do to anyone."

"What?" Boyd asked, eyes wide. "Mate, I'm driving!"

"Promise!"

The man awkwardly shook his hand. "Sure?!"

Mettaton closed his eyes and let his arms fall to his side. Though nausea rattled him, he retreated deep down into his metal shell and peeled his magic out of every inch of his body. He could no longer see through the eyes above but instead saw computer components and wires lit by a soft pink glow. He sighed and detached one of the old phone shells from in there and made sure it could still turn on. It was fine, so he stashed it inside his phantom form and phased out and into the car.

Boyd slammed on the brakes. Mettaton yelped and covered his eyes.

"Be careful!"

"You're a…?! Are you a ghost?!" the man demanded.

"Yes, now shush up about it!" He flipped his swoosh of ghostly hair. "A-And keep going! We can't look suspicious, darling!"

Boyd gritted his teeth and drove down the road. Rain symbols on the map blinked. Looked like they were heading into the main section of town, towards the mountain.

"So, what now?" he asked.

"You, keep driving. I will call you," Mettaton said. "Protect my body, will you? It's one of a kind."

He closed his eyes tightly and phased, invisible, through the car and out into the rain. Another one ran right through him and he shuddered in revulsion. He hurriedly glided out of the street to regain his bearings and saw the correct car coming up. He took another deep breath and dove into it.

He was inside a box, at the back of a screen and a bunch of human-made computer parts. The rumble of an engine shook him up and down. He reached into the phone and then also into the car's computer. The system felt a little weird, but it also explained itself to him easily. The map program sent data back and forth between pillars in the world and mysterious floating beacons floating in the sky. It tracked at they moved along roads like warped grids. He quickly called Boyd from within and waited anxiously for him to answer.

"Come on come on…" A click, and he perked up. "I'm in!"

"Who—?"

"It's Mettaton, you silly man!"

"…Who—?"

"The monster! I just left!"

"Oh! God, sorry, I… You're in her car?!"

"Yes, I ammm…" He sunk farther into the computer. "I'm trying to… read the map. Ummm…"

"Well, you guys are two cars behind me," he said. "I should just keep driving, right?"

"Yes, you do that."

It didn't feel good, exactly, forcing his ghostly form into the shape of something that wasn't _him_. He'd done it for long enough before Alphys came along that it wasn't new, though. As he slipped in behind the screen, he could suddenly see frontwards into the body of the car as well as into the computer.

There was a fashionable old lady gripping to the steering wheel with white knuckles, eyes focussed intently on the road ahead, her mouth thin and her sparse brows furrowed. Her purse on the other seat matched her outfit, and the interior fixtures of the vehicle were clean and well kept. Mettaton cautiously spread himself farther into the bulk of the car. He could feel the wheels spinning on the chilly, wet road, and he shuddered. The woman looked startled and she gripped tighter to the steering wheel. He could feel that a little, too.

"Okay, I am possessing the car thing," Mettaton said. "It's quite gauche, but I think it'll do the trick."

"She can't hear you, can she?" Boyd asked.

"No, doll, I'm also possessing the phone," he said teasingly. "Don't you worry your shiny head."

"My _what_—?"

"Shhhshhhshush." Mettaton tutted and kept one eye on the human lady while turning another aspect of his gaze inward to the screen. "Now let me seeeee…" He peeked around, looking at map and data all at once. It looked like he could indeed backtrack a bit, following along points the car had travelled, he perked right up.

The map was briskly whisked away from him, much to his surprise, by the swiping fingertip of the old lady.

"Hey!" he yelped reflexively. He dragged the map back, only for the frustrated human to swipe it to where she wanted it. Pouting, he dragged it again, but an annoying hit of a reset button set the screen to black and turned off the internal computer for a moment, scrambling the ghost's mind with an uncomfortable, blank sensation as if he'd been tossed into a cold, lightless pool. "Ugh! What a miserable experience! She's rebooted me."

"Are you okay?" Boyd asked.

"I am quite annoyed, actually!" He spread his reach into more of the car, and as the computer rebooted, he saw an address book pop up. "Oooh!" He opened it, but the human closed it again. Grumbling, the car shuddering, he opened it again.

Once more, the woman closed it. Mettaton was getting very annoyed. He checked the current location. They were headed towards the mountain, and rain was still pouring. He got a fiendish idea.

"Okay, darling, I'm going to do something a little risky. Come back for me later, okay?" he said.

"What?! I don't understand, what are you doing?"

Mettaton smiled to himself. He clung deep into the frame of the car and accessed its parking and censor cameras. He could feel the engines pumping and the cold water on the road. With a heave, he pushed the gas petal down and they shot forward at an alarming pace. The woman yelped and shoved her foot on the break, but Mettaton was having none of it.

The tires screeched as he sped them ahead, far outpacing the car they were supposed to be following.

"Was that you?!" Boyd demanded.

"Just stay out of the way!"

He gunned it towards the mountain, and despite the hands on the steering wheel trying to drag him one way or the other, he blew past cars until the road was wide open. Just had to ignore the shouting. He saw a deep, muddy ditch in a median, braked hard, and turned into it, smacking them to a halt with the headlights straight into the dirt on the opposite side of the mound. He could hear Boyd cursing in his ear and the woman inside the car shrieking. She wasn't hurt, but she was definitely rattled. Mettaton, however, was winded and a cold pain shuddered through his ghostly form. He grinned smugly nonetheless.

"J-Just a little bit of drama, not to worry," he said quietly.

He ignored the woman and poked his way through the address book, the one the map would use. He found the label "HOME" and he took a peek. Right there, clear as day, was the location he needed. He texted it to Sans and slowly pulled himself away from the computer and the metal frame of the crippled vehicle until he was, once again, a shimmery pink form. He yawned loudly.

"I think… I think I need a nap," he said quietly.

"But are you okay?!" Boyd asked.

"Absolutely fantastic. Just… might need a little beauty rest," he said, slumping back. "I got it, by the way. The…" He yawned again. "The address, I mean. You keep… keep driving. No suspicions raised. Meet me at this spot… when it's all clear."

It was fully too much exertion for one day, especially for being so out of practice. Boyd probably kept asking questions, but Mettaton closed his eyes, phased fully invisible, and fell asleep with a dainty snore.

\- - -

Just like that, the other group now had their target. They weren't far. June had to be reminded to drive slowly, even though the world was dark from rain and the roads were slick and flooding. Her anxious energy was palpable.

Everyone had heard that Mettaton was a ghost, though. It didn't mean anything to June, but Papyrus and Undyne were fairly flabbergasted. After an initial exclamation, they let it sit for the time being. The flashy robot's secrets weren't even at the top of the list of what was important right now.

Through the window, Sans watched the buildings slip by under a curtain of heavy rain. "Sheesh, it's really comin' down, huh?"

"Mhm." June was leaning forward a little extra, eyes fixed ahead as signals at the side of the windshield indicated where the edge of her lane were. Her grip on the steering wheel was like a vice. "There's already been more rainfall this year than there was in the last two. Feels a little like the world is going crazy, sometimes."

"That wasn't our stuff, was it?" Undyne asked.

"I… No, I don't think so," June said. "Unless my memories…? Um. No. No, I think it's normal. Well, not normal, but not this time magic's brand of weird. If that makes sense."

"Did this happen the first time?" Papyrus asked his brother curiously.

"Uh… Welp." Sans tapped his teeth thoughtfully. "Could be. Doubt we wouldda really noticed, though, seein' as it was all new to us. But, there were storms and stuff. Even the, uh, time the kid had to go for a big do-over, there was a crazy blizzard, now that I think about it." He straightened up and turned to Papyrus with his brows raised. "You remember the first time even without the kid?"

"I, um…! Hmm! Maybe? Like… We were all on the surface, right? But then we weren't because… Ummm… A… A g-giant… Nyeehh, what was it?"

"A flower," Undyne said.

"I don't think I've ever seen a giant flower out here," June said.

"Don't sweat it," Sans said. He watched the car's map curiously— almost there, just a few more blocks. "Storm might be good, actually."

The neighbourhood was made up of tall houses with peaked roofs and large yards keeping a polite distance between them. June was breathing a little faster. The red line on the map leading them got shorter and shorter until it vanished completely and the car announced in a pleasant, digital voice that they'd reached their destination.

The monsters smooshed up on the windows, peering through the rain. The house was masked by pristinely coiffed hedges, trapping the yard within.

"Keep drivin'," Sans said. "Around the block. So you can see if anyone's comin' back."

"A-Ah! Right. Right right right."

"Do not be scared, human," Papyrus said. "We have this covered!"

June nodded. Her cheeks were starting to flush. "Have you guys ever done anything like this before?"

"Nope," Sans said.

She circled the block and parked on the side of the road. Undyne shoved her helmet on and Papyrus covered his face, and both stepped out into the cold rain. With shaking fingers, June hurried to unbuckle herself, but Sans put a hand on her shoulder before she could get out of the car.

"You be lookout, alright?" he said.

"But you'll be… You're strangers to her, if she's there, and what if—"

"We can't get in trouble for this," he said. "Unrecognizable. No DNA." He smiled sideways. "And we're gonna wanna get outta here as fast as possible."

She froze up but, after a second, she nodded stiffly. "Good luck."

Sans pulled up his scarf over his mouth and nasal cavity before joining the other two. They hurried on their way, and reconvened in front of the right house.

"Cameras," Sans said, nodding towards some dark, glassy orbs along the porch.

"Not for long." Undyne walked up to the porch and stood on the steps. After a few seconds, a burst of blue pulsed from around her and the cameras audibly shorted. She turned and stuck her thumb up.

Excitedly, Papyrus bounded up to the door and he pulled some paperclips out of his pocket. Undyne stood behind him, blocking the view from the street as he bent down and jimmied the lock, humming as he went. It only took him a few seconds. There was a click and they opened the door to an entry hall with the lights dimmed inside. There was a numbered keypad there, too. However, it wasn't lit up. Sans stood on his toes and gave it a curious look. Then, he flicked the light switch. Nothing.

"Oh. No power," he said.

"Uh. Whoops. I do that?" She sounded pretty smug. "Come on, nerds. Uh, what's the kid's name again?"

"Ellie, I think!" Papyrus said.

"Right. HEY, ELLIE!" Undyne walked down the hall and peeked into the first doorway. "YO, ELLIE, YOU HERE?!"

Papyrus hopped into action, taking the other side of the hall. "Ellliiiieeee! Heelllooo, you don't know me, but my name is Papyrus and I'd like to find you to help you get hooooome!"

Sans snorted. As the others called, he listened. He didn't hear anything in reply. He peeked into the first door and found a kitchen. He checked under a table draped with a paisley cloth, and then peeked in the fridge. Nothing specifically screamed that a little kid lived here. There was no room to hide inside either, either.

Papyrus was peeking under the couch in a living room area. The place was fairly clean, no toys to be seen and nothing out of place. Sans looked out the window on the opposite wall. Lights next door were out, too, actually. Might not have been Undyne's doing at all.

"Any hints at all, brother?" Papyrus asked.

"Nah," he said. He winced at the sound of Undyne stomping up some stairs like she had weights on her feet.

"I just don't understand why she isn't answering." Papyrus put down the couch and rubbed the back of his head. "Do you think she's here?"

"If she is, she's probably kinda spooked," Sans said. "We're strangers, y'know?"

"But we're friendly and helpful strangers! …I guess she wouldn't know that, would she?" He headed out of the room. "Elllliieeee, are you heeere?! I know we are strangers but we are definitely friendly! So come out please!"

Sans sighed. He rubbed his brow. He was getting a headache again. He sat on the couch and folded his hands. If she was here, she was probably intentionally hiding at this point, unless she was behind a locked door. He grimaced. Hoped they were doing the right thing.

Undyne thumped down the stairs somewhere, and Papyrus went up. A door slammed open and Undyne's heavy steps clonked down below, presumably into a basement. Sans hoped that he wasn't about to start leaking from his eye sockets again. He massaged his temples.

He thought he'd only blinked for a moment, but one second he was alone, and the next Papyrus was in front of him.

"Don't tell me," he said sternly.

"Sorry, bro," Sans said.

Papyrus sighed. "Did you bring your snacks?"

"In the car."

He sighed again, more dramatically this time. He pulled some candies from his pocket and piled them into his brother's hands. "You better eat at least one."

Sans unwrapped one and pulled down his scarf to pop the candy into his mouth. He did feel a little better. He put the rest in his pocket. "Any luck?"

"Nnnnoo, unfortunately. Want to check upstairs with me again? Because that's where we're going."

Papyrus picked him up over his shoulder and carried him through the house to the upstairs. Again, the place was clean and well-kept. Fancy pictures of landscapes and flowers were on the beige walls. His brother put him down and took a few steps down the hall before freezing and scratching his head.

"Hm. I could have sworn this was open before." He opened the door to a sparse but messy bedroom.

Sans leaned around him and peeked inside. Though it wasn't very homey, the incongruousness of the tussled blankets and rumpled pillows, compared to the rest of the house, instantly set his mind whirring. He backed out of the room and, behind him, sensed the movement of a door. He grinned slightly and covered his face again.

"Hey, uh… Paps? You wanna gimme a second?" he said. "Think I got an idea. You mind takin' the Cap and just chillin' for a bit?"

Papyrus turned on him with his brows raised. "Wh…? Oh! Oh, I see! Okay, yes, I will definitely do that! And I will definitely… lower my voice a bit. To. You know. Not be too startling."

"Thanks, dude."

Papyrus nodded and stuck his thumbs up. He tiptoed away backwards.

Sans turned to the door he was sure moved. He walked inside to find another bedroom, more furnished and much less messy. It was dim, the only light a cool grey coming in through a window smattered with rain. There was a large, shuttered closet door on his left, though it wasn't closed quite enough, stuck open on the hem of a blanket. He spotted a small shape in there. His soul skipped a beat. He took a few steps forward, feigning ignorance. He lit his eye up and then turned away. A tiny gasp escaped the closet and the door pushed open slightly.

He checked from the corner of his eye just in time to see a tiny kid with blonde hair and dark roots vanishing deeper into the darkness, leaving the door pretty well open. He smiled to himself.

"Hey, uh. Kid? You okay?" he said. "Sorry to spook ya. Gonna come over there, alright?" He didn't hear an answer but he strolled up to the closet anyway, letting the blue flicker out. He tilted his head, hands in his pockets.

He could see the small kid in a too-large pink and white striped hoodie, huddled in the shadows. Looked like there were some strange markings on the walls in there. She seemed to be about the right age, and she matched the photo pretty close, with the exception of longer and blonder hair. She didn't look terribly upset despite the worried tilt of her brows.

"You Ellie?" he asked.

She nodded stiffly.

"Cool. I'm Sans. Mind if I sit?"

She shook her head quickly. He plunked himself down with a grunt and leaned on the wall, looking up at the crayon drawings all over them.

"You do these?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Huh." There was a figure on there, smiling in front of a house, that looked a little like Asgore. "Pretty good."

"Grandma says she doesn't mind," she said quietly.

"Oh yeah? You hang out in here a lot?" he asked.

"Yeah. Sometimes when the bad men come."

"Who're they?" Sans asked.

"Grandma says they dress like the police but they're really sneaky bad men," the kid said.

"Ah. Okay, gotcha," he said.

The kid looked him up at down. Her posture loosened and she leaned forward. "Why're your eyes like that?"

"Ah. Can you keep a secret?" he asked.

She nodded eagerly.

"Magic," he said.

She gawked. "No way, really?"

He held out his hand and pushed energy out through the glove. It fizzled gentle blue, lighting up the kid's awed face.

"D-Did you come to take me away to the Monster Kingdom?!" she squeaked.

Sans laughed. "How'd you hear 'bout that?"

"My book!" She shuffled around in the closet beside her and reached into a backpack that was squished up against the wall. She pulled out a thin storybook that had a picture that looked suspiciously like Asgore on its cover and displayed it proudly. "I always wanted to go!" Her face fell and she clutched the book close. "Daddy said I couldn't."

"Welp. Good news, I guess," Sans said. "Can now. Wasn't open before. Could go with your dad, even."

She wilted. "No I can't."

_"_Sure y'can," he said.

"…No, Daddy won't take me anywhere anymore. Grandma said so," she muttered.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" he asked.

"Daddy hates me after Mommy died so he sent me away and said he didn't want me anymore. He sends the bad men to scare us." Her eyes began to water. "I don't like it."

Sans frowned. "Who told you that?"

"Grandma and Auntie," she said.

"…And you… hide from the bad men, 'cause of that?"

She nodded. "If they find me, they're gonna get me."

"Oh yeah? What happens if they get ya?" Sans asked.

Ellie stared back at him blankly for a few moments. She sniffled. "I… I don't know! It's scary."

The skeleton's frown deepened. What a horrible bunch of crap to fill a kid's head with— it was just like June was afraid of. "Can I tell you somethin'?"

She nodded.

"That stuff's, uh… not true," he said. "I'm here 'cause of your dad, to be honest."

She stiffened and looked back at him with alarm. "Wh-What?!"

"He's been lookin' for you for three years," he said.

"No, he hates me," she squeaked.

"Naw. He'd… Heh. Probably do anything to get you back, y'know?" he said. "Misses ya. He even went all the way to the Monster Kingdom because he thought you might be there."

"What?! Really?" she demanded.

Sans nodded.

The kid curled up and folded her arms tight around herself. She frowned at the floor, her face flushing red. "…Then why didn't he come here?" she asked. "I wished every night."

"See, thing is, those, uh, bad men? Maybe they weren't so bad. Your dad asked 'em to find you," Sans said.

"B-But Grandma said Daddy did the bad things to try to find us! We moved whole entire houses f-four whole times."

"Kiddo. Why would your dad wanna find you so bad if he didn't wanna bring you home?" Sans said. "Wasn't he nice to you before?"

"W-Well…" She grimaced. "Yeah, he was nice." She tented her fingers. "Mister Magic, you're real, right? What should I do?"

Sans snorted. "Figure we get you outta here and back home, really. You happen to remember a lady called June?"

Ellie frowned for a second, but then nodded.

"You trust her?"

The girl nodded again.

"Then…" Sans stood and offered her his hand. "Wanna go see? We'll bring you to your dad."

Ellie looked worried for a moment. She grimaced. "But if he did the bad things…"

"Kid, look." Sans squatted down again. "It's real tough, y'know? But I know how he feels. Not knowin' if you're okay. When you're comin' back. All that kinda stuff." He smiled ruefully, not that it would have showed. "To be honest, for my brothers and sister, if I had to do a bad thing or two so they would be safe and made it home okay, I'd do it. Hope that makes sense." He held out his hand again. "What d'ya say, wanna give it a try? I know it's been a while."

It took a moment for Ellie to decide to take his hand but when she did, her small fingers gripped tight. He helped her up and patted her head, then nodded towards the door. She bent quickly to grab her book and clutched it close as they left. She made a detour to the small, messy room down the hall and then joined him with a plush tiger tucked under her arm.

Downstairs, the front door was guarded by the hulking form of Undyne, who leaned back on the wall with her arms folded. Ellie froze up, but Sans raised his hand to greet the tall monster and the kid let him take her forward.

"Holy sh… You found her. Ellie, right?" She knelt down. "Hey, kid. You were hiding, huh? We were worried about you."

"Y-You were?" she squeaked.

"This is Undyne. She's, uh… kinda like a special sorta cop," Sans said. He raised his head to look at her as she straightened up. "Where's Paps?"

"I sent him to the car," she said. "Didn't wanna overwhelm the kid. Kid, you overwhelmed?"

"Um…!" She looked confused.

Undyne chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes. Ready to leave?"

Sans looked at the girl. Though she was a little shaky, she clung to her tiger and nodded.

It was still pouring outside. The driveway was flooded. The kid flinched at the sound of thunder, and Undyne scooped her up.

"Chill out, kid, it can't—"

Lightning seared the air above them so bright it looked like sunlight for a split second before crashing into a deafening cacophony. Ellie whimpered and Sans and Undyne shared a look. She grabbed him by the hand and they took off at speed.

June's car was exactly where they'd left it, and Undyne rushed to get the kid into the backseat before she got soaked.

"Yo, it worked," Undyne said.

"Oh! Fantastic! Hello, tiny human!" Papyrus said.

The girl looked around with big eyes as she was plunked into the middle seat beside Papyrus as the monsters got into the car. June whipped around, a bundle of nerves and excitement. Her face was flushed and her eyes were glossy behind her glasses. She reached out a hand.

"H-Hey, sweetie, do you remember me?" she asked.

Ellie's jaw dropped. She cautiously grabbed the woman's outstretched fingers. "Miss June?"

"Yes. That's it." Her voice caught in her throat for a moment. She coughed. "It's so good to see you again. You were so little last time, remember?"

"A… A little!" she squeaked. "Is… Daddy here?"

"We need to go meet up with him," she said. "Is that okay?"

Ellie nodded. June smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Okay. Oookay! I'm so glad you're…" She took a deep breath. "Everything's going to be fine." She reluctantly let the child go and then put her hands back on the steering wheel. "We… We have to go slow." She was telling herself more than anyone else. She put the car in reverse and, very carefully, turned around, and they were off again. "Just, um… The roads are… a little slippery, is all!"

"Power might be out, too," Sans said.

"Really? Ah… Good catch," she said.

"Don't worry, little human," Papyrus assured the child, buckling in her seatbelt for her. "We will get you to your dad very soon!"

Ellie stared at him, clutching tight to her plush tiger. There was a bit of a shake in her shoulders.

"Oh! You're nervous! Don't be afraid," Papyrus said quickly. "This isn't my real face, see?" He pulled down his mask and grinned.

The kid's eyes bugged out. Undyne stretched and took her helmet off, and when Ellie turned to look, she gawked and let out a loud squeak.

"You're b-b-blue!" she said shrilly.

"Hm? Oh. Heh. Yeah," Undyne said. "What, you don't got any blue humans?"

The kid shook her head quickly. "I d-don't think so!"

The big monster laughed. "I know, I was joking. You guys mostly come in, like, Neapolitan ice cream colours, right? That's what that book said, anyway."

"Ice cream…?!" June burst out laughing.

"What's a neo-pollenten?" Ellie asked.

"Sounds like a city! Maybe a Neapolis somewhere?" Papyrus wondered.

"Hey, did we invent ice cream or did humans invent it?" Undyne wondered.

"Heck, who knows," Sans said.

"Oh," June said as she got ahold of herself. "I-I wouldn't be surprised if it was you. You had refrigeration first." She shook her head and, when a stop sign popped up, she passed her phone to Sans. "Would you text her dad?"

He nodded and did as she asked, sending the man a simple, "_got her_".

"Hey, I know! We should get this kid some ice cream! I feel like kids definitely like ice cream. Right?" Papyrus said.

"R-Really?" Ellie asked, perking up.

"Milkshakes, I think. That sounds right," the skeleton continued. "Makes for strong bones!"

Sans didn't flinch, but it had been hard to suppress it. "When the rain stops," he said. He fished in his pocket for a monster candy and then passed it back to the kid. "Here."

"Ooh! Thanks Mister Magic!" she said.

"Hah! That's Sans, little human! His magic is actually quite weak," Papyrus said.

"Dude, don't gotta put him on blast," Undyne said.

"What?! I didn't mean to, it's just the way it is!" the skeleton said quickly.

"Not to interrupt," June said, "but where are we going?"

"Out of town?" Undyne suggested.

"Somewhere safe to hole up," Sans mused. "Uh. No way we can get back to Gullport in this weather, huh?"

"We'll be lucky to get out of town without seeing an accident," the woman grumbled quietly. She clicked a button on her steering wheel and an overlay in bright light painted itself across the windshield, carving out the road, lanes, cars, and rough objects in their path. "I might as well tell the AI to do it."

Another click and a quick entry of a code on the map screen, and the windshield flashed over with a big, smiling 8-bit style face. Another car across the road from them had a similar one light up through the gloom. The car began to carefully move on its own.

June sat back, biting her lip nervously. She held out her hand and Sans passed her phone back to her. "You can check our internet, right? Can one of you keep an eye on if… Well. If the police get wind of any of this?"

"Oh, no, are we fully on the run now?" Papyrus asked.

"I'm sorry!" Ellie said. "N-Nobody's gonna be in t-trouble, right?"

"Relax," Undyne said. "From what I gather. This grandma lady, she wasn't supposed to even have you, right, kid?"

"Ummm…"

"No, she wasn't," June said quietly. "I… I guess she'd be stuck. Since she, you know…" She lowered her voice. "Sort of kidnapped her."

"And now she is very much un-kidnapped!" Papyrus said brightly. "I hope this all has not been too alarming, little human."

"I-It's not t-too bad!" she squeaked.

"Even so, we… We want to avoid the police for. If we can." June sighed and rubbed her brow, shaking her head at herself. "I can't believe I'm actually saying that. But, it should be for her dad to take her to them. Get everything sorted out."

"Might as well wait until the redo, though," Sans said.

"You are sure there'll be one, right?" the woman asked worriedly.

"Has to be."

June looked uncertain. "Well. Any ideas on where to go? I don't think we can make Anthelion in this."

"You guys have any… I dunno, waypoints or anything? Empty sentry stations?" Undyne asked.

"Or inns," Papyrus suggested. "In the underground, every big area has at least one inn for people to rest at. Do humans have that, too?"

"We, um… Hm." The woman finally perked up. "…We might."


	36. dreemtime

There was a motel five minutes outside of Arrow Valley, to the north. It took the odd gang half an hour to get there. The sky was so dark it looked like night and the second the group stepped outside, one could be forgiven for thinking they'd just dragged themselves out of a lake. Most of Papyrus's makeup had washed off.

The place was a long, two storey building with a similar quaint aesthetic to the buildings in town. The mostly empty parking lot was flooded and the power was still out. They managed to procure two of the rooms on the second floor and gladly piled inside one of them.

The place was mostly brown and white, with two large beds, some cushy chairs, a small fridge, and a bathroom at the rear. Ellie seemed nervous, clinging tight to either June or Papyrus— whoever was closer— but curious, too. As the monsters undisguised themselves, Ellie peeked under the bed and into the bathroom.

"Where's Daddy?" she asked.

"He's on his way, sweetie," June assured her. She hopped over to Sans, who was sat on the edge of a bed with his phone, still rather bundled up. "Did you tell them where we were?" she asked at a whisper.

"Yeah. Just sent the room number. Haven't heard from either of 'em, though," he said. "No alerts from the cops, either."

"Here, everyone, eat something," Papyrus said. He passed out the citrus and white chocolate cookies he had stored away to each person. "Keep your energy up!"

"Where'd you get these?" June asked, nibbling on the edge of one. Her eyes lit up. "Oh, it's good."

"Doctor Alphys made them! She's a short nerdy lizard," Papyrus said.

"She's real cute," Undyne said quietly.

"Is she yellow, with glasses? I met her, for a second, I think," June said. She froze. "Wait, is this magic?"

"Absolutely it is!" Papyrus said. "Or weeee couldn't eat them."

"Technically we could, it just wouldn't do much except get crumbs everywhere," Sans said, pointing between himself and his brother. He unravelled himself, took off his gloves, and put his hood down. "It's safe."

June looked relieved; even more so when she realized that Ellie had already scarfed down two.

The little kid ran up to Sans and put her hand on his leg, bouncing up to look him in the face. "Is that your real face?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Why d'you look like that?" she asked.

"Welp." He carefully grabbed her soul in magic— the scar on his right hand glowed blue in tandem— and plunked her up to sit on the bed, which made June's eyes just about bug out of her head. "Me and my bro, we're skeletons."

"Oh? Skeletons? Oh no… What'd you die of?"

"All kinds of stuff," Sans joked.

"Sans! Don't be like that! We aren't dead at all, small human!" Papyrus said. "We! Are two of the three skeletons! A very proud and smart and strong kind of monster!" He grinned and stuck a thumb up. "And also very friendly! Possibly the friendliest!"

"Besides dogs," Sans said.

"Yes, well, besides dogs," Papyrus conceded.

"Two of… You said that before, are there… really so few?" June asked. "What happened?"

"The war," Sans said with a shrug.

The woman's face paled. Ellie seemed not to notice. She grabbed Sans's hand and looked at it curiously.

"Why do you have this red on you?" she asked.

"He's clumsy," Papyrus said.

"True," he said. "S'fine. Just a scar."

"Are… all skeleton scars so bright?" she asked. She rolled up her sleeve and pointed to a small line of discolouration on her upper arm. "I got this one from a dumb stick! But mine's not bright. And it doesn't glow!"

"Magic glows, kid," Undyne said.

"No, some scars look like…!" Papyrus checked the back of his hand. He frowned, pouted, and then patted himself down. "Brother, do I have any scars?!"

"Small one where you broke your arm."

"Oh! Yes! That one." He rolled up his sleeves and looked at his forearms. "Aaaaand I can't find it. Well. It's quite faint."

"Hey, if we're showin' scars…" Undyne grinned her big, sharp teeth and whipped off her jacket. Flexing her huge arms in her tank-top showed off a plethora of marks she bore with pride. She almost pointed to her working eye, then quickly corrected. "Got a big one here, too, wanna see?"

Though Ellie was alert, eyes glimmering, June intercepted, a smile straining her face.

"Th-That's not necessary," she said

The kid leaned around June. "What are you, Miss Blue?" she said to Undyne, bouncing on the mattress.

"Uh. A fish, I guess. Like… I think we were called mer like a million years ago, but nobody really uses that anymore," she said. "And I'm Undyne, remember?"

The kid tilted her head and stuck out her tongue. "Un-dime."

"Un. Dyne."

"Okay! Why do none of you looks like goats though?" She held up her book and pointed to the cover.

"Her dad looks like that," Sans said, levelling a finger at the big blue monster.

"Yeah, my…" She faltered, eye wide, but she cracked a smile. "Yeah, he does."

Ellie looked a little confused, but she nodded. She sat back with her tiger and clutched it tight to her chest. She looked at June. "Can I go to the bathroom?"

"Yes, of course, over here," June said quickly. She ushered the kid back there to the little other room, gave her a phone for light, and closed the door for her.

"Nyeh, but it's so wet outside, why would she want another bath?" Papyrus wondered.

June shook her head. "Oh, no, that's—"

"Humans are kinda weird like that," Sans said.

"I thought it was some weird thing to do with human food or something?" Undyne said.

"Humans are a little confusing, aren't they?" Papyrus said, a puzzled tilt in his brow. "Did I know much more about humans in the other time, or were they just as confusing?"

"Both," Sans said with a grin.

"I… guess it must be a little bit of culture shock, huh?" June said, plunking herself against the wall. "All of this is, I guess." She sighed and looked at Sans. "Anything?"

"I'll let ya know."

"I'm getting worried," she said.

"Do you think Mettaton's okay?" Papyrus wondered. "…Also why is he a ghost, by the way?"

Sans shrugged.

"Man, this timeline is whack," Undyne grumbled. "That's a big friggin' change."

Sans raised his brows. "Huh-what?"

"I mean, he's the same person, still, right? He acts the same." She frowned deeply and folded her arms. "Man, what's Alphys gonna think?"

Sans frowned to himself, honestly unable to tell if Alphys still had never told her about the robot's true origins or if it was time affecting her strangely. All he could do was shrug again. "Deal with it if it comes up, I guess."

"Guess so," she grumbled.

The sound of fast-rushing water startled the monsters, and after a moment, the little kid came out of the bathroom and hopped back on the bed.

"Grandma's going to be worried, huh?" She looked a little smug. "She always acts so weird whenever she can't find me, it's sorta funny." She bounced on the mattress. "This is a fun dream."

"It's not a dream, small human!" Papyrus said, bending down to grab her hands. "You really are going to get to see your dad, soon! I think. Ooh! How would you like to do some puzzles while we wait?!"

"P-Puzzles?"

The skeleton grinned and whipped out his bag, pulling out his Rubik's cube and a binder stuffed full of notes. "Would you like to try?"

"Is it like a game?" she asked.

"Wellll… I mean. Yes? I suppose it could be gamelike, in a sense," he said.

"Yes please!" Ellie said.

He got straight into it, and as Undyne chilled out in one of the chairs and June paced, Sans swiped the human's phone and hid away in the bathroom. Petty, maybe, but seeing his brother doing puzzles with a tiny kid— any heartache he'd put aside kicked him in the ribs.

He sat on the edge of the bathtub and took a quick breather. His little siblings invaded his thoughts; he tried to recall their faces, but they wouldn't come to him. He sighed to himself and used June's phone to try to call her human friend. He didn't pick up. Sans used his own to try to call home, but Toriel didn't answer either. Alphys, however, did answer, much to his relief.

"Moshi moshi," she said sleepily.

"Hey, Doc," he said. "So, uh, we're out here still."

"O-Oh! Sans! How, um… How's it g-going?! Oh, I'm so sorry I couldn't come. Where are y-you?"

"Some motel outside Arrow Valley," he said.

She let out a small, thoughtful noises, and clicked away at her keyboard. "Where is…?"

"Southwest. Kinda had to detour. Storm's so bad even their weird A.I. cars aren't havin' it."

"So… Wait, don't tell me you're n-not coming back today?!" she yelped.

"Still haven't even been to the city, Alph," he said.

"Oh… A-Are you safe, though?"

"Guess so," he said. "Oh, and, uh, Mettaton tagged along."

"He WHAT?! Ugh, that…! I'm s-sorry," she said. "How did he even know…?"

"Don't worry about it," Sans said with an amused smile. "Just, uh, thought you should know. Y'know, so when the news goes on reruns, that's why."

Alphys sighed deeply. "So is it… g-going okay, at least?"

"Sure. How 'bout there?"

"Wellll… I k-kicked your dad out of the lab. B-Because he needed a break. And so, o-obviously, he just went down into the CORE to work instead." She laughed tiredly. "Toriel went down with him. I th-think they must've gotten something important done though. Y-You won't believe this, but Tori actually cast a circle!"

"Oh yeah?" Sans perked up. "Damn. Haven't seen one in—"

"I know, right?! Y-Your dad, um, looked really happy. S-So, if my guess is right, that's the NOCTURNE probably done."

Sans wilted with relief. Decent news, for once. "Nice. I'll, uh—" He stalled as the other phone beside him rang. "Sorry, Doc, I gotta go."

"O-Okay! Call back if you need me! _Ganbatte_!"

The skeleton switched phones. He could hear heavy breathing.

"June?!" The man's voice was crackly with distortion and the loud _wumphs_ of wind made it hard to hear.

"Sans," he said. "You alright?"

"I got h-hardly any signal and I can't find this damn ghost and where the hell are y—"

"Did you get my text?"

The man went silent. Presumably, he was checking his texts. "Holy shit, you _didn't_—"

"Sure did."

"I-Is she okay?!" he said.

"Yeah, she's fine, she's playin' some puzzle games with my brother," he said.

"I gotta talk to her," he said.

"Sure." Sans used a bit of blue to open the door and tossed the phone at June. "Got 'im, pass him his kid, huh?"

June scrambled but Sans didn't see the outcome as he closed the door again. He took a deep breath and rubbed his temples. Headache was coming on again. He wondered if it'd be a terrible idea to run the bath and just faceplant into the water for a little while. Probably.

It wasn't long before he heard tearful shrieking. He was happy for the kid, but it did not help his head one bit.

He closed his eyes and his dreams dragged him, this time, towards that small goat boy. He saw him in a forest, trees swaying with him as he casually waved a hand back and forth like a conductor. The kid turned to him and grinned bashfully.

"Still can't get over how big the sky is." He pointed upwards. The wind buffeted his ears wistfully.

Sans tilted his head back to look. It wasn't right. His memory said it had been a never-ending stretch of clear, cloudless blue. What he saw instead was the void of night, dotted with starlight. He couldn't look away, but he felt a furry paw grasp tight to his arm. The kid said something to him, but the words came out gibberish.

He was jarred awake and found himself looking at his brother again. Papyrus cracked a smile and nodded his head towards the door.

"Come on, brother. The human's going to be here soon, we figured we should go next-door to let them talk in private," he said.

That made sense. He rubbed his eye with his knuckles as he got up.

June was sitting on one of the beds with her arm around Ellie, quietly comforting her. The kid was puffy-eyed and flushed, and she looked overwhelmed. Undyne waited near the door, and Papyrus gathered their stuff up.

"You'll be alright, right?" he said.

"Y-Yeeeah," Ellie squeaked.

"It's going to be okay," June said quietly.

"Good luck, kid," Sans said.

They were just on their way out when there was a pounding on the door. Undyne leaned in to peek through the little view-port on the door, only to bang her forehead. She grumbled, but as she readjusted, she saw it was one of the two they'd been waiting for. She opened the door and Boyd blew past the fully unveiled monsters without a second glance, and then froze in his tracks.

"E-Ellie?" he croaked.

The kid's eyes were as round and bright as full moons. She got up cautiously and the man ran to her, dropping to his knees and pulling her into his arms with a pained, choked huff. The monsters slipped out into the rain to give them privacy.

The room next-door wasn't much different except the lack of weeping humans, though they could still faintly hear them through the walls. Sans made notes of time and place with guilt weighing his soul. He wasn't sure if it would be better or worse if Boyd were to remember this after a reset. Either way, they had to help. With that kind of power at play, it was still the right thing to do. He was sure his sis wouldn't mind.

"So." Papyrus was the first to break the silence. "That was a job well done, I think."

"Man, this is a lot," Undyne said.

"Yes, it definitely is, but, um. I'm wondering," he said. "What do we do about Mettaton?"

"Did he not come back?" she asked.

"Guy said he couldn't find him." Sans sat on the bed and phoned again, but nobody answered. "I'm assumin' he phased into somethin' and is hidin' out for whatever reason."

"Weird," Undyne said. "So, uh… What do we do?"

"Wait, I guess."

"You should get some sleep, brother," Papyrus said. With a magic grasp on his soul, he shifted Sans backwards to get his head on a pillow. "And not sitting up this time!"

"Eh, you're not wrong."

"Of course I'm not!" He stretched. "Whew! It has actually been a long day, hasn't it? I didn't expect this to take so long. Not that I mind, really! The human world is pretty strange and exciting, right?"

"Was kinda hoping for more giant robots," Undyne admitted. "And it's weird, they don't seem to walk around with weapons or anything. It's like they don't even think they're at war."

"They don't," Sans said, folding his arms behind his head. "Haven't been for a thousand years. At least not with us."

"Pretty arrogant to just dismiss us like that," she growled. There was a righteous glimmer in her eye.

"But I would really rather not be at war with them," Papyrus said, tapping his fingertips together.

"Yeah, but—"

"Yo. Cap. Chill," Sans said. He sat up, a worried frown on his face. "Thought you made your peace with this. Did somethin' change?"

Undyne froze. Her pupil dilated. She grimaced uncomfortably and huffed. "I… I'm fine."

"You forgot for a sec, huh?" Sans said.

"…Maybe."

"Nyeh! That's worrisome." He bounded over to where she stood and grabbed both her hands, his eyes lighting as he smiled at her sympathetically. "But! It's okay! I know this is all very weird. But if something feels very out of place all of a sudden, just ask Sans about it! I feel like I used to do that quite a bit because of… Some other… weird time nonsense I can't remember right now. And he'll definitely set you straight!" He smiled bashfully. "Just, try not to forget who I am, alright?"

"I don't think it's gonna get that bad!" she assured him. Even so, her eye darted to Sans.

He nodded at her, and then settled back with the phone again. "Guess I'll keep callin'."

"We can take turns," Papyrus said.

\- - -

Night didn't look much different from day at this point. It was still raining so heavily it was as if there was a leaking ocean above them in place of sky. June came to join the monsters, wanting to give the family their privacy. That made complete sense to them, so they sat, watching human TV and lazing around, until Boyd came and knocked on their door, looking ragged, exhausted, and content, with little Ellie firmly gripping his fingers with one hand and her tiger with the other.

The man still had Mettaton's metal form in his car; he explained what exactly had happened, and even offered to go back out to search again. However, water levels in the parking lot were still too high to safely leave. Ellie seemed to enjoy the notion of the unnatural pond that was growing deeper and splashed through the drowned parking spaces. Undyne, on the other hand, was bristling. Water obviously didn't bother her and she wanted to get going as soon as possible, but the car's A.I. clearly indicated that its system judged the whole thing to be too dangerous.

The monsters shared their food, a hodgepodge of sandwiches, cinnamon bunnies, tea, and pasta. After being told it was magic, Ellie took especially well to it despite initial trepidation at the tomato sauce.

It got late. The little kid had to go to bed. The monsters still couldn't reach Mettaton, and Undyne was starting to get a headache. She went to sleep with her earphones in, buried under the covers of one of the beds. Sans collapsed as usual, leaving just Papyrus awake with June, sitting in the cushy seats with some books and cookies on the nearby table. The rain was finally starting to slow outside, and the noise was somewhat soothing.

Papyrus was paying close attention, even as he did sudoku puzzles from a big book. Some of them were already filled out, though, in a handwriting he was pretty sure wasn't his own. June was in the other chair. She looked tired; grey around the eyes. She curled up, huddled in her sweater. Her dark eyes kept skimming over him.

"Papyrus?" June asked after a long while of nothing. "Can I see your hand?"

"Absolutely you can," he said, and offered her his left. "Why?"

She held it carefully in both hands and eyed over the bones. She gently flipped it around and examined the back of it. "Sorry if this is weird, but it's sort of interesting to even watch you move."

"Oh? Oh! Right, that whole _humans actually have bones too_ thing," he said. "It's pretty strange but I think it's interesting too!"

She let him go and nodded. "Um. Can I… ask you maybe something strange?"

"Yes, of course," he said.

"Your brother, he… did something. That made Ellie's soul, I think, shine?" she said tentatively. "Do you know what it was?"

"Do I…? Oh! Was it a deep blue?"

She nodded.

"Gravity magic!" he said. "It's for lifting people. And things."

"So her… soul, it's not blue?"

"Well, it could be. Why? You said you don't know your soul's colour, right?"

"R-Right." Her eyes flitted downwards, gaze heavy with shame. "We… lost that knowledge. Because of what we did to you. Your people. So… I don't think I've ever seen a soul glow before."

"Hmmm… Well, unfortunately, I don't really know how to help a human glow their soul except…! OH! I know! A battle!"

"A battle?!" she asked, maybe a little too loudly.

Papyrus grinned and stood up, grabbing her hands and pulling her to her feet. "Now! Don't worry! I'm very good at this. You will be perfectly safe! But, um…" He looked around. "We just… have to keep our hums down a little."

"Our what?"

"Ah! Don't worry about that either," he said. He took a few steps back and his soul glowed extra brightly in his ribcage. "And here is the battle!"

His energy engaged with the woman's, a quiet beat drumming in the air, and she gasped, eyes wide. A flicker of light shimmered out from her chest. She hurriedly put her hand over it, but it didn't dim the glow. After just a moment, a light, leaf green soul surged out over her heart. She yelped and clapped both hands over her mouth. Papyrus grinned brightly and stuck his thumb up.

"Nyeh heh heh! Excellent!" he said, trying to keep his voice hushed. "Now just disengage and—"

"Wait, I n-need a picture." She grabbed her phone and fumbled to take a shot of it.

The skeleton smiled. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Yes. Thank you so much, uh, how do I…?"

He struck a pose, offering her his hand. "I! The great Papyrus! Offer you mercy!"

She looked confused, but she nodded. "Okay." She took his hand.

The magic faded down. The green of her soul flickered out. She took a deep breath and hurriedly wiped tears from her eyes. She was about to say something, but she choked. She patted him on the shoulder, held up one finger, and then retreated to the bathroom. She closed herself in and sobbed.

Papyrus was taken aback. He snuck up on the door and listened. "Juuuune? If you need anything, you can just ask me, okaaaay?"

"Thank you," she squeaked quietly.

It took her a few minutes, but June came out without her glasses on, wiping her face with a damp cloth. Papyrus looked at her expectantly, tilting his head like a puzzled puppy.

"Are you alright now?" he asked. "It didn't hurt, did it?"

"N-No, no, I'm fine." She smiled. "Thank you. Really."

"You're very welcome!" he said. "Green is a good colour for you, I think. But, then again, I don't think anyone has ever really had a bad colour for themselves, that wouldn't make much sense. Except maybe my dad, but it's because of weird time shenanigans, so that's a bit of an outlier."

"R-Right. Um. I… I might need to lie down."

"That's alright." Papyrus looked around. He lifted Sans off his odd, sprawled out position on one of the beds and gently put him on the foot of the other and folded blanket that Undyne wasn't using up around him like a burrito.

"Are… they okay like that?" she asked.

"Hm? Oh, of course, why wouldn't they be?"

June sat on the edge of the bed. The day was starting to settle on her. "Does…? Does green mean anything?"

"Hmm…" Papyrus tapped his foot. "I think it can mean multiple things? There's, I think…" He counted on his fingers. "Seven main colours? But then green does a split into two and I think there's three others that might only happen in monsters and not in humans, but it's been a long time since I learned much of this stuff in school." Plus, he didn't admit, what small amount of time he'd spent in normal monster school had felt so slow and plodding that he'd often be doing the much more interesting task of puzzlecrafting when he might be expected to be paying attention to something else. "A lighter green like that is supposed to be _Kindness_, in the monster schools of magic, at least. Oh! And by _schools _I mean _types_, not schools as in classrooms."

"K… Kindness?" she repeated uncertainly. She held a hand over her heart and frowned thoughtfully for a moment. "Papyrus? Can I ask? How old are you?"

"Well, I turned nineteen in March, actually!"

She looked surprised. "You're not missing class for this, are you?"

"Oh, no no no, I haven't been to classes in a long time," he said. "Besides, this… This is very important to me."

"Hm…" She let out a small sigh. "This is so much for everyone, I think. I'm sorry about everything with your sister."

"You remember a little bit about her, right?" he asked, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. "And it was because of Ellie that you came to begin with, right?"

"It was my job, too," she said. "But at the same time, we did want to make sure that girl— your sister, I mean— was being well taken care of. I hope it's not rude to say, but we didn't even know you monsters were still alive until recently, and we definitely didn't know how much you knew about us. And in internal discussions, we talked about being concerned you might just not know how to even take care of a human child. We were prepared to offer help, if you needed it."

"Oh. That's nice. But I don't think we needed help," he said. "Our mom had another human daughter a few hundred years ago, so I'm pretty sure she knew what she was doing." He felt an odd, roiling defensiveness in his chest. He frowned. "A-Anyway. I…"

"It bothers you, hm?" she asked gently.

"Well! I mean! …Sigh. Yes. It does. Very much, in fact." He cast a look back at Sans. "I just… I have trouble understanding. It feels like everyone remembers more than me. But Sans and I are brothers, and I'm much stronger than him, so I thought maybe I should…" He shook his head. "Anyway. There's another kid missing too, you know? You wouldn't happen to remember anything about…? Well. I guess how would you know, right? Nyeh, sorry, that's maybe not a good question."

June tilted her head. She frowned in thought. "Well. Now that you mention it. There's a similar sort of… fog, I guess? Around the Prince. I think?" She squinted as if trying to catch a glimpse of something far afield. "A little… goat monster, I think. Like the King."

Papyrus's eyes went wide. His mind stumbled. A little goat… He put a hand against the side of his head. For some reason, when he tried to focus, his memory dragged him back to holding a little talking flower in a white mug patterned with a red heart. He frowned to himself. He missed… he wasn't sure, but it was probably them. A deep, worried ache. Troubled amber flickered in his eye sockets and his soul warbled softly.

"I hope we can find that book," he said. "You don't think it's too much of a long-shot, do you?"

"I don't know," she said ruefully.

The skeleton tapped his fingers against his arm. He got up and cracked the door, peeking out before ducking back in. He grabbed his new jacket and put up the hood, and then pulled the mask up from around his neck where he'd been wearing it like a bandana.

"Are you going out?" she asked.

"Just for a little." He hoped that wouldn't be a lie. "Please get some rest! We still have a lot to do tomorrow!"

The rain had just slowed enough so that the grates in the parking lot could actually do their jobs. The sky was still filled with distant rumbling, but that didn't bother Papyrus much. He went to their neighbouring room and knocked on the door. Boyd answered it after a moment.

"Uh. Papyrus, right?" he asked, blinking groggily.

"Yes! Sorry to ask. This is probably a weird question. But can I borrow your car?"

\- - -

Boyd had been very accommodating giving his keys and directions, and once Papyrus was behind the wheel of that old car, he felt like he knew exactly what buttons to press and what pedals to push. Some mysterious part of his mind gave him the phrase _muscle memory_, and though he didn't have muscles, the concept seemed accurate. It was pretty weird to have Mettaton's empty body napping in the seat beside him, but he guessed it couldn't be helped.

Roads were slick but not impossible to navigate, and the sound of the rain was kind of nice, now that he thought about it. He could feel the tires sliding and so, with a careful pulse of gravity magic, he sunk the car against the ground, which helped quite a bit. Nobody else was on the roads and it was pretty relaxing to just drive. He put on the human radio to listen to some human music. He liked the ones with rhythmic rhyming and the ones with heavy electric guitars the most so far.

Following Boyd's map was easy. Despite the dark and rain, after a while, he found the median ditch with big tire tracks leading into it, having carved chunks from the grass in a muddy mess. He pulled off to the side of the road and jumped out, following the trail carefully. The whole thing was flooded, and the rain was starting to fall harder again.

"Mettaton?" he asked as he waded down into the murky water. "Meeetttatttooonnn are you out here? It's me, the great Papyrus, coming to find you!" He cupped a hand to the side of his head as if trying to funnel in the sounds from around him. "Mettatonnnn?"

There might have been a snort. Somewhere. Papyrus had a flash of genius. He pulled out his phone and called the invisible spectre, only for a soft ringtone of Mettaton's MTT theme song to begin to play somewhere. Grinning, the skeleton followed the sound until he found the faintest of shimmering deep in a puddle. He reached down and felt a wispy form.

"Mettaton!" he said loudly. "Get up!" Nothing. Papyrus frowned. "Ah! Your ratings are plummeting very quickly!"

The ghostly form shimmered pink and revealed himself, only for him to squeak, shoot up out of the water, and flail around in a panicked fashion. "A-Away, ruffian!"

"Nyeh! Mettaton, it's me!" Papyrus quickly pulled his mask down. "The great Papyrus! Relax!"

"Oh! Papyrus, I…" His eyes went wide and he blushed, turning his whole form several shades darker. "Oh, no, I never meant for you to see me like this!"

"I brought your body, don't worry!" he said. "Why wouldn't you answer your phone?! We were worried about you."

"Ah. I do apologize. Um." He yawned widely. "I must've slept straight through. I overexerted myself just a touch." He tilted slightly to the side. "Did you find the small child?"

"We did, and the human reunited with her; they seemed very happy," he said.

Mettaton smiled. "Well! We did a good thing, then!" He yawned again. "God, remind me not to do that again."

"Well, do not do the not answer the phone part of that again."

\- - -

The scent of flowers drifted through the air. Gentle and familiar. Undyne was confused for a moment. Disoriented. Then, the sharp noise of a ceramic pot shattering cut the silence. She blinked her eye open and sat up, confused as she took in the sight of a cozy bedroom in the dark. A small bed across from her was disturbed. She was sitting in a small bed herself, one that didn't fit her at all. Asgore must've tucked her in.

Another crack. She got to her feet and stretched. She left the dark of the room. Beyond, she could hear ragged panting. She followed it.

There was a monster in the living room. A little, white-furred goat boy with short horns and dark stripes creeping up near the back of his neck. He was hunched; feral-looking, with his paw wedged firmly into a pile of dirt.

"Hey," she said.

He whirled on her, pale eyes blazing as the ruined petals of a squashed flower followed him. He looked ragged and exhausted, and the dark stripes that crept up his cheeks and under his eyes were flattened with residual wetness. The frantic look faded. He gulped hard. "O-Oh. Undyne. Um. Howdy."

She folded her arms. "What're you doin', punk?"

He flinched. He looked down at the dirt on the floor and sighed. "Sorry. I'll clean it up."

"You can't just keep breaking his pots, y'know."

"I know! I know. I just…" He knelt down and began to brush the shards and dirt together with his hands. "I usually don't wake up all the way until the first one."

Undyne nodded. She'd heard two, though. She bent to help him. "Man, you gotta keep it together."

"Believe me, I'm trying," he grumbled.

"You want to call your sis?"

He grimaced. The answer was clearly _yes_. "No. No, she's been having it rough, too. She needs to sleep."

Undyne looked the kid up and down. It was weird, having him here now. _Little bro_. Felt strange. Kinda nice, too, though. She hadn't really expected to dig the big sister gig as much as she did. This kid was strange, though. The stuff that roiled in his head, she couldn't understand it. Not sure it would help if she could. "You wanna talk about it?"

"It's just the same thing," he said. "I'm… _that_ again, and I'm…" He rolled his fingers. "A mess."

"Wasn't you," she said.

"Oh, no, it was fully me," the kid said grumpily. "Or… I'm fully that. Maybe I wasn't me, but all of it is me, now. Does that… make sense?"

"Kinda?" she said. "You know it's okay, though, right? Nobody's mad. Hell, not even Sans is mad."

"I'm mad." He cracked a smile. "Better than not feeling anything, though."

"That's the spirit." She thumped him on the shoulder. "Look, squirt, you're doin' good, okay? But, y'know, these plants do mean something to your dad, right? So maybe a little less wrecking 'em, huh?" She grinned. "And I know that's gotta sound stupid coming from me, huh?"

The kid snorted. "You're right, though."

He finished gathering up the mess he'd made and then blew red flame overtop of it. It charred it all into dust. She mussed up the rough fur on his head and he cracked a smile.

"Y-You're not so bad, fishface," he said.

She scoffed. His eyes had welled up again and he blew out a shaking sigh. He leaned into her and she gathered him up in her arms and let him cling with a grip that closely mirrored Asgore's despite his small frame. He coughed and began to cry quietly.

"It's gonna take time," she said quietly.

He nodded. "I know… I-I know."

Undyne awoke with a jolt, J-pop blaring in her ears, in a foreign place with the smell of rain soothing the night air. There was a weird lump at the foot of the bed. Strangely hard. She leaned forward. It was Sans, fully in a heap. Their human escort was dozing in the other bed. To her surprise, Mettaton was draped dramatically across one of the cushy chairs and Papyrus sat up with a puzzle book in the other. He smiled and waved at her. She raised her hand. For a second she thought she saw dirt on her fingers.

Grimacing, she got up, grabbed her phone, and stormed off into the bathroom. The whole thing felt like a mess. That kid in her dream, the goat child she'd felt so familial with, she couldn't remember his name. He must've been the second one missing. She wrote down everything she remembered.

She took a quick shower and came out to a worried Papyrus waiting for her. He didn't say anything, but he gave her a hug, and his warm, bright magic calmed her nerves. She cursed herself. She'd rather blast herself through a wall than ever forget this kid. Maybe she would have felt the same about the others, too.

\- - -

Very early the next morning, June and Sans gave Boyd the rundown of their plan. He agreed without hesitation. Sans also told him about the probable time loop, properly this time. It disturbed him greatly, especially the thought of Ellie being whisked back into the same situation she'd been trapped in. It was unavoidable, but Sans's memories would be intact regardless. He'd have the address and what they'd already successfully done. Boyd cautiously accepted everything, which didn't seem so hard looking into the face of a magic skeleton.

The rain had subsided today, thankfully. The world was soggy and the ditches were still flooded, but the perpetual threat of hydroplaning was gone. As the sun rose, June left them to gather some human food before they set out to the big city. While Mettaton and Papyrus touched up each other's makeup in the bathroom, Undyne was still brooding. She pulled Sans aside to sit on a bed and showed him her notes. He looked thoughtful as he read them.

"I think that's somethin' real," he said once he was done. "Weird, though. I dreamt about him, too."

"Does that mean something?" she asked quietly.

"Hm… Might just be time bleed." He smiled sideways at her puzzled expression. "S'what I call when memories of stuff that's weird comes back in dreams. It can happen to anyone. But…"

"Both of us on the same day. And I don't have _time dreams_," she said.

"True." His eyes shifted downwards. "Hey, uh. Sorry. 'Bout all this. I know it's rough on you."

She frowned, but she shook her head. "Whatever. It's fine."

"It might be good," he said tepidly. "Somethin' that clear comin' back, I mean."

"Yeah." She got up and stretched. "I'm ready for this to be done with."

To be honest, so was he. "Did you find his name?"

"Does it matter?" she asked.

"Dunno. Maybe," he said. "…He's Tori and Asgore's kid, hm?"

"Yeah, guess so."

"_Somekid Dreemurr_," Sans joked. "I wonder what they'd call him."

"Oh, god, wouldn't be surprised if it was just _Kid_, knowing Asgore," Undyne said.

"Nah, that's the Kid in Snowdin." The skeleton winked. "Welp. Give it some thought."

"Yeah, yeah." She flopped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She outstretched a hand and then covered where her good eye was supposed to be. She traced her fingers over the foreign scars. Had to be something simple, right? Wouldn't just be _Asgore Jr._, would it? Nah, Toriel wouldn't be into that. Maybe _Torgore_? _Asgriel_? _Astori_? _Goriel_? She winced. If what she'd dreamt had been real, she hoped that he'd avoided one of Asgore's typical floral name picks. If that kid was called _Buttercup,_ it was no wonder flowers were a touchy subject.

"Hey, uh… Don't get me wrong. I think it's good we did this," Undyne said. "But isn't this cutting it a little close?"

"Maybe." He shrugged one shoulder. "S'okay."

"Is it, though?"

The skeleton smiled tiredly. "I kinda figured, if we have that power as somethin' we have a way to access… Feelings kinda stick. Better to do the right thing, when we can. I dunno, maybe I'm full of it." Maybe it was just because any more guilt might crush his bones. Was that selfish? Probably. He shrugged. "Anyway. Maybe we couldda found a way around it, but I mean, I'd be a huge hypocrite, right?"

"Oh. Huh. Yeah, guess so."

"Saaaans, what kind of eyeshadow colour do you think suits your broooothherr?" Mettaton called. He stuck his head out of the bathroom. "One of us is saying blue and the other is saying pink, but I'm not telling you which because you are obscenely biased."

"And I'm sayin' he's supposed to be wearin' sunglasses in public," Sans said.

"Ah." Mettaton pouted and retracted. "Noted."

"Yo, why are you a ghost?" Undyne called.

"I don't know, doll, why are you a fish?"

"You know what I mean," she said.

"The answer is. This is how I like to be. My, um. Let's say phantom form? Was not very satisfying to me. And Alphys helped me solve my problem," he said.

Undyne frowned thoughtfully. She was still visibly puzzled, but she let out a quiet _hmm_ and then folded her arms behind her head. "Well. Okay."

A rapid knocking on the door signalled June's return and she burst in, eyes wide, holding Ellie by the hand.

"We have to leave," she said.

"Oh, Junebug! We're almost ready," Mettaton said.

"Now," she said. "I went back t-to check and the police are all over the neighbourhood we grabbed Ellie from."

"Grandma's gonna be mad," the kid said, sounding surprisingly pleased.

"Any BOLOs?" Sans asked.

"Not yet, but her picture's going to be out there soon," she said. She looked like she couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. "I thought for sure she wouldn't…" She shook her head.

Boyd walked up behind them, arms full of junk from the room. "You sure I shouldn't just turn myself—"

"Doing it the way we did? You're going to be arrested," June said shrilly, though she tried to keep her voice down.

"Daddy," Ellie said worriedly. "But he didn't do anything wrong."

"I know, sweetie, but they don't know that. And it'll take a long time to check, especially with… how we found you," she said. "Oh… I… might be arrested, too, actually."

"We don't have time," Undyne said as she sat up. She picked up Sans under her arm. She grabbed Papyrus's pink baseball cap and tossed it right onto the kid's head. "We'll think of something."

"I could give her a stylish haircut," Mettaton said.

"Whatever you do, do it in the car," Boyd said.

\- - -

Deep below the massive stones of Mount Ebott, in a field of flowers, a small goat boy awoke. He raised up from the petals, nursing his aching head. He got up stiffly and looked around. Colours were muted and dim, and a silent black stream dripped from a pale light far above. He rubbed his eyes. Bemused, he hefted his sword out of the petals. The blade was heavy in his hand and he couldn't recall why he had it, but he clenched his fingers into the grip and dragged it through the flora.

His legs were stiff and the stripes on his back and shoulders hurt. His soul glimmered grey in his chest, pulling him somewhere he didn't know. Where were his sisters? His brothers? What was he doing here? He had to get home.

He lumbered through the mountain halls, exhausted, trudging through the black rivers that snaked across pathways and down the off-tint Ruins. The black tree with its mound of leaves was soaked. The roots flowed out and joined that silent water.

A house was built into the mountain stone. He pushed his way inside. A flutter of form caught his eye. He tilted his head and peered after it. Nobody was there, though. His eyes started to water, though he wasn't sure why. He wiped pitch black tears away from his face. That was weird for some reason he couldn't put his finger on.

He couldn't recall leaving the Ruins, but he stood in the snow, blinking in the light. Home was close. He felt so heavy. His black, tarry paw prints were slowing him down.

Town was quiet, with coloured lights dimmed to white. It was unusually misty. A pale little lizard monster in a poncho scampered by and he turned to look, brows raised. He knew him, right? He looked familiar.

"H-Hey!" A female voice called.

Curiously, he turned to see another lizard, taller this time, with sunny yellow scales and an unusual green and black soul dyeing her cozy jacket. He looked her up and down. She came close to him, and stared him in the face.

"You're the Prince, right?"

Right. The Prince. He was pretty sure that was true. He nodded.

"Man, your Highness, you have to get home," she insisted quickly. "Your parents were looking for you and your sister. They were super worried."

His ears lifted slightly. Home. His sister. Parents. Sounded good. He nodded and cracked a tired smile. He continued on down the road.

The house loomed like a palace at the end of the street. He stuck his sword into the snow near the door and it flitted away in dim embers.

Inside wasn't what he expected. Things all over. Collections of clothes and books and games, gathered on couch and table. Unusual. A notebook was sitting open on the table, and when he peeked at it, he saw a strange list of places, dates, and times. Said the couch turned brown. He checked over his shoulder curiously. Looked grey to him.

He wandered upstairs and peeked into the first bedroom. Hoped for brothers. There were none.

He checked the next room. Pitch water leaked down from the attic. He followed it. He saw a glimmer of purple light.

There was a desk up here, scattered with notes and papers, and a great monster was hunched over them. The purple came from her, and the black water flowed around her feet. He perked up.

"Hey," he said.

She didn't move. He tilted his head.

"Hello?" he said.

Again, she was still, except for whatever work she was doing. He didn't understand. He cupped a hand over his soul and let it sing, just for a moment. Her ears lifted at their base, just a little. She got up and turned, brow in a frown, but in an instant, her eyes went wide and her jaw went slack as she honed in on him.

"H-How…?!" Her gaze flitted away, and she looked around frantically. "Hello?!"

He knew her voice. So strong and warm and familiar. Of course. Stupid to have forgotten. Mother.

He reached out for her, but she blew past him, searching the room frantically. His eyes began to water. He followed her cautiously as she peered into every shadow. She shook her head, hand to her brow.

"I'm crazy. I'm going crazy," she muttered. She sat on the bed and put her face in her hands, mumbling something.

The boy crossed the river and sat beside her. He carefully wrapped her huge arm in his and curled up next to her. She went stiff and, with an air of disbelief about her, rested her paw on his. She jerked back and then stood again, pulling out a phone and pressing it to her ear.

"Alphys?! Is Gaster in the lab with you?!" she demanded. "I need…! I think I'm seeing a… A vision, I… Okay. Alright. I'll… Alright."

"A vision?" The boy repeated the word and frowned to himself. Cold sadness was heavy in him. He'd never meant to make his violet-souled mother so upset. Maybe the lab would have an answer instead. Maybe that Gaster would know why things were so strange; where his siblings were.

Reluctantly, he left home and trudged back out into the snow and mist. He followed the rivers between the frosty town and the cavernous chambers, wandering across black water until he came to a rocky dock illuminated by the light of vertical vents.

A skeleton was coming down the stairs in a hurry through more obsidian water trickling down. The soul from his chest was black, with just the faintest shimmer of blue and gold on his bones. The boy watched curiously from where he stood on the water and raised his hand to greet him. The skeleton froze. He squinted and took off his glasses for a moment to clean them and then put them back on.

"You…?!" he asked.

"Me," the boy said.

The skeleton sprinted to him, stumbling into the water up to his chest and pulling the boy down with him. He wrapped him tight in his arms and muttered an ancient language against his ear. He bumped his forehead into the boy's fur, and the little monster finally felt a bit of warmth. A glint of red shimmered in him. He held tight to the skeleton and sighed deeply. This felt safe.

"Oooh, kiddo, you scared us," the skeleton said quietly. "Where were you?!"

"I don't know," he said quietly.

"Where's your sister?"

"S… Sister?" He grimaced and gripped tighter. "Have to… I have to find my sister."

The skeleton held the boy back enough to look into his face. "You're… not really here, are you?" His expression was one of worry and confusion. "Do you know where you are?"

"…Headed for the lab," he said.

"Do you know who I am?"

"…Family. G… Gaster?"

"Do you know who _you_ are?"

"I'm…" The boy frowned. "I'm… the Prince?"

The skeleton grimaced. He gritted his teeth. He carefully lifted the boy and put him up on solid ground before hefting himself out of the water. The little monster wasn't sure why. They were just in the stream of black now.

Gaster held his hand and pulled him up the steps, but his paws felt like lead.

"Why am I… confused?" he wondered.

"Something… Something happened to you, _a stór," _the skeleton said quietly. "You're… grey. In some in between."

The boy blinked. In between. His soul pulsed a beat of red and he stopped in his tracks. Gaster couldn't take him, and so stopped, too.

"Like you," he said. His head hurt. He tried to recall. "You were… shadowman. Right? In the… void, right? Am I…? M… Mom couldn't see me properly."

"Ah! There you go. That sounds a bit more like you." He knelt down and held his face gently. "Do you know what happened to you?"

"Looking for… sister," he said.

"Did you get separated?" he asked worriedly.

"I was behind. I was… I am… Uhhh…" He pressed his palm against his temple. "Where was she?"

"Are you two lost?" He asked it gently, but there was a warble in his voice.

The boy nodded. "Lost." He frowned. "But where…?"

"Your soul is still glowing," Gaster said, stroking his fur reassuringly. "You should be able to feel her, don't you think? Can you find her?"

The little monster put his hand to his chest. "I…" His soul pulsed. "I…" A chill passed through his fur. He turned, eyes wide, staring at the tear that leaked that dark goo onto the rocks below.

"Take your time," Gaster said. "I'll stay with you."

A hum touched onto the boy's soul. He recognized it. The red pulled on him once more. He let out a deep breath and let it wash him over. The ooze flowed out of the split suspended above the stones.

"Are you alright?" the skeleton asked.

"Y… Yeah. Yeah. I think so, I…" Red seeped into his head. "We were… trying to help. We went… far, but then… Thennnn…" His gaze snapped back into focus, and his mind awoke, albeit groggily. He blinked quickly, pale eyes brightening. "Uncle G?!"

"There you are." The skeleton grinned. "I'm so glad to see you."

"S-Same! Is Sans okay?!"

"Well, he's… been better. But, what happened, _a stór_? How are you here? Where's your sister?"

"We were about to come home, and then some freak attacked us," he said. "Out there. In the void. She fell, I was following, but then I got…! I got shot by this crazy laser and I got knocked like, outta myself and I…"

There was that goo again, seeping out. That liquid of the void. He saw solid white creeping out of it. His lips pulled back to reveal sharp fang.

"What's wrong?" Gaster asked.

"You see that?" He pointed.

"The tear? Is something wrong with it?"

Asriel's fur bristled. His stripes ached and his body roiled. He bared his fangs and his form surged upwards and out. "I'm going."

"Wait, what—?!"

"Can't let him in here," he said. He twisted his form and came out bigger, black in his eyes, shining wings clawing from his back. "I'll take care of it."

"Take care of…?! Kiddo, what's going on?! How can we help you?!"

"Find her," he growled.

He launched himself at the tear and found himself floating in blackness, staring up at distant stars, as if he'd just awoken from a long nap. Everything hurt. His soul flickered in his chest as his memories snapped fully back into focus. He forced himself upright to look around, fur bristling. Whatever that shot was, it'd almost knocked him right out of time. He didn't even know if what he'd just seen was real, but if it was, he had to keep that creep as far away from home as he could.

He focussed his soul's red energy, trying to feel for its twin. Their melody filled his ears, faint as it was, and he let out a sigh of relief, but a moment too soon. Another hit him with a tune like the mechanical pumping deep in the CORE. Asriel was ready this time, a blade bursting into existence in one hand and a sparking, red flame in the other.

As if teleporting, a massive, dragon-skull blaster appeared before him and he shoved his sword into it. It shattered and he saw its master's vague shape behind it. Snarling, he launched himself at him, hurling the magic into him. He blocked with a wall of bones, and yet more massive skulls phased in, blasting Asriel hard. He dove through it regardless and headbutted the guy as hard as he could, following it up with a roar of flame, glittering red tinged with a rainbow spectrum at the edges. Something of the villain was caught and he flew away, but the kid wasn't having it. He grasped his sword in both hands, transforming the single-handed blade into a massive claymore.

He could see a weapon in the other guy's white hands. Another sort of blaster. It looked a lot like ones Asriel had once used: long, like the maw of a dragon, and filled with white and rainbow magic. That was the one that had sent him reeling. He didn't care about anything else, now, but smashing that thing into dust.


	37. gee there's not quite as much sun here as i expected

Fields upon fields of sunflowers blossomed all around the bustling city of Anthelion beneath the impossibly large, mountain castle. The place seemed to be rather obsessed with them, in fact. Symbols of the bright yellow flowers decorated signs and murals, as well as seeming to have inspired much of the skyward-facing architecture of larger structures. One of the main buildings on the campus of the university evoked a giant sunflower more directly with a massive, domed skylight and overhanging triangles of metal resembling the petals. Even their mascot was a large, plush, green, brown, and yellow flower creature with a cute face and pompoms that looked like— to the shock of absolutely no one— sunflowers.

Even though the grounds were crawling with students that paid them no mind, Undyne was on high alert under her biker gear and helmet. There were more humans on this campus than there were monsters on the entire planet. Calling it unnerving was an understatement in her case.

The group had split up so as not to draw any extra eyes, since together they looked like they might be planning a robbery— which they were. Undyne hovered around Sans as she'd promised, though he was unconcerned and easygoing where he sat on a bench outside that big flower building. Mettaton was not far off, strutting casually around the campus, looking a lot like a grunge-fashion model. In reality, he was testing signals in the air with his fingers, looking for a place to hook directly into the internet.

Papyrus had been designated protector of Ellie, just in case. She was wearing his pink hat and some cool shades, and had her hair in a ponytail. They looked like they'd just come in on a motorcycle, and her presence made Papyrus's seem a lot less intimidating. Boyd was understandably reluctant to let his daughter out of his sight, but he lurked on the building's steps, waiting for a go-ahead. June had already gone inside to check things out. The group had all set up their phones on a multimonster call earlier so they could serve like walkie-talkies.

When June came back, she headed to Boyd first, and then brought him to join Sans on the bench. She pushed up close to the skeleton and kept her voice casually low.

"Okay, so there is an exhibit that's open to the public," she said. "It's supposed to be, um, a permanent one on monster history. The things in there change every couple of months."

"So what d'you need me for? The archives, yeah?" Boyd said. He reached for his wallet and pulled out the U.A. alumni pass card inside. "I was never a history student, though, you sure this'll work?"

"Can't see why it wouldn't," Sans said. He took a photo of the card— both sides— and sent it to Mettaton. "We just gotta change your record. Just say you’re writin’ a paper on somethin’ and you’re lookin’ for old monster books or whatever."

"Nobody better quiz me on anything," he grumbled as he stashed his wallet again.

"You're positive you can?" June asked.

"I know the system," Sans said.

She looked uncertain, but she nodded nonetheless.

"Yo, Mettaton, you good?" Sans asked quietly.

"I've gone inside," he answered. "I just asked some lovely humans where is the best place to connect to their "Internet" thing and they pointed me to a library, I think. So, I'm on my way!"

Sans hefted himself off the bench. "Meet ya there." He adjusted his sunglasses and shot Undyne a look. "You're gonna draw eyes in there. Maybe, uh, stick to the exhibit with Paps?"

The big monster growled quietly, but she dipped her head. "Yeah. Hey, metalhead, watch out for this guy, yeah? He's sick."

"I wiiiilll," Mettaton said.

\- - -

Magic from an outsider's perspective was an interesting thing. Underground, there had once been a young human who had made her home in Waterfall, whose curiosity had guided her unique research and cataloguing of monster souls and any other magic she found. She had gone by the name Minerva, and her notes were still used to this day in schools and by Alphys in the lab, as well. She was the first to jot down that humans unattuned to monster magic would see their souls as white rather than their true colour, since she herself had observed both. When she died, her soul, shining purple, had been a gift to Gerson, to do with as he wished.

The exhibit of ancient artifacts from before the great war on display inside the university carried a similar energy to Minerva's writings: humans trying to muddle through discrepancies in what they'd been taught and what they'd discovered. Ancient artwork by humans often depicted monsters as vicious and twisted, while the humans were shining under the light of the sun. _Blessed _was the word the placards used, explaining that the humans and monsters both worshipped the sun, though the humans at the time had refused to see the similarities. There were old drawings of something resembling the Delta Rune, minus the wings. It was supposed to be a sun symbol, way back then. It appeared on most of the art that was made by monsters, often alongside a small but stoic-looking dog.

Papyrus bounced around the large, windowless room with Ellie, eagerly reading everything, as Undyne kept a polite distance but an eye on them as well. She stopped at a wall displaying two tapestries: one made by monsters, the other by humans. They were not the same event, but they contained a few of the same characters. The monster version was a depiction of a town, with all manner of creatures doing a variety of crafting jobs, even including a few humans into the mix. The human's art, again, showed their fear, depicting a surreal landscape with twisted monsters overflowing the walls of a fortress. Even a human man with a strange, five-lined scar on his face (who, on the monster's side, was shown fishing with a goblin child) was depicted in the human art as some kind of mad beast.

Undyne felt a deep, hot anger riling in her. She looked at the stone statues carved by a monster's will, defunct, crystal-powered gizmos behind cool glass; weapons crafted from metal and magic stored away. What right did these people have to this stuff? Humans had taken everything, and there was no recourse to be had. These pictures were full of hatred. A human could kill any of them with enough fear or rage and a well placed whack with just about anything. Why on earth would a human help them now? Guilt? Pity? Disgusting.

She had to stop herself— took a long, deep breath. She was slipping again. But, she did wonder about Sans's sister. A human, he'd said. She loved them, he said. But how could she have let this time mess happen? She shook her head. Not on purpose. Wasn't on purpose.

She shot a look at Papyrus and the little human, who he was now carrying, as they peered together into the cases. He was reading one of the placards to her. That took the edge off.

Prowling around, she checked the other side of the room. A few students passed through, paying her no mind, but behind them was a man who was a little bit older than them; more alert. He had dark skin, short, black hair, and a sharp, inquisitive face. He had glasses, and wore a muted grey sweater and a name tag on a lanyard. He looked like a nerd. Probably worked there. He gave Undyne a once-over, smiled agreeably, and moved past her with a deliberately measured stride.

"You okay, Cap?" Sans's voice came through near her ear.

"Fine," she said.

"Oh. Okay. Just heard you growlin' again and thought maybe somethin' wasn't agrrrrreein' with ya."

"Sans, that was _bad!"_ Papyrus whispered.

Undyne snorted, grinning despite herself. "I'm okay."

She caught a glimpse of some books, but none matched the description she'd been given. There were a few old maps in that section too, some oddly ornate sticks, and a wooden box with a polished lens— some sort of old, rudimentary camera powered by crystals. The weathered photos found within were laid out beside it: some landscapes, a town, some bits and pieces of what was probably a skeleton, a blurred, small human, and cooking cauldrons.

"You guys doin' alright?" she asked.

"We're looking for an admin desk," June answered.

"Check near the place they sell coffee. And the ID card should say our guy is a history nerd in about five minutes," Sans said.

"And I found the film department's database!" Mettaton said gleefully. "Eeeeexciting!"

At the other end of the room, Ellie had taken note of a large display board with a rainbow of souls on it. There were brief explanations of each colour, along with a single, defining trait as a title. Red was at the top, with a note explaining that this was the one that could, once upon a time, allow humans to use magic. Beside those, there was a single, white soul, simply explained to be that of a monster, describing them as white with some records of a faint iridescent sheen. There was also a small tablet set on a tiny rack with a soul colour personality quiz on display on its touch screen.

"It's pretty," she said. "Like the rainbow, right? These are souls?"

"Looks like they're missing a few, in fact," Papyrus said. "And their red is wrong."

"What do they say?" Ellie asked. "They're big words."

"Oh! Easy, little friend." He traced along each colour from the bottom up. "Purple is _perseverance_, indigo is _integrity_, this lighter blue is _patience_, green is _kindness_, yellow is _justice_, orange is _bravery_ and red… well, theirs says _power_, but really, the real one is _determination_."

"Which ones are gone?" she asked.

"Oh! Well. There should be two greens. A darker one is _fortitude. _Then, there's also a bluer purple, which is _strength. _Pink is _inspiration_ and then there's a very very light silvery one that's _empathy_."

Ellie smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I don't know what too many of those mean. Do you know what yours is?"

"Well… There's many more colours in ours, but mine is riiiight around here." He pointed squarely in the middle of yellow and orange. "There's really a whole entire gradient, as far as I know. At least in monsters."

"Oh. Do you know what mine is?" she asked.

"No, unfortunately," he said. "Though! I did see June's, which was about here, actually." He plunked his finger onto the green. "A bit lighter, though."

"Wow…" Her eyes lit right up. She pointed at the tablet. "Can I do the test?"

"I don't see why not."

He lifted the tablet up for her and she giddily began to tap through the questions. She smiled proudly upon receiving orange at the end of it. She offered it to him.

"I already know the answer," he said.

"But it's fun!" she insisted. "I'll hold it for you!"

"Alright, alright," he said. He blazed through the questions, only to receive indigo at the end. "Bah! This isn't correct at all!"

Ellie snickered. "Maybe it's just for humans!"

"Shhh, I am completely a human, remember?" he said quickly.

"Oh, right! Shhhh!" she agreed.

"What are you dorks doin'?" Undyne asked, sliding up behind them.

"Soul personality quiz?" Papyrus said, offering it to her.

"Uh. Nah." She put it back in its spot. She focussed on that nerdy man near the door of the exhibit who had been watching them, and he scurried away quickly. "I'm good, thanks. See any books?"

"None like the one specific one, no," the skeleton said. "Also, good choice, it said I was indigo, can you believe that?!"

Undyne laughed and patted him on the shoulder as she moved on. "I'll keep looking."

There was just a little more to cover, including a wall of speculation from humans who'd never even heard a spell. Beside that was a section of _Past and Future_. As Ellie, getting a little bored, scampered off to trail Undyne, Papyrus took a close look at an old picture of seven red-souled humans surrounding a mountain. The date was marked over a thousand years ago. Another, more modern image beside it showed a circle of both monsters and humans gathered together under massive storm clouds.

"Got it," Sans said in his earhole.

"Okay, we're ready," June said. "It's a blue book, right? It's not in the exhibit?"

"Nah, not here," Undyne answered.

"Humans might think of it as, uh, a music book," Sans said. "Just so you know."

"Right, I understand," she said.

Papyrus nodded to himself and returned his attention to the wall, curiously taking in the information on display.

_At the end of the war, seven wizards drained the magic in their red souls to seal Mount Ebott inside a barrier, impenetrable from within. The only way to break such a spell is speculated to be a similar combination of seven red souls. However, shortly after this event, the human race lost any connection to magic, and the ability to even see the colours of our own souls. Tragically, the crimes of the past cannot be very easily undone, and to this day, we are not even sure if monsters still live beneath the mountain._

_Many worry still about a future without monsters. From the ages before the war, there are a few remaining records of global catastrophes that were halted by monsters and humans working together. However, despite more modern records being shockingly scarce, at least two such occurrences are thought to have happened since the banishment of monsters, where significant populations disappeared and areas of Earth were irreparably damaged. How and why are a mystery, as are why little to no preparations were made, but many worry about the global repercussions another event such as these could have in a future with no way to combat them._

Papyrus tilted his head. Oddly scarce records of something so large as that? He wondered if humans maybe had their own version of CORE events up on the surface. He peered at a given map laid out of what he had to assume was the whole planet. The way the contents were aligned sort of reminded him of two abstract dogs. There was a crater-like mark pointed out with a dim point of light on the bulk of each section, with a note underneath:

_According to records, these two locations were thought to be epicentres, but difficult or uninhabitable terrain has made this exceedingly difficult to research_.

"Friends, I don't mean to alarm you, but is the planet blowing up?" Papyrus asked.

"What?!" Undyne asked, loudly enough that he heard her through both his earphone and in real life.

"No, why would it be?" June asked.

"It's… Nyeh, never mind." He took out his phone to quickly snap pictures of the text and the map. "I'm sure this is definitely not ominous foreshadowing or anything. Not. At. All."

"Want me to take a look, bro?" Sans asked.

"Later," he said.

Undyne scooped up the kid and was leaning over his shoulder in an instant. "What?" she said again.

He pointed to the words on the wall and then hurried off with his phone camera pointed out. "I think maybe dad needs to see this stuff."

\- - -

There was a line of students slowly dwindling at an admin desk that had space for four behind it, but only one person actually there to help. It was inside a room that looked more like a shop in a mall from the outside, with big windows that looked back into a wide, indoor plaza that was half made up of chain coffee places and fast food counters, with doors to lecture halls snuck in here and there and art displays smattered between storefronts. Boyd wasn't outwardly too impatient but for the tapping of his foot and an occasional glance back over his shoulder.

June lurked across the hall, keeping an eye out and feeling exceedingly suspicious, though no student gave her a second look. She hovered near the coffee shop, clutching her phone tight in her pocket, absently shifting her gaze from the window to the skylights above and back so as not to appear too fixated. She caught sight of a figure in a hoodie she was pretty sure was Sans, but was too nervous to greet him until he slid up beside her.

"So, only got asked if I had the flu twice," he said. "Not too bad. How's it goin'?"

She pointed at Boyd's back. "He's been in there since you said… It _is_ going to work, right?"

"Looked legit on our end."

June nodded. She folded her arms. "I don't know why; I've got a bad feeling about this."

"You're doin' good," he said.

"I feel like I'm going to have to run at any minute, and I haven't run since high school," she said under her breath.

The skeleton shrugged. He folded his arms and leaned on the wall. She looked him over with a worried frown crossing her face.

"Would you like me to get you a coffee or something?"

"Nah. Couldn't drink it without makin' a mess anyway."

"Ah! Right. Sorry. I forgot," she said.

He shrugged again. The skylights gloomed over, a heavy quilt of cloud pulled across. A few more indoor lights flickered on in response.

When Boyd came out of that closed-off room, he was flustered and walking at speed. He held out his card and a second, dark green one. The skeleton took and pocketed them.

"I asked for the blue book with music in it. They said it's in their catalogue; we can look at it and take pictures, but it's gotta go back."

"Sure," Sans said.

"You'll have to find it yourself, though, it's just… Uh. It's all marked on that green card." His eyes shifted back and forth over the plaza. "So, we done? I'd like to get back to my daughter."

Sans nodded. "Just be ready to, uh, book it."

"I'll go with you," June told him.

Boyd cracked a smile. He put a hand on June's shoulder and squeezed before rushing off the way they'd come.

Sans vaguely knew where the storage archives were, but he'd never been there. Never occurred to him that they might hold a bunch of monster relics either, back when he'd taught a few classes here.

He remembered walking this place with his kid sister, laughing about whatever, dragging a bag full of notes and lunch around over his shoulder. Eyes lingered on him, but it didn't bother him one bit. That little kid had made him feel so safe. Invincible, even. Not a care in the world.

The patter of rain on the glass above drew their attention. June sighed and checked her phone.

"Another system's moving in," she said. "Hope we can beat it out of here."

"We'll figure it out," Sans said.

"You know where you're going?"

"Yup."

"Good thing one of us does," she said quietly.

They had to head to a large stairwell at one of the exits back onto the grounds, but then go downwards into a basement level. There was a sign on the wall that directed towards the archives. Easy.

It was pretty empty down there, and oddly gloomy. The halls were still dim despite the overhead lights. Thunder rumbled loud enough to sound like a growl from above.

There was a computerized lock outside the door they had to enter. Sans plunked in Boyd's card and the green pass as well. The lock beeped and clicked heavily, and they could open the door.

Down yet more stairs, into a temperature-controlled room, there were a couple of simple tables and chairs in a small, open area that then gave way to shelves upon shelves, stacked to the ceiling with big, square cardboard boxes marked with numbered labels. Sans checked the green card. It had a section number on it, but it was a little vague.

"Guessin' there's surveillance in here, huh?" he said.

"Probably," June said.

"Wanna help me find a ladder?"

"Yeah. You go ahead and start," she said, hurrying off to peer down the rows.

After a short wander around, Sans found the row that matched the one noted on the green card, though he winced at the incursion of light fragments in his vision. He pressed a button on the phone in his pocket. "Gettin' a little low," he said.

"Do you have snacks?!" Papyrus demanded.

"Uh." He did have a candy in his pocket. "Yeah." He shook his head and squinted. Might as well get work done while he could.

"Well, are you eating it?!" Papyrus asked.

"Cameras, bro."

"Hurry up, then!"

The boxes Sans could reach were full of stuff, stored away carefully, but not much of note. June found a ladder at the other end of the chamber and lugged it over. She checked a row at her height while the skeleton went a little higher. Some may have been monster artifacts, but it was hard to be sure. Sans found a small black book marked with a sun, moon, and stars that had a few lines of skeleton script in the inner cover. That was coming home with him— he was pretty sure he had a way to keep something small out of time, but even if he didn't, he recorded what box it was in, which wouldn't be hard for him to remember anyway.

"Is this it?" June handed him a tattered, blue book.

He flipped through it. It was an ancient monster story book.

"Nope."

"Oh. Do you want me to put it back?"

"Nope."

Halfway through, with a small pile of the wrong books and a little dog figurine someone might appreciate, there was a shudder in the walls and the lights went out. June yelped.

"Not again!"

"Actually, this is perfect." Sans gladly took the opportunity to stash their findings in his phone, trading a couple curative items out into his shoulder bag instead.

June reached up and grabbed his arm. "Monsters don't happen to have good eyes in the dark, do they?"

"Welp." Sans took off his tinted glasses and let his eye flare blue, shining bright enough to light a little bit around them. "Might have one good eye for it."

"A-Ah!" She gently let him go, then pulled out her own phone and activated its flashlight. "That's useful. Okay."

"Did the power go out for you guys, too?" Undyne asked.

"Yeah." Sans lugged out another box and pulled off the cover— nothing but normal documents in there, albeit a lot of them. "Still lookin'."

"Hurry up. If you can," she said.

Sans dearly wanted to because, to be honest, he didn't need much of the extra light. About a third of his vision was in alternating rectangles from much different times of day, most of which he could see through clearly. Just had to ignore the phantoms of humans who weren't there.

They had almost cleared their section when they heard a strange clunking sound. Then, hinges. June drew in a sharp gasp and quickly dimmed the light on her phone. Sans, however, found he couldn't dim his eye. He winced and quickly closed it and covered it with his hand.

"I-I can still see blue," June said in hushed tones.

"Iris's causin' problems, huh?" He quickly unravelled his scarf and then rewrapped it, covering his left eye, too, before pulling his hood up. "Better?"

"Mhm." She went stiff against the shelf as the sound of footsteps was clear on the stairs. "We have to go."

"Still need that b…" He almost swooned. He put a hand to his head. "That book."

"I know! I know," she said quickly, voice low. "But we have to hide."

"Hello?" A male voice called. "Is anyone still in here?"

Sans could have sworn he recognized it. Didn't matter much, though, because his vision dazed him and he toppled, clattering down the ladder. June yelped before she could help herself and caught him in her arms, pulling him away from the metal.

"Are you okay?!" she demanded.

"Mhm." His voice was soft and hardly conscious.

"Can you stand?!"

He was limp. He tried, but failed. June caught him again and carefully guided him to the floor.

"Hello? Is something wrong?"

A light beamed down their row and June froze, wide-eyed, as it glinted off disembodied glasses in the dark. Her heart was a beating drumroll.

"Oh, god, what happened?" A concerned man in a grey sweater and lanyard hurried closer to them, lifting his phone a bit not to shine right in their eyes. However, he froze, a tremble in his fingers.

June looked down at Sans. His scarf had shifted when she moved him. The blue was still visible under the bone lid of his closed eye. The woman's mouth dropped open as she tried to find some words. Sans grabbed her arm with weak fingers.

"Sorry," he said. His eye shifted up to the man and he cracked a smile. "Oh. Hey. G-Good luck for once. He's… uh… He's safe."

"He is?! You know this guy?!" she asked as a swift whisper.

"History prof. He… He had the…" He raised a hand to greet the man, but it dropped down limply as his eyes darkened.

June gulped. She hesitantly looked back at the man. He was gawking and silent. She grabbed the skeleton up in her arms. He was pretty light, all things considering.

"I-I need to get him to his brother," she said.

The man nodded stiffly. "Is he a…?"

She stood up and he hurriedly straightened as well. He beckoned for her to follow.

"It's dark the whole way until you get to the next floor," he said.

She grimaced, but she cautiously followed him back up and out.

It was almost just as dark in the hallway. The man walked a little ahead for a moment before doubling back. He offered his hand and then retracted it when he recalled June was a bit preoccupied.

"I'm Adi. Uh. Professor Adi Shan, I teach… history." His eyes darted over Sans cautiously. "What is he?"

"I-I think that's for him to say," she said quietly.

"Right, of course, it's just… I'm sorry, I…!" He frowned. "I just thought… His voice was sort of familiar."

June frowned thoughtfully. She wondered if, perhaps, something else odd and time related was happening. The short skeleton might have known this man. Before she could ask any questions, though, Sans stirred and quickly shot up, iris blazing blue.

She yelped— so did he— and the two toppled onto the floor in a heap. The skeleton's eyes spun and he put a hand against his head with a sharp intake of breath.

"Oof. Sorry." He sat back on the floor, only to notice the professor. He stuck his hand up. "Hey, Teach."

The man almost swooned. Sans caught his soul for just long enough to stop him from faceplanting on the tile. He sat on his knees and took a deep breath, rubbing his eyes.

"I'm not dreaming, right?"

"Might be better if you were," Sans joked.

"Y-You're a _monster?!_" Adi demanded in a hushed voice. "What are you…?! How did you get here?!"

"Long story. Long drive, too," Sans said.

"This has to be a dream," the man decided, nodding to himself. He stood up slowly, rubbing a hand through his hair. "It makes no sense."

June awkwardly stood up and offered Sans her hand. He let her pull him to his feet.

"We should get to Papyrus," she whispered.

Sans tilted his head thoughtfully. He looked up at the professor. "Yo. Can I ask you somethin'?"

"What? Me?" the man asked shrilly.

"Yeah. See. Kinda lookin' for a book," Sans said. "Dark blue. No title. B—"

"Bone runes in the border?" The man looked like he's seen a ghost.

Sans grinned. "You pulled it a while ago, huh?"

"I… I was trying to translate it," he said.

"There's something wrong with the world. W-With time. He needs it to save his little siblings," June said quickly. "Please."

Adi looked between them with wide eyes. He nodded and beckoned to them. "Follow me."

Professor Adi Shan's office was in another building, up two storeys, so the group were soaked by the time they got there. He'd been working on things from the monster war era for years, he explained— and was easily evidenced by the amount of books and models overtaking his small study.

"I had this dream," he said as he pulled through the mess of documents and books on his desk, "that my family and I went to the monster's mountain."

Sans curiously peered over an antique globe in the corner of the room. "You go to a bar run by a guy made of fire?"

The man froze and his eyes shot up to look at the monster incredulously. "How did you…?"

"It's a real place," he said with a shrug. Humans who'd been to the mountain had a lot of bleed. Interesting. Then again, this guy had met his sister too, hadn't he?

"I'm probably still dreaming, right?" he asked quietly. He winced at the rumble of thunder. "Could have sworn I drove to work today." He whirled on Sans again. "Can I ask you something?"

Sans shrugged.

"Can I…? Can I see your face?"

June put her hand on his shoulder. He dipped his head as he took off his glasses.

"Sure, s'nothin' special, though." He pulled his scarf down around his neck and shrugged.

Adi froze again. His eyebrows just about shot off his head and the whites of his eyes seemed to shine. He instantly scrambled through his junk and, with shaking hands, pulled up a notebook and thumbed through it. He hopped his desk, knocking over a tin of pencils. He shoved the book towards Sans, held open to a page. The skeleton took it and looked it over curiously: it was covered in roughly drawn pencil sketches of monsters. One looked a lot like him, and one looked like Asgore— a big, friendly goatish man with a large smile and dark eyes. There was a horned monster with one giant eye and some bunnies, and, down in the corner, a small human child in a winter hat talking to an equally small, light goat monster and an even smaller, slightly ambiguous, darker possibly-a-goat monster. Sans recognized the shape of the hair. He returned the book carefully.

"Dream, huh?"

Adi nodded. He doubled back, almost tripping on pencils. Sans caught him again. The man went back to digging through his desk. He shoved aside a laptop and found, finally, a thick, protective envelope. He checked inside, took a deep breath, and then offered it to the skeleton with a tremor in his fingers.

"This is the one, right?"

One look at the cover inside told Sans that it was, but he took it out and flipped it open, just to be sure. The book of Dirges, pulled from time, never delivered to Asgore, still existed perfectly, right here in his hands. He cracked a smile.

"Yeah," he said. "I'll get you a translation when we're done with it."

"Wh…?! That…! That would be amazing," Adi said. "Thank—!" His phone went off and he checked it reflexively. "Sorry, that's…"

June's did as well. She paled and checked it quickly, only to put a hand to her mouth.

"What?" Sans asked.

"MOKP Alert," she breathed. She showed him her screen.

It was a _Missing or Kidnapped Persons_ Alert. The name listed was for _Elizabeth_ _Aiza_. Last seen in Arrow Valley, in Boyd's grey car. The photos accompanying it were a rough picture of Boyd's face and an old picture of Ellie. Sans flinched. He quickly put the book away in his bag and then grabbed Adi's hand to trade him some thick, gold coins.

"Wh—?" The man's dark cheeks flushed slightly. "You don't have to—"

"I know. Thanks." He covered his face again and nodded towards the door. "We gotta go."

His earphone and mic were all askew after the fall. He texted everyone on his way down the stairs: _leave ASAP_. June put her hand on his shoulder again.

"You're feeling okay?" she asked.

"Okay enough," he said. "Thanks for the catch, by the way."

"Not a problem," she said.

His phone rang. Papyrus. He answered. The sound was muffled by the pounding of rain

"What do you mean leave ASAP?!" Papyrus demanded. "I mean, I'm already almost out but—"

"People are lookin' for Ellie," he said.

"Oh. OH! Okay. Okaaay, okay. Bad people?"

"Nah, just not people we wanna deal with."

"Right! Right right. Are you okay, by the way? I thought I felt you going wonky."

"Ah. Yeah. Had an episode, I'm okay. Just, uh, make sure the kid's safe, yeah? And go to June's car."

"Got it, brother! Meet you there!"

They ran into Boyd as they were coming out of the building. He was soaked and haggard looking. He held up his phone incredulously and shoved it towards June, tapping the screen with an insistent finger.

"Did you see this?!" he asked.

"Yes, we did. Don't panic. We're leaving," she said.

He hurriedly took his coat off and put it around her shoulders, pulling the hood up for her. "What the hell is this _Elizabeth Aiza_ crap?! None of that is her name."

"Okay, okay." She grabbed his hand. "Come on."

Puddles were already starting to flood the sidewalks between university buildings. The sunflower dome more so resembled some glinting, grey fortress looming overhead. June was getting soaked down to her socks. They had to leave campus to get to her car, and Boyd was about to leave them and head his own way when she dragged him back by his arm.

"I gotta go the other way," he said.

"No, come with us," she said.

"But my car—"

"Ditch it," Sans said. "It doesn't matter."

"…Shit. Alright."

Papyrus was waiting for them at June's car. He stuck his hand up to wave and beckoned them in while, to their surprise, hopping into the driver's seat. When they got close, the back door opened and Undyne dragged both humans in, shoving Ellie into her father's arms before shutting them in.

"Wh-What's going on?!" June asked. "Can you drive?!"

"Yes, I absolutely can!" Papyrus said brightly. "Sans, get in, we're going!"

"Where's Mettaton?" he asked as he flopped onto his seat.

"What, he's not with you?" Undyne said as she yanked her helmet off and pushed her hair out of her face. "Ugh, figures."

"Seen any cops?" Sans asked.

"I don't actually know what they look like," Papyrus said apologetically.

"I'm calling him," Undyne grumbled, jabbing her phone's screen too harshly and shoving it against her ear.

"What's going on?" Ellie asked in a small voice,

"Nothin', sweetheart, just trying to figure some stuff out," Boyd said quietly. "Don't worry."

"Hey, buckethead!" Undyne said into her phone. "Where are you?! We gotta go! …What part of ASAP do you not under…?! What? I don't, uhh…" She looked at Sans. "You got the book?"

"Yeah," he said.

Papyrus beamed, eyes glittering as he thumped his brother on the shoulder. Undyne cracked a relieved smile.

"Yeah," she said into the phone. Her expression quickly fell to one of frustration and incredulousness. "…NO, dude, you do not need all twenty three_ Cyberhaunting_ movies! Get out here! Yes, that's an order!" She hung up and growled. "I swear, that guy…"

"It's okay!" Papyrus's voice jumped up an octave. "I'm sure it's fine! We can wait! But probably not too long, actually!"

"Why, what's wrong?" June asked worriedly.

"Well I mean! It's just…" He gently readjusted the rearview mirror. "There's some people outside pointing at the car and considering that it's raining so hard, and that man there is coming towards us—"

"Go," Sans said.

"But Mettaton—!"

"GO!" shouted just about everyone.

Papyrus saluted and pumped on the gas and the car shot ahead down the road, clobbering a puddle and rounding a corner sharply. The kid in the back squeaked and her father held her tight.

"Careful!" he barked.

"I am! We can't leave him behind, though, right?!" Papyrus insisted.

"Just keep goin'," Sans said. He was gripping tightly to his seat. "Round the block. That's closest."

"Phew, okay!"

"J-Just don't crash my car, okay?" June said.

"I promise, I am in fact quite a good driver!" He sped up and pressed a button to pop the trunk. "Because if I'm not mistaken…" He leaned his head forward as if to point with his chin. "And I rarely am! That is him running out of that building there with a whole computer."

"WHAT?!" Undyne was basically in the front seat now, leaning forward between the brothers and glaring out through the windshield.

As usual, Papyrus was entirely correct. Mettaton was sprinting from one of the large school buildings with a computer wrapped in his arms, a couple of humans slipping in the rain as they gave chase. He clunked one of his heels against the ground and his boots grew in inches as wheels shot out from the soles and pink flames spurted from the back, shooting him forward with tremendous speed.

Sans clunked a hand against his skull. Undyne's glare could flatten the entire campus. They blew past the robot and he twirled, following them closely until he could grab the top of the trunk. He flashed a peace sign over his shoulder before toppling into the back with his prize and slamming the door on himself. Undyne sighed and dropped back in her seat.

"That idiot," she grumbled.

"I heeeeard that, darling!" Mettaton's voice came out through the car's radio.

Ellie squeaked in alarm.

"Ah! Don't be afraid! It's just me!" he said.

"Why the hell did you take a computer?" Sans asked dryly.

"I needed what was inside, obviously. Ooh. Papyrus, keep driving, I think they might start chasing us soon."

"Oh great," June said shrilly, her voice cracking.

Papyrus took a deep, steadying breath, readjusted his grip on the wheel, and then sped up, zooming around the next corner and away down the road. Buildings and their wet, shiny windows blurred into one as they rushed past. The humans clung to each other, Undyne growled, and Sans clutched even tighter to the seat.

"Which way?!" Papyrus asked.

"East. Eaaast. Southeast." Sans hurried to readjust the map back towards the mountain, and their red line pointed them homewards. "Gotta say, dude, really wish you had not stolen that thing, 'cause, uh, we got like a four hour drive and I'm hopin' we don't gotta be outrunnin' cops for most of that."

"What?!" Mettaton yelped. "Over one silly computer? I steal Alphys's computers all the time!"

"You're surprised people are touchy about their stuff?" June said shrilly.

"This is crazy," Boyd grumbled. "Hey, mate, don't crash, alright?!"

"I won't! Like I said!" He sped through a red light and nimbly dodged around a rain-filled pothole in the increasingly waterswamped road. "I'm a very good driver, actually!"

Sirens began from behind them, far in the distance but jarring nonetheless. June covered her ears and mumbled something to the floor.

"Okay. On the run. Fine," Sans said. "Paps, don't stop."

"I will not!" he assured them. "Time for crimes for a good cause!"

They blazed down the road as the rain poured and thunder rumbled over the sound of the engine. The sirens were wailing louder, and the flicker of red and blue lights shot through the downpour. Headlights beamed like glowing eyes, glaring at their rear.

"Just so you know, darlings," Mettaton said, "there's some interfering signal that keeps hitting us to tell the car's A.I. to pull us off to the side."

"Oh no, oh no no," June muttered.

"I'm overriding it, obviously," he continued. "But just so you know."

Boyd grimaced and pulled his daughter closer.

"Daddy?" she asked cautiously.

"I…" He held her to his chest, covering her ear at once. "Should I bail? You guys'd keep her safe, yeah?"

"D-Don't even think about it!" June snapped. "Not after all this!" She took a deep breath and her shoulders relaxed. "We'll keep going. It's going to be fine."

"But would she be safer?!" he insisted.

"Daddy, what are you talking about?" Ellie asked.

"Forget it," Undyne growled. She turned in her seat, glaring through the rain at the cop cars encroaching on their space as the tall buildings on Anthelion started to shrink in the distance. "Isn't there anything we could do?! Hey, Sans, what about your book?!"

"Uh…" Sans pulled the ancient tome from his bag and quickly flipped through it. "Yeah, there's no way I can cast any of this."

"Give it," she insisted, holding out her hand.

He passed it over and she instantly delved into it. "Nngaah! What language is this?! Can you read this?!"

"Yeah."

She threw it back at him. "Then find me something!"

Sans thumbed through the pages again, skimming the titles. _Crushing Meteor, Palace Ascension, Starsurge; Submergence_— all read like powerful attacks. _World Tear_ sounded beyond dangerous, but somehow was marked down to work in a separate ink. He wasn't sure that even Undyne was strong enough to cast any of these. The sirens were getting louder. Bright, shining colours caught his eye and he tore himself away from the pages. Those same flashing lights trailing them were lurking ahead behind white, bright beams— glaring, hulking cats hunched and ready to pounce. He shot a look at Papyrus, whose brow was fixed in a concentrated furrow.

"Guess they caught on 'bout the kid, huh?" Sans said.

"I was about to say, surely this wasn't allll about the computer!" Mettaton said.

"It didn't help," Undyne growled. "Sans, hurry up, will ya?"

"Yeah, I'm tryin'," he grumbled.

The engine growled as Papyrus pushed hard on the gas again.

"Aah! What are you doing, darling?!" Mettaton demanded. "Don't you see the blockade?!"

"Of course I do!"

"This car can't bust through that," Boyd said swiftly. "I swear, mate, if you get us killed—"

"I won't!" His eyes began to glow. "I have a great idea, this'll definitely lift your spirits!" He took a deep breath; his soul's song burst and a deep blue aura shimmered over the car.

"Paps?!" Undyne barked.

"Hang on to your seats!" He gripped tight to the steering wheel and, with a grunt, his gravity magic hurled the car straight into the air.

The humans shrieked. Undyne grabbed all three and squashed them close.

They vaulted the cars in their path like a horse over a hurdle and clunked back into the sloshing road. Sans bounced and had to cling to his spot with one hand again while protecting the the book with the other.

"HAH! Okay, that was cool!" Undyne whooped.

"Nyeh heh! Knew it would work," Papyrus said brightly.

Boyd's face was pale and he was starting to sweat. "How did you…?"

"They're turning to follow, just so you know," Mettaton said.

Ellie covered her ears and bit her lip. "This is scary."

"It's going to be fine." June took her hand and squeezed it. "Guys, what exactly do you plan on doing?"

"Keep going, of course." Papyrus sped up and they could feel the tires gliding under them. He let out another gravity pulse that grounded the car as one one of the ones giving chase spun out. "Ah! I hope they're alright!"

"You okay to keep that up?" Undyne asked.

"Oh, yes, for a while," he assured her.

"Sans, anything?"

Sans was getting dizzy again. Nonetheless, he went back to the book. "You ever even cast a spell like this before?"

"No, you?"

"Nope."

Undyne growled quietly, muttering darkly under her breath. The skeleton hurriedly flipped pages. The simplest one he could find was a minor weather spell. There was also a general power-buff that didn't seem like too strange a melody, either. He passed them back again.

"Maybe you can do somethin' with these."

Undyne skimmed the pages quickly. "Hm. Yeah. Seems not too bad."

She took a deep breath and brought out her soul's glow. The bright cyan dyed the back seat and Ellie let out an awed coo. Undyne held the book in one hand and read the weather-change melody a few times until she could hear it in her head. She hummed softly and her soul matched her. June scooted as far from the monster as she could, which was just a measly few centimetres. However, the spell flickered out before it got started and Undyne was left sweating already.

"Ah, damn," she grumbled.

"What was that?!" Boyd demanded.

"I'm trying."

"You gotta be careful, right?" the man barked, holding his daughter a little tighter. "You don't know what you're doin'? You guys are magic, yeah, how've you never cast a spell before?!"

"Didn't have much of a chance to learn since you humans stole all our stuff," she snapped.

"_We _just helped you get your stuff," he retorted.

"What, you want a medal?! You owed us."

"Hey, I didn't—!"

"Guys, please!" June grabbed Boyd's arm with one hand and Undyne's with the other. "This is not the time. Deep breaths. We all need to get out of this. Papyrus, hun, you're doing a great job up there."

"I know! Thank you!" he said.

"And Undyne." She held the monster's big, blue hand in both of hers. "I know it must be frustrating. But I think you can do this." She nodded. "We're counting on you, but please, try to relax."

Undyne blinked blankly at the human. Her gaze shifted to the small girl behind her, whose bright eyes were watering. Ellie's jaw was clenched, but even so, she stuck a stubby thumb up with one hand as she gripped, white knuckled, to her tiger with the other.

"Y-You can do it, Undyme," she said in a tiny voice.

Undyne cracked a reluctant smile. "Right."

"Welp. That was excitin'. Try the buff first," Sans suggested.

"And hurry up, please," Mettaton said.

Undyne flipped the page and began again, a different melody that emerged more smoothly. Her soul followed along on the first try, and when the spell burst, a shimmer of her bright colour crackled like electric sparks over every monster in the car. Sans shot up like he'd been shocked by static and the glow in Papyrus's eye flickered with cyan.

"Nyeeehhh! That's weird!" he said.

"Feels pretty good to me," Undyne said, flexing her arms. "Okay. Again." She crossed a leg and propped the book up. Her magic began to swell as she forced her soul along the melody. She took a long, deep breath and closed her eye, and when she let it out, the air from her mouth was chilly mist.

Spirals of frost crept up the windows outside and a blue sheen tinted the rain. With a melody reminiscent of Undyne's own, the outer world was shrouded in a puff of mist so thick they could see nothing behind them any longer. Sans wilted in his seat and Papyrus cawed loudly.

"Holy cannoli!" he yelped.

"That was fantastic!" Mettaton cheered. "I knew you could do it, beautiful!"

Undyne stomped on the floor of the car.

"Ouch."

"Th-That's amazing," June said. She turned around as much as she could and squinted through the white wall behind them. "But their A.I.'ll get them going again in a minute."

"Road's ice," Sans said. "But, uh." He shot a look at the map: they'd hardly got going, and there wasn't a turn-off in any direction they needed for miles. "We could head back towards Gullport then maybe, uh… I dunno, what's the terrain like, can the car handle it?"

"Oh, no, probably not," June said.

"Let's just try to make some tracks, darling," Mettaton said. "Let me just…" His magenta soul flickered overtop of the map screen. "Oooh yes. Let's hit it!"

His hum, in a bombastic upbeat song, burst from the radio as he seized the car and jettisoned it forward with a propulsion of pink, glittery flame from the back.

"Do w-we have enough gas for this?!" June shouted over the noise.

"We're cyberpowered, baby, we don't need gas!" Mettaton sounded like he was beaming.

"This is the coolest!" Ellie whooped, even as her father pushed back in his seat and prayed under his breath.

Cars were not supposed to move this fast. It was a good thing the storm had kept everyone else off the road in front of them. Rain that hit the ground behind them froze slick. Whatever lights pursued them were lost. The metal frame of June's car was rattling and it sounded like something cracked. The tires carved grooves into the highway. Then, a loud, percussive _bang_. The car began to skid but Papyrus quickly put his hands on the wheel.

"I got it!" His indigo magic flashed and lifted them, but instead of a stabilizing force, it flung the car high into the air.

The panic was loud and Papyrus's apologies were louder. Sans grabbed his arm, took a breath, and touched the side of the car, using the stabilizing blue himself even though it made his head spin. They stopped, hovering in disorienting rain and grey.

"M-Maybe that boost was a bit much, huh?" Undyne said, grabbing the humans again as she laughed awkwardly. "Whew."

"Nyooo, sorry!" Papyrus said. "I wasn't trying to send us… Where are we?!"

Undyne rolled down the window and peeked out, then immediately retreated, eye wide. She was already soaked.

"Well?" Boyd asked.

"I, uh… can't see the ground good?" she said.

"What?!"

"Oh my god," June squeaked.

"Are we flying?!" Ellie asked excitedly.

Lightning flashed, slicing the sky, and the thunder that followed shook them. Papyrus gripped back onto his brother.

"I think I sent us too high?"

"Lofty ambitions, huh?" Sans said.

"Ugh."

June rubbed her arms, then froze. Her face paled. "W-We… We need to get down."

"Get down where, though, I can't see the ground?" Papyrus said.

"It doesn't matter, just…" She squished against Undyne and leaned forward to look at the map through its veneer of pink. "Can we head east?"

"I can't really move much, to be honest," Mettaton said.

"W-We can do that, I think," Papyrus said. His eyes flickered with deep blue and the car shot off sideways through the air at breakneck speeds. "Nyyeeeehhh, I'm sorry! I usually have infinitely better control than this!"

"Don't worry 'bout it!" Undyne shouted. Her soul swelled bright, shifting everyone but Mettaton to a safely rooted green. "Just keep it up!"

"Why are we glowing?!" Boyd demanded.

"It's for your own good!"

Something in the corner of Sans's eye sparkled. A chill rattled him and a dark, forbidding sense loomed in the back of his mind. The feeling was too strong— he might have reflexively warped if he knew where he was. He hurriedly reached into his bag and pulled out the barrier orb Toriel had given him. He sparked it and crushed it against the ceiling.

A shimmering violet bubble enveloped them instantly, just in time for lightning to crash against it, setting the world ablaze for an instant, followed by a deafening _boom. _It dissolved and they instantly began to fall. The humans were yelling. Papyrus sounded like an upset crow. Sans gulped heavily and, though a headache pressed in, he used his magic to toss them at an ascending angle. If the map was right, they were covering a lot of ground.

They broke the mist and could suddenly see trees and road stretched out despite the heavy rain. More lightning arced around them.

"Should I throw us again?!" Papyrus yelled.

"Once more, but not _up!"_ June said.

"Oookay! Just don't be sick!" His blue magic set them sailing through the air even farther, but very quickly, the indigo vanished from his eye and they began to fall. "Um. I don't mean to alarm you all but I believe the buff spell is wearing off."

"It definitely is," Mettaton said. "And I'm going definitely going to be sick."

"Last thing we need's a fuel ejector," Sans said.

"Just get us down!" Boyd said.

"D-Daddy, it's okay, it's just like the water slide," Ellie said, though she sounded nervous anyway.

They were still dropping. Papyrus tried to heave them back up, but the effort was straining him. Sans sighed, flinched, and tried to help despite himself. Instead, he swooned and collapsed in his seat.

"Sans!" Papyrus reached for him, and the car fell farther.

Undyne sighed. She kicked open the door beside her, letting in a cacophony of wind, and looked down. Ellie squealed.

"What are you doing?!" June yelled.

"You're nuts!" Boyd barked, holding the girl tight.

Undyne jumped. She plummeted straight down, aiming for the road far below. She crashed heavily into it, breaking the asphalt and then straightened up and held her arms out, squinting up through rain. The navy car glimmering with a faint indigo hue bore down on her like a comet. She braced herself, roared, and caught the thing as it crashed.

Green souls faded and Undyne dropped to one knee, grunting. The car began to fall apart in her hands. Mettaton leapt from the trunk and ripped a door off the back. He yanked the humans out as Papyrus stumbled from the front seat, lugging a barely conscious Sans with him. The car wheezed miserably and the metal split. Undyne bellowed and heaved the thing off the side of the road, where it crashed in a splash of soggy grass and mud. Mettaton yelped and rushed back to the trunk. The rest of them were left, standing soaked in the road in the middle of the woods.

"Everyone alright?! Undyne barked.

"Y… Yeah." June shivered and hurried to Ellie and Boyd, and held the little girl's hands. "Sweetie, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, but it's okay if I maybe puke, right?" she asked sheepishly.

"Of course that's okay," Boyd said gently.

June nodded quickly and looked over at Undyne and then her car. "…Well… Guess I'm n-not getting home that way."

"You ain't getting home any way," the big monster said. She put her hands on her hips and looked up at the silhouette of the mountain in the distance. She shot Papyrus a look. "He okay?"

Sans limply stuck a thumb up.

"You did a great job, Captain," Papyus said; even he looked worn out.

She nodded and started off down the road.

"Wait, where are you going?" Boyd asked.

"Mountain," she grunted. "Come on."

"Wha…? What do you mean? What are we supposed to do?!"

"Well, you're on the run, right?" she asked. "Like I said." She tilted her head towards the mountain.

"…Are we going t-to the Monster Kingdom?" Ellie asked under her breath,

"Oh! I see!" Papyrus beckoned for them to follow. "Yes, you are! Come on! It'll be safe there!"

"And it's a long walk in this awful cold rain!" Mettaton said, lugging his stolen computer up out of the ditch. All his human-like make up was smearing off. He offered June his empty hand. "Come on, Junebug, it's quite a trek."

"Hurry up!" Undyne called. She slid down a ditch and into the woods, waving for them to follow. "And keep close!"


	38. small pieces of a couple things

After a snack break in the middle of the gloomy woods, surrounded by the sound of croaking frogs and an overflowing brook, the monsters were revitalized— with the exception of Sans, though at least he was conscious. It was a long way, still, but Undyne was strong enough to ferry the humans part of the way.

It took a couple hours trekking in the cold rain to reach the foot of the mountain. The monsters were surprised to find the lift was back where they had been missing it. It was different, though— wood-carved and rimmed with blue border rather than a more high-tech, metal platform that was originally there. There was also an unusual sign posted beside it, with what was clearly a very proud Papyrus drawn on it, promising to "_LIFT YOU UP WHERE YOU BELONG_." It was powered by blue magic and, on the path leading up to the plateau near the top of the mountain where it stopped, a similar sign was posted, vowing to "_PUT YOU IN THE DIRT_". Both of these signs were scrawled with Papyrus's handwriting, though he swore up and down that he had not made them.

The opening on the plateau was framed with colourful, festive lights, whimsically glittering through the raindrops. Exhausted and soaked to the bone, the group lugged themselves into the passage and down the slick stairs.

The first sign of light was the petals of golden flowers, glimmering like a shock of sunlight in the dark. Seizing her father's hand, Ellie scampered ahead, dragging him down with her into the garden throne room. June rushed after them and stalled as soon as she stepped into the flowers. Her eyes were wide and glossy, and she had a tremor in her fingers.

"Daddy, look at the flowers!" Ellie said. "Inside and everything! Do you still like flowers?"

"…Yeah. I do," he said.

"Can we pick some?"

"Guess we should ask the monster King about that, I think this is his place," he said.

"Eh, go ahead, he won't mind if you take a couple," Undyne said.

Ellie lit right up and, shooting a smile at her father, she carefully walked into the flower patch and knelt down.

"You sure?" Boyd asked.

Undyne shrugged, then nodded her head towards the other side of the chamber. "He's a nice guy. Goin' back to his place, this way."

"We get to meet him?!" Ellie squeaked.

"Of course, darling!" Mettaton said brightly. "We can go in, right? Because I should prrooobably get this baby back to the lab." He thumped on the top of his stolen computer.

Undyne rolled her eye so hard one could all but hear it. "Yeah. Yeah, fine, let's go."

As the robot bounced ahead cheerfully and Undyne trudged after him, Ellie straightened up with a small fistful of flowers. She scampered to keep up with the big monsters, waving for the others to follow her. June paused to give Boyd's arm a squeeze before following. Only the skeleton brothers hung back. Sans had been unusually quiet for a while as he trudged along and, naturally, his extremely perceptive brother had taken note. Before he could ask, Sans shook off headache-induced lethargy and held up a hand to pause him. He approached the human, catching him right before his feet left the grass.

"Hey, uh, hang on a second," Sans said quietly. "Sorry. Got a question."

"Uh. Sure, what is it?"

Sans eyed him up and down. "Got a gun on you?"

Boyd blinked. He lifted his sodden sweatshirt to reveal a pistol safely strapped to his side. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

Sans held out his hand. "S'okay if I keep it while you're here?"

"Can I get an answer first?" He unfastened it regardless.

The skeleton lowered his voice. "My sis saw it in, uh, a vision. Saw you dustin' a couple of us."

"What?! Who?! Why?" he asked.

Sans nodded his head towards Papyrus, who was watching them, puzzled, from afar.

"Him?" Boyd looked incredulous. "He's harmless."

"Figure you didn't know that," Sans said. "Seemed to be a misunderstandin'."

"Oh… Oh! That's why the Prince kept insistin' I stay behind," he said quietly. "And why she was… Damn, no wonder. I just… I can't imagine…"

"Maybe if you mistook her for your kid," Sans said. He winced as, for the umpteenth time that day, fragments of time shifted before his eyes, "And maybe if you, uh, saw a monster grabbin' her or—"

"Kinda horrific, mate." He grimaced but turned the gun over, grip first.

Sans carefully accepted it; had no intention of telling him just about any object would be just as deadly. He knew just having a weapon could be emboldening. "Glad you think so." He stored it away in his phone. "You'll get it back."

"Honestly. It's not that important," he said. He perked up to the sound of his daughter's voice calling to him from down the hall and readjusted his shirt. "But you'd owe me a couple hundred bucks."

"Fair."

Boyd left to join his daughter and Sans had to take a breather. He looked at the weapon registered in his dimension box. Maybe he'd just chuck it into the CORE and pay the guy some gold for it. He rubbed his head and his eyes flitted around the room. Something looked a little off, now that he thought about it. Papyrus slid up beside him, giving him a curious look.

"What was that about?"

"Just double-checkin' somethin', don't worry about it," he said.

"Shouldn't we go in? What's wrong?" Papyrus asked quietly. "I mean, aside from the obvious."

"Hm? Ah. Not a big deal." He pointed to the sheet that shrouded a throne that used to belong to Toriel: it was dotted with embroidered flowers. "Sorry. Just thought that was white before."

Papyrus followed his gaze. "Ah! You know. I think you might be right. Good thing you have a surprisingly sharp memory for detail, hm?"

"Kinda have to," he said with a tired smile. He slowly began to follow after the others and Papyrus gingerly met his pace. "Been noticin' a small pattern, at least."

"Oh?! That's good! What kind?" Papyrus asked.

"If somethin' shifts nearby, that's usually when I start to space," he said.

"Nyeh. Frustrating. I'll have to keep an eye out for that and you at once." Nonetheless, the tall skeleton winked. "I'm sure it won't be a problem, brother. Just let me know, if you can."

"Thanks, Paps."

Sans was glad to be home. Now, at least, if he started to wander, he knew he'd probably drop himself off in Waterfall again or something, instead of blindly ambling into the unknown (and possibly down a car-filled road).

"I have to say, aside from that end bit of trouble, that went pretty well," Papyrus said.

"For doin' non-stopped crimes, yeah, guess so," Sans said with a grin.

Papyrus scoffed. "Well. I mean. We had to, didn't we?" He smiled sheepishly. "And. That magic book. That was really something else, right?"

"Dug that boost, huh?" Sans teased.

"Well I've never made something fly like that before! Brother, when things get back to normal, if I forget— which I am going to try very hard NOT to— remind me that's a thing we could do, alright?"

He smiled fondly. "Sure."

"Dad's going to be really happy, I bet," he continued.

"Yeah."

"I can't wait to re-meet our siblings," Papyrus said. "We'll, um… We'll go back though, right? Our sister can do that? Back to when I remember, I mean." He rubbed the back of his hand. "I don't want them to be upset that their cool tall brother Papyrus sort of… forgot. You know?"

"Don't worry 'bout it, Paps," Sans assured him.

When they got to Asgore's place, the first thing they saw was Mettaton draped dramatically along the railing near the stairs. The King wasn't there, but Alphys was, puffing a little as if she'd run from the lab, even as she was stumblingly but jovially greeting the humans. She had one of the small flowers from the garden tucked between the spikes on her head. There was a bemused smile on June's face as she nodded along and, though Boyd had his hand on his daughter's shoulder protectively, the kid was absolutely aglow. Undyne had her arms folded as she supported the wall.

"So! Um!" Alphys clapped her hands together and leaned around the humans to look at the skeletons that had just come up the stairs from the paths below. "Are, um…? Are they… staying?"

"Yeah," Sans said.

"We are?!" Ellie asked excitedly.

"Ah! Okay! Th-Then, um, there's some ground rules, uh…" Alphys began to sweat. "Oh, god, I'm n-not even sure if I'm the right one t-to, um…"

"Why not, darling? You've already started," Mettaton said.

"Okay, umm…! So! D-Don't, um… Don't tell anyone you're humans, f-for one thing. Um. And if someone battles you—"

"Battles us?!" Boyd repeated worriedly.

"Ah!" Alphys put her hands up. "It's r-really no big deal, j-just stall for a little a-and… And… Oh, maybe if you stay with A-Asgore that won't be a problem, umm…"

"First." Sans stuck a finger into the air. "Towels."

"Oh… That'd be nice," June said quietly.

"New clothes, probably," Sans continued. "Humans actually get sick from bein' wet and cold."

"You do?! Crap," Undyne said.

"I'll find some towels at least," Papyrus volunteered. He bounded off down the hall.

"Wait, so we're just raidin' the King's house for towels, now?" Boyd asked.

"All our houses are too far," Mettaton said.

"Is that even legal?!"

"I-It's fine. It's fine." Alphys slid over to Sans and grabbed his shoulders. "H-How are you?" she asked in a hushed voice.

Sans shrugged.

She nodded. "Can w-we talk?"

He caught Undyne's eye lingering on them. He beckoned her over and tilted his head towards the door. "Yeah."

They gathered outside the house and a little farther into the cavern. Alphys was wringing her hands anxiously.

"S-So did you find it?" she asked.

"Yup." Sans pulled the book out of his bag and offered it to her as her eyes bugged out. "Got a bunch of other junk, too."

"Yeah?! What else?!" Undyne asked.

"More books, mostly."

"O-Oh my g-god." Alphys gently took the tome from him and opened it up. "…Look at that."

"Used it, too," he said. "Cap cast two spells."

"WHAT?!" Alphys looked up at her with glittering eyes. She grabbed one of her hands tightly. "Wh-What was it like?! How do you feel?!"

"Uh. Fine, I guess. We picked, like, the only easy ones."

"The e-easy ones from a b-book of Dirges, though!" Alphys insisted, grinning. "Which m-means they must b-be, um, pretty advanced! And that w-was your first time?"

"Yeah."

"Y-You're amazing!" The little lizard's cheeks flushed bright and she pulled back shyly.

Undyne grinned a little despite herself.

"There was a lot. You should tell 'er," Sans said.

"Would you?" Alphys asked.

"Uhh…" Undyne smiled sideways. "Sure?"

"Oh, excellent! Th-Thank you!" She looked around quickly. "Um… I guess we could go back in?"

The humans and Mettaton were bundled in King-sized towels, now. Mettaton was warming Ellie's head with a built-in hair drying hand attachment. He'd rarely made use of it, but smiled at Alphys as if to say _he'd told her so _when she walked into the dining room where they were gathered. The fireplace was smouldering and Papyrus fanned it with an old calendar. The flame puffed and sparkled faintly.

"Alright. We're doing a debriefing," Undyne announced. "Paps, you took photos, right?"

"Ah! I absolutely did!" He straightened up and gently placed the calendar back where he'd found it. He also took a moment with his phone to pull out a new shirt and hoodie for Sans. "I'll call mom. Change before you make the King's stuff all damp with your soggy self."

Wasn't a bad idea. Sans gratefully accepted the clothes and plopped in the big chair to switch out for the dryer tops as the three monsters headed away towards Asgore's room. The sweatshirt was a black one with faded, cartoon rib patterns on it, with the little blue spot his sister had added. Of course it would be. He sighed quietly and pulled the shrouding scarfs out of his ribcage.

"Sans? Are you alright?" June asked.

"Hm? Oh. Yeah. Sure," he said as he pulled the new, white t-shirt on. "Why?"

"Well, you fainted twice today," she said. "I'm not sure if it's similar for monsters or not, but if that was one of us, I'd suggest you should go to the doctor right away."

"Ah." He smiled tiredly. "Extenuatin' circumstances. Don't sweat it."

"I'd go so far as to say unconscious is his default state," Mettaton teased. He looked at Ellie and tilted his head. "How's that, sweetpea?"

"A lot better!" she said brightly.

"Okay, who's next?"

Boyd pointed at June. He was starting to look uncomfortably flushed.

The sound of the door opening stalled them.

"Alphys? Undyne?" Asgore's voice echoed down the hall. "Boys?" The huge monster, dressed casually in a cozy knit sweater, rounded the corner and froze up, his eyes darting over the humans.

June's jaw dropped. She looked like she might cry. Ellie squealed and she grabbed her father's hand, jumping up and down.

"It's the big King! He's real!" she squeaked.

Asgore caught Sans in the corner of his eye as the short skeleton lazily waved. Mettaton turned his hair-drying appendage off and it flipped back inside to replace itself with his normal hand.

"Hello, your Majesty! You would not believe the day we've been having."

Asgore chuckled. His surprise tempered and he smiled at the humans. "Visitors. Howdy! Unexpected, but welcome." He tilted his head. "I… feel like we may have met, is that right?"

Though June nodded stiffly, Boyd cracked a tired smile.

"Yeah. I mean. Your Highness." He dipped his head. "The girl I talked to at your place gave me a lead on how to find my daughter." He patted Ellie gently on the head. "This is Ellie. Oh. Uh. And I'm Boyd. Dunleavy. In case, y'know, all this memory stuff is kinda getting it lost."

Asgore smiled. "I understand." He put a hand to his chest. "I am Asgore." He knelt down. "And howdy to you, little one. I don't believe we've met."

The kid was jittery with excitement. She looked up at her dad and he nodded. She scampered to meet the massive monster and cautiously grabbed his finger with both of her hands.

"I-I read a-about you in my book!" she said shrilly. She offered him the flowers from his own garden.

"Oh, did you now?" Asgore chuckled and graciously accepted the blooms. "I would love to hear about it."

"Really?!"

He nodded and gently patted her tiny shoulder. "Oh my, you're a bit damp, little one." He looked around. "The rest of you, too! Goodness."

"World's basically floodin' out there," Sans said.

"Hm." Asgore stroked his beard. "Well. Guests. Would you like to accompany me down to the city? I'm sure we could find something to fit you. I'd offer you something of mine, but it might fit more like a blanket with sleeves than… Well. You know."

"Hope you don't get sick of doin' this for us," Boyd said with an unintended sniffle.

"Anything I can do to help," the King said. "But, um. Sans. The others—"

"There." He pointed down the bedroom hallway.

"Ah! Alright. I'll talk with them later. Did you manage to find what you were looking for?"

"And then some," Sans said.

Asgore's face lit up, his eyes shimmering. He grinned brightly. "I'm so glad, son." He straightened up and then beckoned to the humans. "If you are willing, please, follow me, we'll find you something dry."

"Um! Your Highness?" June asked, her voice shrill.

"Yes, little one?" he asked.

"Do…?" She gulped. "Do you remember me?"

Asgore smiled gently. "Of course. You're June. The human's Ambassador. Am I right?"

"Y-Yes." She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for the help."

He nodded and held out a paw. "It's good to see you again, despite these strange circumstances. Come. And stay close, friends. You can tell me all about what lead you back to our mountain."

Mettaton waved jovially to them as they left, and then turned to the groggy skeleton, putting his hands on his hips. "You're unusually quiet."

Sans shrugged.

"Well. You must feel a little better, right?" he said. "Having that book, I mean." He raised his brows. "You're really doing all this for some mysterious kids, hm? I hope it's worth it. I mean, it was worth it for me."

Sans laughed. "So what's on that computer that you're so into?"

"Exactly what I said! Movies. Hundreds. A huuuuge database. I mean, I got some off their internets while we were out," he said as he patted the top of the desktop's tower, "but this baby fits so many films in there, too! I couldn't pass it up." He winked. "Plluuussss, imagine what Alphie can reverse-engineer from this!"

"Told you time was gonna be undone, right?" he said tiredly.

"So?"

"So you ain't gonna have any of that."

"What? Not even if I backed it up?!" Mettaton's eyes went wide. "Come on, now, that's crazy."

Sans sighed quietly and laughed, tapping on the side of his skull. "Is there some part of _this day will not have happened _that's not computin' in there?"

"Other than that it sounds insane, no."

Sans shrugged. "Welp. Warned ya."

"Ugh, what about your father, isn't he some superpowered smartypants? Couldn't he figure something out for me?"

Sans shrugged. Mettaton rolled his eyes.

The sudden bang of the front door slamming open made the metallic monster jump, though Sans didn't move.

"Boys? Undyne?" Toriel called. She found them before they answered and hurriedly moved to swoop Sans up into her arms. She squished her cheek against his head and blew out a heavy sigh. "Thank goodness you're back."

"Hey, Tori," Sans croaked.

"Greetings, your Highness, you're looking beautiful today," Mettaton said.

"What did you do?" she asked him with a suspicious glare.

"What?! Nothing!" he said, putting his hands up quickly.

"Aside from sneaking away from the mountain without telling anyone like a fool with a death-wish, I mean."

Mettaton smiled sideways and took a very exaggerated step backwards. "I seeee you're probably going to be very busy, my liege so…" His arms extended for his stolen treasure and he plucked it away as he edged away. "…I will take my leeeeave! Toodles!" He was gone from sight and his high heels clacked away very, very quickly— right out the door.

Sans snorted out a tired laugh and the huge monster holding him wilted and plopped down in the seat he'd been in. She sat him on her leg, rubbed her hands together, and then held either side of his skull, summoning a powerful, yet gentle, healing magic.

"Guess Paps told you what happened, huh?" he asked as her violet energy began to set the dark of his eye sockets shimmering faintly with purple. The chunks of alternate time that danced before him started to fade out.

"Yes. He did."

"Alph said you did a circle."

"Ah! Yes. That's also true." She cracked a smile. "It was strangely cathartic. So, the NOCTURNE is complete and ready to go, once the other elements are in place. I heard your trip was a success."

"Got some good stuff. Got the book. Alph has it," he said.

"I'm so glad," she said. "How was Undyne? I know her eye was bothering her."

"Not bad. Did a pretty, uh, bang up job." She wouldn't get the joke, but he liked it anyway. "But, uh…" His mind rolled over to their dreams of the goat kid, and he tried not to wince. "Oh. We had to detour to rescue a kidnapped, uh, kid."

"Papyrus mentioned that, too," she said. "I'm happy you could help. But… Sans. Honey." She held his face in one large paw. "Pace yourself. I can't believe I have to say that. But still."

He smiled tiredly and grabbed her hand. "I know."

Toriel looked at him fondly, but there was still worry in the furrow of her brow. She pulled him into her arms again and drooped. To be honest, he was kind of grateful.

"Worried you, huh?" he said.

"Among other things." She laughed quietly. "Ah. I'll be alright. But, things here have been… odd." She perked up and then gently set him on the arm of the chair. "We'll discuss it when your father gets here. I… do need to tell you one important thing though." She winced. "You will not like it."

"Wuh-oh. What?"

"_Grillby's_ is gone."

The simple phrase was like a kick to the chest.

"Oh. Shit. What happened?" Sans asked.

"Time changed," Toriel said. "It's _Flambé's, _now."

"Flam…?" He frowned and a chill rattled him. "Is he alive?"

"Yes, he's in New Home with his daughter, thankfully," she said. "Though we haven't had the chance to speak with him. And I'm not exactly sure what happened."

Sans blew out a sigh of relief and he nodded. "Welp. Is it good, at least?"

"It's… different," she said.

"Great," he grumbled.

Toriel cooed and gently patted his head. "It will be alright, my child." She got to her feet in time to meet Papyrus as he returned to the room.

The skeleton was taken aback, but instantly broke into a grin and accepted a big, warm hug. "Mom! Hello! I'm so glad to see you!"

"Welcome back, sweetie." She cupped his face. "How are you?"

"Fantastic as always! Happy to be home. But the human world was so interesting!" He patted his hands onto his jacket. "Most of us got some new human clothes! And we even saw a small museum about before the war. Sans, did you show her the things you took? Also, show me the things you took."

"Oh, ah… Sure."

He had to delve into the pockets of his soggy hoodie for his phone, but once he had it, he pulled a couple books and the little dog sculpture.

"Oh, adorable," Toriel said as she gently plucked it from him. She took a seat on the chair again and turned it over in her hands. Her thumb brushed over the small sun symbol on the dog's back. "If you so choose, give this to the dogs in town, I think they'd appreciate it."

"I'll do it, they jump me all the time for some bizarre reason," Papyrus said, accepting it from her and tucking it away in his phone. "Sometimes in our own house. As you may have seen."

Toriel smiled. "They like you. In the olden days, dogs were fairly uncommon. It was thought to be good luck to be approached by one."

"Really?" Papyrus said, his brows shooting up. He cupped his chin. "Well. I do have fantastic luck. So that might make sense."

"Dogs and skeletons have an interesting history together. Long before we were trapped below ground, many groups of us were actually quite spread out. It was skeletons that introduced dogs properly to the rest of us."

"Ooooh," Papyrus said. He turned as Undyne and Alphys rejoined them. "I've just learned that apparently it's good luck for dogs to climb you and chew on your bones."

"Oh yeah? Nice," Undyne said. "Are we checkin' out the haul?"

"We sure are!" Papyrus said.

Undyne dragged chairs over from the dining table and Toriel moved on to the small book with the star, moon, and sun symbols on the cover. Her eyes lit up.

"You didn't…" She flipped it open and broke into a smile. "Oh, goodness, would you look at this."

"You recognize it," Sans said.

"It's a Celestial compendium," she said.

This drew a blank from all the other monsters.

"Celestial…?" Alphys's brow furrowed for a moment before her eyes grew wide and she grasped her own hands tight. "W-Wait, I've heard of th-that, I think? It was an old magic classification system, right? It's a l-little outdated. It hasn't been taught in a-ages."

Toriel chuckled. "No, I suppose there would be no need. You all know, don't you? That our magic's strength grows in the natural light of the sun. Without it, we were always at an additional disadvantage if a violent human so happened to come down here."

"They knew. Time might be a bit, uh…" Sans tapped the side of his head.

"Well. While we wait for Gaster. Would you be willing to hear a little magic lesson?" Toriel asked. "It may also double as a history lesson. I can fill in some gaps: I was there, after all."

"I would love that!" Papyrus said brightly.

"Yes, please," Alphys said eagerly.

Toriel turned a few pages of the book, a fond smile growing on her face. "Our mythology always spun around the sun, moon, and stars. Much more so on the surface. The sun is the source of magic. So, too, are stars, and the moon is a reservoir of it, or so the stories go. So, the Celestial classification reflects that." She put her hand to her chest. "A Sun soul is swift and powerful, and draws magic most effectively from the sun, as per its name. A Moon soul is weaker overall, but sustains longer and can draw from moonlight. They are stronger in darkness. A Star soul is rare and very powerful, drawing from starlight and sunlight together."

"Wait, so our magic really comes from the sun?!" Undyne barked.

"All magic does." Toriel's expression dimmed. "Which is why our banishment was so cruel. It was intended to be a slow death of starvation. I suppose, for many, it was."

"Why didn't we know this?!"

"So much was lost…" Toriel shook her head. "Our scholars, our composers; most of those with any sort of mastery did not make it through. And then, many who knew the sun and then went without simply gave up." She grimaced. "Marks meant nothing underground, and there was nothing anyone could do. It was thanks to Gaster discovering that the centre of the planet also held that magic we needed, and being able to draw it up to us, that kept our race alive. His work— and that of Graetsif in Snowdin and Whorl in Waterfall, along with a few others— was really what saved us, especially in those early years."

"Who?" Papyrus asked blankly.

"Graetsif is the biggest icewolf; lives in the valley," Sans said. "Oh. Guess she does the snow, huh? That makes sense."

"And Whorl does the floods," Undyne said. "Lives at the bottom of that black lake. Huge dragonfish guy. Totally ripped."

"There were those who did similar tasks in Home and Hotland, and even New Home, at one time," Toriel said. "Sadly, they… did not make it."

"Aw," Papyrus said quietly.

"Wait, o-one second, sorry, can we, um, go back a minute? You said _marks_, didn't you?" Alphys asked. "What d-does that mean?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, Alphys— of course, those never appear anymore," Toriel said. "When one is fully at mastery of a type of magic, a large burst of power may cause a Celestial mark to appear somewhere on the body." She rolled up the sleeve on her right arm and rested her hand on her shoulder. "Mine used to be here. Perhaps with more light, it'll show itself again." She laughed. "Or perhaps I've gotten slow in my old age and it's gone for good now."

"So, this book is…" Papyrus gently took it from her. "It's all about this? Oh! And about some knights?!"

"Ah. Yes. Back before the mountain, there were once two orders of knights under the royal family. Of course, sorting things was very popular, so there was an Order of Sol and an Order of Lune, which—"

"Sol and soul. Ah. I get it," Sans said thoughtfully.

"What? O-Oh! Hey, I like that," Alphys said.

Toriel chuckled. "It was needlessly political." She turned a page for Papyrus, where the next one displayed sketches of armoured monsters in fancy regalia, emblazoned with the same symbols from the cover of the book. "Anyway! The separation of the two was counterproductive due to the natural traits of our souls complimenting each other. It was the source of many foolish arguments, vying to get the favour of the King, which was such nonsense since we all worked for him anyway. The Orders joined into the Celestial Knights under Asgore's father, which was much better. Though. I must say, I'm biased."

Papyrus peeked ahead in the book. There was a full page drawing of an elegant, goat monster knight, carrying a large sword with a winged guard and a shield patterned with a crescent moon.

"Hey, this knight looks a lot like you!" Papyrus said.

Toriel took one look at it and she laughed brightly. "That's because it is me, hun," she said. "At least they got my good side, hm?"

"What?! You were a cool heroic knight?!" he yelped.

"Wait, and you had the same job I did? You?!" Undyne barked. "But you're so soft and a big mom!"

Toriel smiled warmly. "It was a long time ago. And, really, I was more of a peacekeeper."

"With a giant sword!" the skeleton said excitedly, pointing at the picture. "Oooh, do you still have it?!"

"No, it shattered a thousand years ago," she said.

"Aw."

"The shield saw a lot more use," she said. "…I was going to give it to my daughter, Chara, one day. It may still be here, somewhere, but it's been a few hundred years."

Sans leaned forward to look closer. Her old sword looked a little familiar— kind of like one he saw dyed with rainbow light and trying to cut his sister in half. "Interestin'," he said quietly.

"S-So, wait, you were A-Asgore's top Celestial Knight and th-then you… You got married and…?" Alphys blushed. "That's so r-romantic. Did you ever have to rescue him from any towers?!"

"I had to rescue him from _everything_," she said with a sigh. "He and Gaster got in over their horns more times than I can count."

"Are you talking about the Tower of Airtal?" Gaster had slipped in silently, somehow, and wore a bashful smile on his face. "Because that was an unmitigated mess."

"Dad!" Papyrus bounced up to give Gaster a hug as Sans tiredly raised a hand to greet the old skeleton. "You would not believe the two days we've had!"

"I'm glad you're back home," he said. "Did you—?"

"They did!" Alphys said brightly, offering the book.

Gaster's eyes glimmered and he eagerly took it from her. He flipped through the pages quickly and let out a deep sigh of relief. "There aren't words strong enough to express my gratitude." He looked around curiously. "Ah… Where are the humans? I owe them some thanks, I'm sure."

"With Asgore," Sans said.

"We got caught in the rain. Repeatedly. And had to walk to the mountain. The surface really does a lot of rain, apparently," Papyrus said.

Gaster nodded. His eye caught on the open book and the sketch of Toriel. "Wait, that couldn't be…?"

"Seems like there was a few books from the castle's library, old friend," she said. "I was just giving an impromptu lesson on Celestial classifications. Who knows, now that we'll be living above ground again, it may be relevant for the first time in a thousand or so years."

"That would be something," he said.

Papyrus smiled brightly and patted his mother on the shoulder. "And maybe you'll get your m—!"

"WHOA WHOA WHOA HOLY CRAP, WHAT?!" Undyne exclaimed loudly, leaping from her seat.

"Nyeehh! What?!" Papyrus yelped, drawing back with alarm.

"What's wrong?" Toriel asked swiftly.

Undyne took a deep breath and beckoned everyone close, only to seize Papyrus's hand tightly and shove it against Toriel's exposed upper arm fur. Under his fingers, a silvery crescent formed, only to vanish completely again when she pulled him away.

"…Huh," Sans said blankly.

"Wait, I… I don't understand," Toriel said, wide-eyed.

"Me neither!" Papyrus stared at his hands. "Did I… do something?" He took Undyne and held her hand into Toriel' fur, but nothing changed. "…I _did_ do something?!"

"You gotta have, right?!" Undyne said.

"Th-That's amazing," Alphys said quietly.

"Welp. Guess we know who's a Sun soul, huh?" Sans said with a wink.

"What, you think so?!" Papyrus said.

"Of course you are, but that is not supposed to happen regardless of what kind…" Toriel ran her fingers through her fur. "That… doesn't make sense." She looked at Gaster. "Well?"

He was at a loss. He'd also lost his voice. He shrugged and rubbed the back of his skull, before coughing a distorted, gravelly sound into his fist.

"O-Oh! I have some, uh…" Alphys pulled some small cakes from her phone and handed them over.

He nodded his thanks and chucked one in his mouth. "It, uh…" He coughed again. "It does not make sense at all, actually."

"Sure it does," Sans said, drawing nine skeptical eyes. "Hey, he's your _sun_, right? Definitely the _light_ of my life."

Everyone groaned, even though Papyrus was blushing now.

"That was the worst," Undyne chided.

"I… kind of didn't mind it though," Papyrus said under his breath. He jabbed his elbow into his brother's side. "But! You are a very unacceptably cheesy dork."

Sans shrugged, though he was grinning rather smugly. "Welp. I'm fully comfortable with that. But, uh, think we can focus on sheddin' light on this a little later? We got a lot of catching up to do."

"Ah. Yes." Toriel pulled her sleeve down and looked at Gaster much more seriously. "We have to tell them about the boy."

"What boy?" Undyne asked with a frown.

Gaster's phantom hands pulled him up a chair. He sat and crossed his arms. "We had an… unexpected guest."

\- - -

Asgore and the humans (in new, dry clothing) returned a little while after Gaster and Toriel had already finished explaining the mysterious, grey shadow of the goat child that had appeared before them. Though the story drew mild confusion and concern from the others, Sans was particularly perturbed and felt sick from the news. He hardly paid attention as Papyrus and Undyne told their side of their time apart.

Why had the goat boy come through? Why had he been alone? What had caused him to forget himself, even if it had only been for a short time? And what had he been trying to keep away from them?

He was only snapped from his thoughts when Asgore clamped his giant paw onto his shoulder and offered him a tea. He chugged it. Nothing helped.

Once all the stories were done and introductions had been made, Sans passed off into a troubled sleep right on the floor. Toriel was happy to scoop him up and hold him steady. He clearly needed it.

It was late afternoon by now, so Papyrus and Alphys piled into the kitchen to help Asgore cook. The humans would probably be staying for a while, and the King refused to be a poor host. The spell casting was catching up to Undyne; she napped on her back in front of the fireplace, where Sans had been before her. She didn't look very happy, though. Her soul's energy was bristling uncomfortably every once in a while. Boyd wandered through the house as if in a daze, but his daughter was much more accepting of the chaos around her. She didn't know how to cook, but she did know how to taste-test, and there was plenty of room to sit up on the counter.

Gaster took the dining table in the meanwhile, spread out with a mug of steamy tea, a notepad, and the book of Dirges, reading each meticulously composed spell with careful, analytical eyes. He knew he'd seen something while looking at it with his daughter. Just the thought sent his soul roiling and he had to take another of Alphys's curative cakes. He was sick with worry. Seeing the boy was such a relief, but the fact that he'd been grey— even if for just a short while— was very disturbing. The fact that he'd been without his sister worried him to no end. He missed them both dearly.

A cold weight settled in his ribcage when he shot a quick glance at his unconscious son. He couldn't help but want an eye on him, too, and so sent a phantom hand to lurk near Toriel. This whole thing brought back some harsh memories— ones of Sans's first night alive. The boy's determination had climbed so high, out of control and beyond any rational number, that Gaster was sure he wouldn't survive. He remembered sitting up all night, shattered over a child he hadn't expected, never daring to imagine he would see morning. And yet, Sans had endured. The first skeleton born in centuries.

The heartbreak was heavy in his soul and he sighed softly to himself, glad that his glasses hadn't misted as he quickly wiped a tear from his broken eye socket. He felt the same dread now as he had watching that overwhelming determination skyrocket. The outcome he feared then was coming to fruition. He willed himself to keep it together. Sans had died too many times already. This was unacceptable. And, Gaster was sure his daughter wouldn't forgive him for letting the boys suffer like this.

Meanwhile, June sat at the other end of the table, watching the skeleton with nervous curiosity. She had a cup of tea, but had hesitated to try it. Her eyes followed Boyd as he paced the house, until he finally stole away into the kitchen to join the others.

Gaster was fixated on the Dirges. He tapped his sharp fingertips against the wood anxiously, mimicking the rhythm of whatever he read.

"Um. Excuse me. Sir," June said.

It took Gaster a moment to realize she was talking to him. He looked up over his glasses at her.

"Gaster," he said.

"Oh! Right. I'm sorry, I—"

"No need to apologize," he assured her. "Technically it's _doctor_, but there's no need to be so formal, either."

June nodded. "I'm s…" She gulped. "You're… their father, right?" she asked. "You're the father of the missing kids?"

He nodded. "The girl is my daughter. The boy is my nephew."

"R-Right. Right he's…" She rubbed her brows. "A goat, uhh…" Her eyes darted to Toriel. "O-Oh! Oh. I'm… I'm sorry, y—"

"Don't worry yourself, little one," Toriel said, keeping her voice low. "We're all trying to figure this out. And we've all had quite a few unusual or uncomfortable revelations today."

June nodded. She grimaced and folded her arms on the table. "I can't believe we flew the car."

Gaster snorted softly. "That's Papyrus for you." He sounded proud. "He's full of surprises today, hm?"

"Once this is done, we really need to look into that," Toriel said. "…If we remember, that is."

"I will. Most likely." He wrote a quick note anyway.

The skeleton went back to reading, and his phantom hands moved around Sans again. June stiffly sipped her tea, watching them curiously. The black, shimmering magic carefully touched on the dozing skeleton's forehead, then gently inspected the new scar on the side of his palm.

"Hm. Hasn't faded at all, has it?" he mused.

"Doesn't look like it, no," Toriel said. Her hand dwarfed his when she gently lifted it. She ran her thumb over his knuckles. "I wouldn't have expected red."

"…Is red unusual?" June asked. "Sorry to interrupt."

"Very," Toriel said. "Especially since his soul doesn't match." She let out a soft coo. "Oh, no, honey…"

His eyes had started to leak in his sleep. She gently propped him up and bumped her snout against his brow.

"Should I wake him?" she asked quietly.

"Let him rest a bit longer," Gaster said. "If something serious happens, Papyrus will know."

She nodded.

Gaster went stiff very suddenly. He lifted the book into his arms and stared at it intently. "_Transcendent Dreamscape._"

"Pardon?" Toriel said.

"For lucid dreaming in long range communication." He couldn't help the excitement in his voice. He leapt up to show her, pointing out the melody of the spell. "This is it."

"Dreaming? You think that'll work?" she asked, eyes brightening.

He nodded. "When I was trapped in the void, the best way to communicate with our girl was through her dreams. I have some mind nodes to boost my reach anyway. With this…!"

"You can get her a message." Toriel let out a quiet, relieved laugh. "How can I help?"

"Well… Are you up for casting again? I don't think I can cast on myself."

She looked over the notes of magic written into an ethereal, hypnotic melody. "This may take more than just me."

Gaster grimaced. He tilted his head towards the kitchen. Toriel sighed.

"You're right, of course." She flinched. "I'll explain it."

"Are you sure? I can—"

"No, no, I have some things I need to discuss with him anyway." She looked down at Sans and gently wiped his cheeks. "After Sans wakes up."

\- - -

Dinner was an informal array of snacks and the pasta and hodgepodge pie the monsters had made. The humans were staying. That much was decided quickly. Asgore was happy to host them.

Sans got up, only because Papyrus roused him to force him to eat something. When asked, he said he couldn't recall his dream and didn't have much to say about it otherwise— at least, if he was to be believed. He didn't look well. The grey around his eye sockets had deepened a shade. Asgore made a whole pot of tea extra, just for him, and Papyrus kept making him drink it.

While the others chatted— mostly answering the humans' questions about the rules of the underground— Asgore excused himself to go start preparing a place for his guests to rest. Toriel left to join him in the room where children had once slept. He was tidying up a little, but there wasn't much to do. There were two beds in there, but Chara was still the only child that filled her mind. But she could remember her playing with… Who was it? Toriel sighed quietly and leaned against the door.

Asgore turned, eyebrows raised. "Tori? What is it?"

"I need to talk to you about what's happened," she said.

"Of course. Anything," he said, placing his full attention on her.

"First. Gaster's found his spell. He needs us to cast it on him. We're the only ones powerful enough."

"Oh! Of course. Just tell me when," Asgore said swiftly. "That'll be interesting, I haven't cast a new composition in quite a while. What else?"

"Gaster and I each saw a phantom today," she said. "He said he was one of the missing children. Come through from out of time and then gone again." She clenched her hands together. "The boy looked like us."

"He…? He did?" Asgore couldn't conceal an ounce of surprise. Then, his face fell. "…We have a son. Don't we?"

She nodded. "Gaster remembers. Just not the name. He told me… everything he could." She gritted her teeth. "He died with Chara. Then was resurrected by Alphys. And was given a soul through the work of my daughter, and the others here, too. He left our world on purpose, with her."

Asgore nodded stiffly. "I…" He cracked an exhausted smile. "I know."

"What?!" she barked. "You know, what do you—?!"

"I remember much of the boy so clearly," he said with quiet fondness. "I remember him and Chara, in this very room. So long ago. But it feels like yesterday! And I remember he and… another child that I… can't recall properly, but I know they were very close. I think he had grown, somehow. Horns had started to come in, even! I think his eyes were different, but I can't remember how. I… thought I was crazy."

Toriel stared at him incredulously. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

He shrugged slightly. "I… did not want to cause a fuss. It came back just a little earlier."

"…Maybe when he did." Her ears drooped and she grimaced with fang. "…Damn."

"What?" he asked gently.

She chuckled sardonically and smiled with sad eyes. "I'm a little jealous, to be honest."

"Tori…" He offered her a hug— when she didn't reject it, he pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry. I'm sure it'll come back to you. I'm sure _he_ will."

"So am I, it's just… Awful," she grumbled.

He drew back and held her shoulders lightly. "It's going to be alright."

"Asgore," she said, frowning. "If anything like that happens. You have to tell us. Gaster or I, or even Sans, alright? Please."

"There is so much going on." He shook his head. "Honestly, I don't want to distract from—"

"I know. But there's no reason to suffer alone," she insisted. "And Gaster might be able to use anything you remember to help find the children."

Asgore nodded. "Thank you, Tori."

She folded her arms and tilted her head. "You didn't happen to remember his name, did you?"

"Hmm… No." He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "But! It shouldn't be too hard to figure out, should it? You and I are here. What would we have named a son, all those years ago?"

Toriel blinked. She clicked her tongue. "Well… To me, there's two options, isn't there?"

"Two exactly," Asgore said with a smile. "And, for me, well, I don't think I'd have wanted _gore_ in the name. That puts an awful lot on a child, sometimes. I would know."

"So, all that leaves is—"

"Asriel." He took her hand. "I think we would have called him _Asriel_."

Toriel nodded. "Asriel," she agreed.


	39. just reach out and hold on with your weird fingers

A dark thrum of magic tinted the King's cozy house with with an ethereal melancholy as Gaster translated the instructions around his chosen spell and rewrote the notes out large and clearly. Each one transcribed changed the soft cadence of the air.

At the table, Alphys was pushed up so close she was leaning against his shoulder, eyes wide as she watched him write, his dark magic crackling in the ink. Papyrus, too, was close and curious, but he was splitting his time between watching and playing some little puzzle games with Ellie. She wasn't very good at them, but he certainly didn't mind. Boyd sat close, but he was nodding off, arms folded into the sleeves of his new, MTT-branded sweatshirt.

Sans wasn't bothering with the spell casting for now. It wasn't something he'd ever be able to do, anyway. Instead, he sat on the floor and read the Celestial compendium, leaning up on Undyne as she drifted in and out, listening to music. June had taken up the job of refilling the skeleton's tea and reminding him to drink it. She seemed a little lost otherwise. Awkwardly, when she thought nobody was looking, she put her hand on her chest and frowned, concentrating.

"Gas?" Sans asked at a whisper.

"What?!" she yelped.

"Oh. Sorry. Thought that was a thing humans did," he said. "You alright?"

"I was just… never mind. Sorry. It's stupid."

Sans raised his brows, shrugged, and went back to his book. He didn't have to wait long for the human to clear her throat.

"Is it, um…? Is it possible for a human to make their soul glow?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah. Not easy outside of battle, though," Sans said.

"Do you want to battle again?" Papyrus asked.

"Again?" Gaster and Alphys both echoed.

"We did, just to see the colour!" he said. "It was light green, by the way, and but then she started crying in the bathroom. I hope it didn't hurt, human."

June blushed. "N-No, um. That's fine. I guess it was just a little emotional, is all."

"Why would you…? Oh! B-Because you'd never seen it?" Alphys asked gently.

"Can I battle, too?" Ellie asked quietly. "I wanna see my soul colour!"

"Ah! Um! Maybe later?" the lizard suggested tepidly. "You humans n-need to be careful here, alright?"

"Aww, okay."

"If it's something you're truly interested in exploring, I may be able to help you," Gaster said. "Once all this is done." His phantom hands pulled out a second pen and rolled up his sleeve to scribble on his arm. "I'll do my best to remember."

"Th-Thank you very much," June said.

Sans held in a laugh and went back to his book. The second his eyes hit the pages, in came the fragments. He sighed and flopped it closed. "Might go down again."

"What?" Gaster whirled on him.

"Drink your tea!" Papyrus insisted.

"Are you sure? That'll be, what? Three times in one day?" June said worriedly, holding his shoulder. She poured another cup of tea and made sure he took it. "What's going on?"

Before he could answer, Undyne got up very abruptly. He would have fallen if the human wasn't still holding onto him.

"Hey, what's the deal?" he said.

"What the hell am I still doing here? This is a waste of time," Undyne growled. She stomped from the house without another word and a stormy aura.

"Uh…" Sans blinked. "Okay."

"Was it something I said?" June asked worriedly.

"…No." Sans winced. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew what was wrong. "Probably time stuff."

"Oh _shit_," Papyrus said shrilly.

The room froze. The skeleton's eyes went wide and he clapped both hands over his mouth. He clambered to get up and rushed out, too— thumping down the stairs in his boots. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" he squeaked as he went.

"What was _that_?" Gaster asked, baffled.

"…Has he ever even said that w-word in his life?" Alphys asked under her breath.

Sans rubbed the back of his skull. He heaved himself to his feet. June stood with him but he held out a hand to pause her.

"I'm okay," he said. "I'll go check on him."

"I'm almost finished here," Gaster said. "Hurry back."

Sans quickly found Papyrus back in the throne room, pacing in the flowers, one hand covering his mouth as he mumbled into his palm, the other hand gesturing wildly as if he spoke to someone, filled with incredulity.

"Hey, Paps," Sans said.

His brother froze. He looked nervous.

"C'mon back, dad's almost done."

He still hid his mouth behind his fingers. "B-But what if I… say something mean?!" Papyrus asked. "Or rude?!"

"Why would you do that?"

"I don't know!" He threw his hands up in the air. "I just said a rude out of nowhere! That's not like me, right? Shit!" He held his head. "NyeeEEEEEHH! I DID IT AGAIN!"

"Relax." Sans grabbed his arm. "You're okay. It's just a word. Deep breaths."

Papyrus heaved in a gulp of air and then blew it out, letting his shoulders sink. He rubbed his head and he nodded, pouting. "Y-You're right. Nyehh… It just seems so… weird. I don't know." He shook his head. "Ah! I should be finding Undyne, not whining about silly swears! Right?"

"We, uh, may want to give her just a bit of time to cool off, bro," Sans said. "…Think somethin' shifted for both of you."

"It must've," Papyrus agreed. He frowned. "She's… been having it pretty rough, hasn't she?"

"Yeah."

"That's not fair."

"I know."

He put a hand to his head. "How do I tell what's different?"

"I, uh… Dunno," Sans admitted.

"Nyooo, what a pain," he muttered. "But why would something like this happen?"

Sans shrugged. "Could be as simple as someone stubbed their foot in front of ya at the wrong second when you were a kid, y'know?"

The tall skeleton paced anxiously, rubbing the back of his hand. "Okay. I'm okay. This is fine. Don't worry, this is fine."

"Now I'm worried," Sans teased. His grin turned sympathetic. "Seriously. Anythin' I can do?"

"The only thing you need to be doing is resting, brother," Papyrus said. "I mean, I can't imagine what you…" He narrowed his eyes. "Wait, are you planning something weird?"

"Not, uh… Not really?" He shrugged. "Maybe, uh, dependin' how this goes, though… I mean, if the spell ain't too hard…"

"Oh, I see. You're hoping they can cast it on you?"

"Kinda." He smiled tepidly, but he knew the light in his eyes had darkened. "If I could just talk to 'er, I think… I think I could stop bein' such a mess for a little, y'know?"

Papyrus sighed heavily. "This isn't fair, either," he said.

"Sorry," Sans said quietly

The tall skeleton shook his head. He folded his arms and tapped his foot in the flowers. "And I don't know what I did to mom."

Sans could only shrug. Papyrus sighed again.

"We still have a lot to figure out, don't we? Are you sure we shouldn't check on Undyne?"

"Welp. Not sure if she'd be happy to see me, but you…" Sans tapped his teeth. "I dunno, maybe give it twenty?"

"I will give it exactly twenty." Papyrus instantly brightened, but then looked at him suspiciously. "Why, what did you do?"

Sans laughed. "Welp. I'm the one who keeps comin' with the bad news, right? And kinda sounding like a lunatic. You're the normal one."

"Nyehh, not by choice," he grumbled.

"I know."

The brothers stood in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments. Papyrus laughed dryly.

"I feel so small all of a sudden," he said.

"Oh yeah?" Sans asked.

"After the last couple days. Even just that short time outside, I feel like I learned a lot. But not enough, too. There's so much we don't know! Even about mom. And magic. I guess about ourselves, too." He smiled at him sympathetically and put a hand on his shoulder. "And you are just absolutely a wreck. Let's get you a bit more tea."

\- - -

The older monsters were already outside with the book of Dirges when the skeleton brothers returned to the house. Gaster hurried to them and grabbed Papyrus's arm.

"_A stór, conas atá tú_?" he asked worriedly.

"_Na cuir dragh ort_," he answered with a smile. "I just startled myself was all! I'm sorry about that."

Gaster nodded. "And Undyne?"

"I'm going to check on her soon," he said.

"Do you know what set her off?" he asked.

"She's just been havin' trouble in general," Sans said. "Lookin' pretty ready."

"Just about," he said. "Alphys was good enough to say she'd keep the humans company, but she asked me to record the casting on her phone." He held it up and looked a little puzzled "Ah… I may need help."

Sans grinned sideways as he swiped the device away. "It's not hard."

"It's a new model," he protested.

"Come on, you three," Asgore called. "I figure our golden hall should be big and private enough, don't you think?"

Sans flinched. Had to be there. Why wouldn't it? He cast a cautious look at the shining starlight waiting on the path. Wished, for just a moment, that he could still use those to protect them. In the five seconds he hadn't been paying attention, Papyrus had gone and returned with more tea, and made him chug it before they followed the others.

The golden hall, as it opened before them, windows emblazoned with the Delta Rune beaming in their ethereal light, echoed faintly with their steps. There was a chill in the air. It was like no one had passed through it in a hundred years. For Sans, it still felt weird coming in here sometimes. He knew every inch of it. Could have built an exact replica with his eyes closed. Kinda hated himself— that even the abysmal memories trapped in this place could make him miss his sister all over again. He leaned up against a column, arms folded, watching as intently as he could. At least the time fragments in here didn't really change colour too much.

With Alphys's phone in hand after snatching it from his brother, Papyrus set up to record as Asgore and Toriel took positions at opposite sides of a circle that Gaster was drawing on the floor in chalk. The King skimmed the book over one more time.

"So, you've fused two spells here, have you?" he asked.

"I believe it will give me the greatest chance of being able to communicate with my daughter," Gaster said. "Dream manipulation and astral projection. The tempo is the same— I see no reason why it wouldn't function."

"It's a little tricky," Asgore said, "but I think we will be okay. right, Tori?"

Toriel hiked up her long, loose sleeves and braced her paws against the floor. "Second in two days. I believe I'm ready. As long as we can keep time…"

Asgore nodded. He looked down at the pattern Gaster was sketching with interest. "Will chalk be good enough?"

"My mother did it this way. Never had a problem," he said. He finished up and pulled his jacket off, and then emptied his pockets, keeping only the focus nodes and a small knife. His arm bones up to his shoulders were covered in notes in black and blue marker.

"Do we need to get you a new notepad, old friend?" Toriel teased.

"He's worked like that for a thousand years, I don't think a notepad is going to help," Asgore said with a chuckle.

"I'm far less likely to lose my arms," the skeleton said.

"Though it _is_ possible," Toriel said.

"Sorry! Not to interrupt, but could we please pause the banter and start the spell soon? I need to check on Undyne because time shenanigans are making her grouchy!" Papyrus said.

Asgore cracked a smile. "He's right. Actually, I may come with you afterwards, son."

The skeleton stuck his thumb up. "Ready? Should I record?"

"Go ahead," Gaster said. "Though. I do need to do something that may be alarming. Please, do not stop me, it's a necessary part of the spell."

"Wuh-oh," Sans said dryly.

"We'll do as you say," Toriel said.

Gaster nodded gratefully and stuck the focus nodes onto his temples. He gestured to Papyrus to start recording and the skeleton hopped to attention, gripping tight to the phone and backing up to make sure he got the whole scene in frame.

Gaster grasped tight to his knife and held it up. The blade shimmered with his shadowy magic and he used it to cut a small nick into his arm, careful to avoid his notes. Asgore drew in a small gasp and Toriel winced in sympathy.

"Gaster, are you sure?" Asgore asked worriedly.

"Very. The instructions were clear," he said. "Not to worry." He lifted the blade and a black, magic ooze glimmering with sparks of red dripped from his bone. He caught it on the tip of his finger and then let it drop down onto the chalk line.

The white of the circle shifted to black and began to shimmer. The skeleton raised a hand and magic glowed in the hole in his palm. Inky notes dotted the air around him.

"Now," he said.

Asgore closed his eyes and began to hum a low tune, the melody slow and dreamy. Deep red glowed in his hands and his soul took over, an ethereal song of magic echoing in the long hallway. Toriel tapped her foot to keep time and then joined him, violet glowing in her cupped hands. The magic harmonized perfectly. Sparks of each colour raised up slowly from the stained chalk as if caught in an updraft and began to swirl around the skeleton at its centre. A key change. The song swelled. At once, geometric magic circles began to draw themselves in light along the ground, spreading red and violet out from the paws of the massive King and Queen until they joined with the black one.

The magic was vibrating every note in Gaster's bones. He could feel it pass through him in waves, filling his ribcage up like water. His spiked soul was doing its best to keep up. His skull got heavy. He crossed his arms to hold himself steady. Even so, he could feel a cold darkness seeping out from within him.

Like a blade from the shadows, the magic stabbed into his soul. He drew in a shallow gasp and his eyes rolled back as the circle below him erupted into a torrent of void and overcame him fully as his body went slack and his consciousness faltered.

Gaster tumbled blindly for a moment. His soul shrieked and his bones felt mushy, but in the dark he saw a red star. Felt some warmth. It was too familiar. He had to focus. He ignored his form wilting and focused as hard as he could on his daughter. The nodes on his head surged with heat. The star pulsed brightly. Heavy dread sickened him as he felt his skull going slack in ways in shouldn't. He ignored it for now, dizzy eyes focussed hard on the glow of red.

He saw a shape within the star. A child. His soul screamed that is was her. Must be. He could see her face but the features wouldn't hold in his mind. He reached for it with fingers that stretched too long. He could already feel reality trying to drag him back.

His hand pierced the red. The child was getting clearer. Tiny little thing, staring with horror right into him. Had to be her. He grabbed her; latched onto a wrist. She didn't pull away. He lurched forward, his head breaking into air. He could hardly feel his jaw and his vision was locked onto this child, dyed red in a world of grey. He must've looked a mess.

"D-Dad?!" she demanded shrilly— he could hardly hear her, she sounded like she was speaking through water. "Wh-What happened to you?!"

His soul ached. She called him _dad_. She looked like she was seeing something horrendous. Even so, that she somehow recognized him meant the world.

"I… I am alright." He was going to be sick. He was so happy, but he had to be sure. He reached out his hand and gently touched her cheek with his fingertips.

She was solid. Warm. Real. He almost cried.

"…_A stór_, we were so worried," he said softly.

The kid's eyes glittered with tears and his heart shattered.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm trying to g-get us back, it's just—"

"Forget that, are you safe?" he asked.

"Y… Yeah," she said.

"Good." The word oozed out in a deep, long sigh.

The pull was getting stronger. The song of the spell in his head began to play softly. This was already too far for it.

"I… don't have much time."

She looked aghast. "Dad, no…"

"Oh! Don't be afraid." He cracked an exhausted, bashful smile. "I should have worded myself better. I don't have much time to talk with you. I was less stable in this spell than I thought." His dark eyes grew hard and serious. "We need you and your brother. The world is moving randomly and chaotically through time."

"I-It WHAT?!" she yelped.

"It's distressing, but not dire yet," he said. The song was getting louder; it was hard to think through it. "You are lost, is that right?"

"We need to f-find our way back," she agreed quickly. "B-But, dad—!"

"It's alright. We…" His form shuddered.

Black ooze from within the void crept up his hand, wrapping into his broken palm, pulling him gently but firmly back.

"We… We'll send you a sign." His vision began to fade and he could feel the darkness seeping in through his skull. He could hardly hear his own thoughts. "A… A beacon. Somehow. Don't worry. Just…"

Everything was grey. He brushed his fingers through her hair before the void seeped up over him, blinding him.

"Watch for us," he choked out, before he was dragged back and overcome by the frigid tar filling his mouth and stealing his words. Should've told her he loved her.

Again, he fell. His soul was pierced and darkness flowed inwards, and he could do nothing to resist it as it engulfed him. He wasn't sure if he even had a body anymore. He could see nothing, yet somehow felt as if eyes from every direction beamed into him, burning hot. Nonsense noise assaulted him, ripped into him with accusatory notions. _Ruiner. Shatterer. Fool. Fraud. Abomination. _He knew. It was his own voice.

He could hardly think above the din, but all he could conjure was the kids. All of his. His nephew and late niece. Even that child whose soul was touched by the void. He had to leave this place. He had to help them. Needed something to help. Anything to help.

The sound ceased. The cold brushed away, replaced with a gentle warmth, if only for a moment. The absent centre of his right hand began to tingle. It was cold again, like water running down his arm. He thought he heard a song. It grew louder and louder until it overwhelmed him, carving itself onto the inside of his skull. The void stabbed his soul. _Anything to help._

\- - -

The spell was complete. Gaster had collapsed and Asgore cradled him gently as he slept. Black ooze started to seep from the cracks in his skull, his eyes, and the holes in his palms. Papyrus stopped filming and bounded over. He held his father's face in his hands and glowed a warm, healing light.

"I've got you, don't worry," he said quietly.

Sans stared intently. He folded his arms, gripping tight to himself with sharp fingertips.

Toriel knelt down at their side and gently rubbed the unconscious skeleton's head. He shuddered. All of a sudden, he shot up, retching black slime onto the ground, where it vanished amongst the chalk.

"Ahh! Dad, are you okay?!" Papyrus asked.

Gaster was too dazed to speak for a moment. Toriel held his shoulder while Asgore supported his back, and the skeleton desperately ripped the nodes from his head and let them fall to the ground.

"Dad?" Papyrus asked again.

"Did it work?" Toriel asked.

He nodded, gripping weakly to his son's hand. "I-It… It did.." His voice was a raspy whisper. "I… I…"

"Did you see her?" Sans asked.

Gaster put his face in his hands. He desperately tried to catch his breath. Asgore rubbed his back.

"Take your time."

The skeleton swooned. Sans got close and picked up the nodes.

"You see her?" he insisted.

"…Told her… beacon," he said softly. He slumped— he'd fainted.

"Oh no," Asgore said quietly.

Sans flinched. He put a hand on his father's. It was uncomfortably cold. The right one hadn't stopped leaking.

"Is he okay?!" Papyrus asked shrilly.

"I felt his soul resonating so strangely," Toriel said. She held out her arms and took him from Asgore, immediately starting to heal him. "Let's get him to a bed. Your place for now, Asgore?" She was already headed there.

"Absolutely. Put him in my room." The King turned to the skeletons and smiled tiredly. "Don't worry, your mother and I will take care of him."

"I-It's not too bad, though, right?!" Papyrus asked. "Because, to be completely honest, I don't think I can take another unconscious family member for an extended amount of time."

"Oh! No, no, my boy, don't worry," Asgore said quickly. "I may not have cast a spell like that before, but I have seen Dirges done, a long time ago. The monster being cast upon usually comes out completely exhausted. He knew that. He just needs a little rest." He clapped Papyrus warmly on the shoulder. "Why don't you go check on Undyne, like you planned? I will phone you when he wakes. But it may not be until morning."

"Nyeeeh, okay. Thanks, King-Uncle Asgore," he said, though he was pouting a little. "Sans, want to come with me?"

"Uh. Might catch up later, bro," he said.

Papyrus nodded. He handed over Alphys's phone and hurried off.

"What a chaotic day, hmm?" Asgore said. "I'm sorry, Sans, but don't worry. Your father is one of the most resilient monsters I've ever met."

Sans looked at the focus nodes in his hand. "Maybe it's a long shot. But, uh, you think you and Tori could cast that on me later?"

"What?! Oh! No, I wouldn't dream of it," Asgore said quickly. "It's far too dangerous for you."

"But…" The skeleton frowned. "Figured maybe it reacted weird with dad 'cause his soul's a mess."

"It's very possible," the King admitted. "But, still, you're in a fragile state. I would not risk you like that. A Dirge can do damage even at the best of times." A sympathetic frown creased his brow. "I'm very sorry."

Sans shrugged. "S'okay. Makes sense." He tried to be sure his frustration wasn't showing on his face. Didn't know why he would have ever hoped. He clenched the nodes in his fist. He'd have to figure out something else.

\- - -

Papyrus couldn't find Undyne anywhere. Not at her house, or their house, or in the lab, or behind any waterfall. He texted her, but she didn't answer him. He couldn't find a monster who had seen her. On his second pass of Waterfall, he peeked into Gerson's shop, but it was too late at night by now, and the old turtle wasn't there.

There was another cavern carved into the wall just a few paces away. There was nothing outwardly unusual about it, but it gave Papyrus a tingling, uncomfortable sensation. He cautiously looked inside to find what seemed to be a small house, lit with shimmering purple candles and packed with books and all kinds of hodgepodge contraptions. It didn't look like anyone was home.

"Hello?" he called. "Undyne, you're not in here, are you? It is I, the great Papyrus!"

No answer. He pouted. He found there was a door, but it had been left wide open. He grabbed the handle and closed it most of the way, just in case.

On his way back, he was surprised to find Sans in one of the wishing rooms, nestled against the stone wall in the dark, illuminated faintly by the blue, glowing Echo Flowers. He had those nodes their father had used on his skull, making it look like he had small nubs of horns, and he was bundled up tight in his black and white hoodie.

"Sans, what are you doing here?" he asked as he joined him. He squatted down. "Did you check on dad? Is he okay?"

"Hm? Oh. Hey, bro. Yeah. He's fine," he said. "Woke up a sec to apologize. Then started snorin'. Didn't get much more outta him than that, though."

"Phew." Papyrus plopped down with him and tapped his brother's skull gently. "You didn't answer me."

"Just, uh… Y'know. Seein' if these things might help me see one of the kids." He frowned. "S'funny, I been passin' out all day and now that I'm tryin' to sleep…"

"Nyeh heh. It's always that way, isn't it?" Papyrus plucked him up in blue and the took his spot before depositing him again and holding him warmly. "Maybe this'll help?"

"Heh. Thanks for enablin' me," Sans said with a wink.

Papyrus smiled to himself and rested his chin on top of his brother's head. "I'm glad we went out."

"Cool," Sans said.

"Do you think I can get strong enough to fly things around like that without that spell? I'd like to. And don't say yes just because that's what you do."

Sans snickered. "Yeah. Think so. You're strong," he said. "And you're young. You're just gonna keep gettin' better."

"Nyeh heh. Thank you. Also. You should see the photos I took," he said. He passed his phone over. "It's all the things in the museum."

As Sans browsed them, reading the notes from the displays, he leaned back, droopy-eyed. Papyrus held him snug. Their souls began to quietly sync, magic wrapping together comfortably.

"You're still feeling quite low, hm?" he asked.

"Could be worse."

"Do we even really know what's wrong with you, though?" he asked.

Sans shrugged.

"Are you just very very sad?" he asked worriedly.

Sans snickered. "I'll be fine."

Papyrus sighed. "Sans? Did I…? Did I apologize? For not believing you? Because I am really sorry."

Sans smiled. "Don't need to be. Sounded nuts."

"It doesn't matter. We need to be in this together. A hundred percent! So. I am. Even if it's confusing and weird. And even if I start swearing like there's no tomorrow!"

The short skeleton scoffed and looked up at him with a fond smile. "Thanks."

"You're very welcome!" He leaned back on the wall and turned his head up to look at the glittering ceiling of the cavern. "I feel like… there has to be something more I can do. Don't you think?"

"Kinda drawin' a blank," Sans admitted. "Collectin' that stuff was a good idea, though."

"I know. I just wish…" He sighed. "Oh. Hey. I may have an episode or two of _Circuit Super Investigator _in there, now that I think about it."

"Perfect, dude," Sans said.

Sans finished looking at the artefacts from the museum and then started up an episode of the show. Usually, it'd knock him right out, but this time he stayed awake to witness the whole boring, cringe-inducing first five minutes before mercifully drifting off. Papyrus held onto him, putting a hand on his head and lighting his magic comfortingly. The little crystals embedded in the focus nodes began to flicker. He hoped that meant it was working.

Indeed, Sans was floating through the blackness in his mind, trying to focus as hard as he could on a song he couldn't remember. He could still feel his brother grounding him, a golden safeguard in his mind.

He was in the water again before he knew it. Cold all around him except Papyrus's protective warmth. He thought he saw a light. Something shining beyond a rippling torrent. A song brushed past him, the notes fleeting and carried away on a silent wind. He tried to focus. He squeezed his eyes shut and put his hands against his skull.

"C'mon, kid, where are you?" he muttered.

Nothing. Dead silence. Stagnant cold.

When Sans looked again, he wasn't overcome in that black water anymore, but instead stood ankle deep in it, in some chamber where the only difference between what was liquid and not was his mind arbitrarily stating that it was so. Visually, there was no difference save for ripples caught on light that wasn't there.

A circle of red pulsed from beneath the water. Sans perked up right away and headed for it. Peering down into the water, he was mesmerized by a shining orb. It looked like the sun, at the bottom of this pitch lake. Didn't make sense. The water wasn't deep. Nonetheless, he bent and stuck his hand in. It went in to his elbow, no problem.

There was that song again. A few notes. He could almost hear it. There was a small shape at its centre, radiating warmth. Gulping, he reached for the red sun and stumbled, toppling forward into the water. He plunged into ice and was engulfed again. He reached out but a current pushed him back. He couldn't even get close.

He awoke with a start, head spinning. The whole world was a disorienting patchwork mess of light and shadows. He pawed around to try to get his bearings and felt nothing familiar.

"Paps?" he croaked.

"Nyeh! The second I put you down…" He knelt and held Sans by the shoulders, and at least he was steady in his brother's eyes. "Wowie, you look awful."

"I can't, uhh… I can't see too good."

"Aah! Wh…?! Oh! Hang on!" He gently took the focus nodes from Sans's skull. "I was just getting you a snack, okay? One second?"

Sans nodded and Papyrus let him go.

It took him just a moment to return with a sloppy slice of pie, and he sat with him as he ate a few bites. Only then did his vision begin to return to normal. He started to see tile and cabinets from where he sat against the wall. Asgore's kitchen.

"Did you see anything in your dream?" Papyrus asked.

"I, uh… I'm not sure." Sans rubbed his head. "I dunno why, I keep just gettin' lost in black water. Or the lake or somethin'."

"Hmmm… Is there anything down there?" he wondered. "Ugh, I wish I could find Undyne, I'm sure she knows."

The short skeleton flinched. "What time is it?"

"Almost exactly three in the morning."

"Oof." He rubbed his skull. He finished his pie and then slowly got to his feet.

Papyrus gave him a little shock of bright amber and then put his dishes up in the sink for him. "So what now? Do you want to try again?" he asked. "Or would you like to help me look for Undyne some more?"

"Maybe, uh, a bit of both?"

On their way out, though, they almost ran right into Undyne. She froze, wide-eyed, and before Papyrus could properly greet her, she crushed him into a bear hug, pinning his arms to his side.

"Sorry," she said, her voice a low, shame-filled growl.

"I-I'm just glad you're alright!" he choked.

"Cap," Sans said, raising his brows. "What's the deal?"

She released Papyrus and rubbed her hand through her hair, scowling at the ground. "I, uh… My head, it's just…"

"Your memories are going wrong again?" Papyrus asked gently.

She snorted. "Think so." She growled and pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead. "It's just, I feel it, y'know?"

Sans winced. "So how're you now?"

Her eye darted to the door to Asgore's house. "Three humans in there, right?"

"Yeah," he said.

"But… the barrier's down. So it's fine. Right?" She took a deep breath. "We were outside today, right?"

Papyrus's jaw dropped and he put his hands to his mouth. "U-Undyne…"

She quickly put up her hands. "It's okay! It's fine. It just… it goes in and out, and when it's out I just get so _pissed_ and I keep having these dreams and—"

The skeleton held her hands, his own fingers glowing warmly, and he whirled, wide-eyed, on his brother. "There's something we can do, right?! There has to be!"

"I could try a little blue?" he suggested. "I'm kinda a wreck but it might keep you a bit steadier?"

"I'll take whatever," she said. She bent down and let him touch magic tinted fingers to her temples. She squinted and looked thoughtful. "Oh. Huh. That does take the itch off, a little."

"An anti-irritant for the first time in my life," he joked.

"Oh shush," Papyrus said. "What were you dreaming?"

"Little goat," she said. "Black lake. It's weird."

Gasping loudly, Papyrus pointed at his brother. "The black lake!"

Sans's eyes went wide, while Undyne merely looked confused. She jerked her thumb back over her shoulder.

"Yeah, the one in Waterfall," she said.

"Same," Sans said.

"Wh…?" Her lip curled up in a sardonic grin. "Well that's screwed up."

"What's in there?!" Papyrus demanded. "It has to be something, right?! Sans, mom and that little crocomonster found you in Waterfall that time you wandered, right?!"

Undyne tilted her head. "I mean. There's Bubbleburb. And Whorl, I guess. I'm not sure."

"Can you bring us there?!" he asked.

"Uh. Are you okay underwater?"

Sans shrugged.

"I'm sure it'll be fine!" Papyrus said swiftly. He grabbed Sans's shoulder. "Come on, brother, there has to be a reason the two of you are both being lead there! A weird timey reason."

The short skeleton nodded. He was exhausted, but that wasn't important. "If you're up for it, Cap."

"Hey. Told you. I'm sticking with you," she said. "Uh. Except when I flake 'cause my head's broken, but I'm gonna do my best."

\- - -

The lake was smooth, pitch black and glistening like polished obsidian. It looked solid enough to walk on until ripples shimmered across it at the footsteps of monsters on the dock. Undyne abandoned her boots and stretched, while Papyrus stripped out of his weatherproof biking gear, scarf, and his t-shirt as well. Sans reluctantly ditched his velcro sneakers and his hoodie, eyes fixed on the calm, bleak water.

"You guys ever gone deep before?" Undyne asked.

"Uh. Fell in once or twice," Sans said.

"I've done a little swimming," Papyrus said. "But also it's pretty easy to just walk on the bottom, right?"

"That's the plan unless we find something," Undyne said as she cracked her knuckles. "It's charged with enough magic that you don't gotta worry about breathing. Uh. Wait, do you guys even need to breathe?"

"It's a lot more comfortable!" Papyrus said brightly. "So are we ready?"

"If you are." She dove into the water and vanished.

Sans hesitated. Papyrus didn't. He puffed himself up, his soul shining a little brighter in his chest cavity. He took a few steps back and then ran off the dock, cannonballing straight into the water with a loud, blurbling _NYEH! _His amber glow dimmed into darkness. Sans cracked a smile.

This was crazy, right? He was chasing shadows. Desperation didn't suit him, and yet here he was about to jump into the abyss. A little twinge of warmth lit in him despite it. He held one hand over his new scar and took a breath. She'd do it for him. _Did _do it for him. This was nothing compared to what was out there. He sat down and stuck his feet in the water. Chilly.

A twinge of anticipation warned him, but he didn't fight a blue grip on his soul that pulled him into the water. It was dark and disorienting for a second until he he found himself caught under the arms by his glowing brother. They were sinking very slowly, and all around them was blackness except one shining, yellow light. Undyne's eye. She darted through the water effortlessly to join them.

"You guys alright?" The water made her sound pretty strange, but still carried the sound well, even if there was an odd, magical reverberance to it.

Papyrus stuck his thumb up. "This is a little surreal, though, right? So how do we…? Um…"

"I thought you said you'd been swimming before," Undyne said, folding her arms.

"Well, I haaave, but just on the surface," he said. "Of the water. Not the— well, you know. Unless I did. Nyeh… heh."

"Man, I can't just drag the two of you around down here the whole time," she protested.

Sans thought for a moment. His left eye flared and, with a snap of his fingers, one of his large, draconic blasters appeared underneath him and he took a seat. Papyrus jerked back but then grabbed onto its snout with an indignant frown on his face.

"Nyeh! You're pulling out your special attack for _this?!_"

"Sure, bro, I figured—"

"Wait, _this_ is your special attack?!" Undyne asked. "Didn't you shoot me with one of these?"

"Think I shot at you with at least two of 'em," he said.

"Pff. Right. Yeah, you're actually a good fighter, kinda forgot," she said. "Okay, so, you got any clue what we're looking for?"

"Nope."

"Something timey," Papyrus suggested. "Maybe something red or… star shaped?" He looked at Sans for support. "Something like that, right?"

"Could be," he agreed.

Undyne looked thoughtful. She held out her hands and conjured two glowing, cyan spears. "Okay." She crossed them and let them float in the water. "That should be a good enough marker. We'll do a sweep and then meet back here."

"Ah! Right! I'll check the bottom, then!" Papyrus said. He let go of Sans's blaster and allowed himself to drift downwards into darkness with a salute. "See you soon!"

"You're alright on your own, right?" Undyne asked the short skeleton.

"Course," he said.

She patted his shoulder and swam off in a blur of bubbles.

Sans sighed and leaned back, folding his arms behind his head as he looked at the surface of the water. It was almost indistinguishable. The dark was all encompassing, his blue soul the only light he had. He had to be careful not to just drift off.

The blaster was surprisingly easy to sustain for a ride through the lake. He sat up, alert as he could be. The water filling his head was an odd sort of feeling— brought back some memories he couldn't quite place.

He saw nothing of interest his first pass. On his second, though, he picked out six little, white lights in the dark. Curiously, he floated closer, but stopped short. He could hear a low, lazy hum here. Sans raised a hand. Drifting up, the lights flashed over deep, turquoise blue, illuminating the jaw of a massive monster. They were almost as black as the water, and had a long, rounded snout filled to the brim teeth like needles and fangs like a viper. Their body was obscured by distance, but their neck was long. Fin-like ears perked up and the whiskers on their snout, tipped with lights, drifted towards him.

"A tiny skeleton," he said in a wispy voice. "All the way down here?"

"…Whorl, right?" Sans said.

The monster dipped his his head slightly. "Have we met?"

"Once or twice," he said. "I'm Sans."

"Did you fall in? I can lift you up."

"Thanks but, uh, I'm actually lookin' for somethin'. Cap's down here, too."

"Cap…? Oh, Captain Undyne, I see." Whorl tilted his head slightly. "What do you seek, tiny one?"

Sans had to stop from laughing. "Anything weird show up down here in the last little while? Or maybe somethin' kinda star-shaped?"

Whorl tilted his head the other way and his ears flapped slowly. His hands— with disturbingly long fingers— emerged from the gloom and cupped under Sans, lifting him up off his blaster skull. "I have seen something."

The leviathan swam so smoothly, as if the water posed no resistance for him at all. He brought Sans down deep to a place where a rock wall jutted out and was carved inwards, into a huge, downward sloping tunnel. The glowing bulbs at the ends of Whorl's whiskers shone on the stone, defining the passage, until, finally, a tiny bit of shimmering light met them.

There was a massive living room at the bottom of the pit, every bit of quaint furniture built to gargantuan size from pieces of much smaller things. The lights here were little glowing fish monsters that napped in sconces, or luminescent blue and purple crystals put in piles inside stone bowls.

"I would offer you some tea, but landfriends often have trouble with that down here," Whorl said.

Another cavern lead to an oversized bedroom with four stones propped up in the corner like a pyramid. Whorl gently placed Sans on the floor where the skeleton drifted slightly, and then leaned past. His unusually long arms reached across the room and pulled away the stones to reveal a yellow star glimmering there.

"It appeared a few days ago out of nowhere," he said. "I sometimes enjoy using it as a lamp. But otherwise it is too bright to sleep with. I had to move my bed." He looked down at Sans. "Many say they cannot see it at all. You know what it is, don't you, tiny one?"

"It, uh… It's a way for certain people to connect to time," the skeleton said.

"It is a clock?"

"Nah, it's, uh… Like a waypoint."

"You wouldn't happen to be able to take it with you, would you?"

Sans smiled sideways. "Sorry." He pointed at it. "Can I, uh, take a look?"

Whorl gestured to it invitingly.

Walking underwater was floaty, slow, and strange. Sans bounced over to the star and cautiously tested the water around it with his fingertips. Maybe it was a bad idea. But then again, it wasn't like anyone'd ever saved down here. Might not matter. Might be like the one on the surface. Maybe that was why he'd been drawn here.

"Sorry if I faint," he said.

Cautiously, he dipped his hand into the light. It met him only with resounding darkness and the tiniest, faintest bit of sound. Something grey flitted by him. A prickle ran up and down his spine. Felt like there were eyes staring into his.

When he backed away, he reflexively tried to catch his breath and accidentally sucked in a bunch of water. He coughed and hacked— which was also fairly awful— doubling over, and Whorl consolingly patted his back with two fingers.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah. Just stupid." Sans's eye sockets stung and he laughed tiredly at himself. "Thanks. Sorry 'bout the light. Guess at least you'll be able to ditch it once you go up top."

"Up…? Oh. Oh, yes, I forgot completely," Whorl said softly. "I will not be leaving until the rest of Waterfall is gone, I think." His fin ears twitched upwards and wavered in the tiniest current. "I hear a voice. I think she calls to you. Shall I take you?"

"Sure, 'preciate it."

Lifting Sans up, Whorl ferried the skeleton back up into the black waters where it was almost impossible for him to see, until Undyne's cyan glow sliced the darkness. He caught sight of the shine in her eye and she surged over to them. She looked up at Whorl and raised her hand.

"Oh, you found 'im, huh? Thanks," she said.

"He took a look at my troublesome new lamp for me," Whorl said.

Undyne raised her brows.

"One of those savin' star things. You remember, right?" Sans said.

"Oh. Yeah." She gestured downwards. "Paps found something. He said he wanted to stay near it just in case."

"What was it?" Sans asked.

She shrugged. "Didn't see."

"May I come?" Whorl asked.

"Sure, knock yourself out." Undyne beckoned for them to follow her. "Saves me from having to drag that guy around."

"You could just let me sink," he suggested.

"And somehow you'll end up stuck in a crevasse somewhere. No thanks," she said.

The monsters dove deep into the dark again. Not much else lived in this section of the lake— more so it was the caves that were inhabited, except for a small swath of houses called Bubbleburb. They were headed elsewhere, though— somewhere far from where any monster usually went.

Sans felt a little lost down here. He was getting light-headed and the dark was oppressive. He was glad at least someone knew where they were going.

It wasn't too long before an amber glow signalled a direction to them. Papyrus was standing on the lakebed near a massive chunk of rock, waving, his soul shining with unusual brightness through his ribcage.

"There you are! And greetings, giant someone! I am the great Papyrus!" he said. "Minus my usual majestic attire."

Whorl blinked at him. "I am… the great Whorl."

"Ah! Whorl, who does the magic floods! It's nice to meet you! Wowie, you really do have giant arms."

"Oh. Thank you," the leviathan said.

"You're lookin' extra shiny there, bro," Sans said.

Papyrus nodded and pointed to a gap of darkness in the stone behind him. "And the closer we get to this thing, the brighter it gets, for some reason."

"What thing?" Undyne asked.

"Umm… Well, it's a little unusual," Papyrus said. "It's better if you see it, I think." He headed for the shadowy gap in the stone and waved for them to follow.

It was too small for Whorl's body, but his neck could fit through. He leaned in and watched as the three smaller monsters entered the stone into a hidden tunnel that lead into a chamber. The only light they needed was Papyrus's soul, which did indeed grow brighter the farther in they went.

"Man, how did you even find this?" Undyne asked.

"If you think I didn't investigate at least ten holes before this one, you'd be sorely mistaken," Papyrus said with a grin. "I am occasionally the great detective Papyrus, after all." He snickered and put a hand to his chest. "Plus, this was awfully hard to ignore."

"Fair enough," she said. She picked up Sans, who was lagging behind a little. "So, uh, where is it."

The tall skeleton pointed ahead to the dark shapes the area that opened up ahead of them.

In the chamber before them, a shadow on the ground was the deepest black one could imagine. Even the glow of Papyrus's increasingly bright soul wasn't lightening it at all. As they got closer, however, they could see the strange spot was not a shadow at all. It had an odd, silvery outline. Sans felt a shiver deep in his bones. He'd seen something like this before in his sister's memories, just nowhere near as large or as dark.

"Don't, uh… Don't touch that, huh?" he said.

Undyne knelt down beside it and squinted into it. "But what the hell is it?"

"Welp. That's pretty much what it looks like when the void has a blowout," Sans said.

"Wait, what?!"

"Oh, no wonder," Papyrus mused. He got closer, tilting his head curiously, and his soul shone brighter still. "I bet that's why you kept dreaming about this place, brother." He perked up, eyes brightening with excitement. "Hey, do you think this is a way we could go out and find our siblings?!"

"No. No way," Sans said. "Goin' out there last time almost dusted dad."

"It did?!" Papyrus yelped. "But… Nyeh, then what could it mean? It can't have wanted you to come here just to hurt you, right?"

"I dunno if it can _want_ anything, Paps," Undyne said. She shot a cautious look at Sans. "Uh. Can it?"

The skeleton could only shrug in reply.

"Shall I block this off for safety when you're through?" Whorl asked.

"Yeah, for sure," Undyne said.

"Uh. Maybe leave an air pocket and a phone, if you can," Sans said.

The massive monster's brow furrowed in puzzlement, but he nodded nonetheless.

Papyrus folded his arms and tapped his foot. "This is SO weird."

"But, like, what do with do with this?" Undyne insisted. "Is it a dead end? And, dude, why are you glowing like that?"

The skeleton shrugged widely. "Maybe it likes me!"

A dark ripple seeped a cold energy in the water. Sans's head was suddenly splitting and he grabbed both Undyne and Papyrus by the soul to drag them away from the gap in the world. Papyrus, though, wouldn't latch. His brother looked at him with confusion as Undyne let out a growl of surprise and toppled back, only for him to be abruptly engulfed in a tendril that shot up and out of the void.

Undyne roared. Whorl gasped loudly. Sans felt as if he could turn to dust on the spot. His blue magic would grab nothing and the intense blackness made him dizzy. He struggled through the water to reach his brother, but moving was difficult— like trying to run in a nightmare.

Undyne leapt up and dashed through the water like a torpedo. Before she'd even made contact, though, the darkness split and spit Papyrus out. He stumbled back onto the stone, wide-eyed. He clutched his hands tight together. Undyne collided with him and they would have toppled forward had the giant tendril from the hole not given him a weird stroke, like the licking tongue of a beast. At its touch, Papyrus's bones began to fully radiate with a soft, amber glow. The trail of darkness vanished and the impenetrable blackness in the rip calmed to reveal distant, twinkling lights.

The shining skeleton plunked backwards and Sans collapsed, too, grabbing him around the shoulders and slumping with a huge sigh.

"Oh my god," he grumbled.

"Dude, are you okay?!" Undyne asked, patting him down and checking around for cracks.

"I-I'm fine!" he said. "That was bizarre!"

"I should definitely put up a sign, at least," Whorl said quietly.

Papyrus turned and put a consoling arm around his brother. He showed what was in his hands— a shining, glassy red orb. Undyne blinked.

"You got that in there?" she asked.

"I think it gave it to me," he said, handing it over to her.

"Gave it…? How?" she asked incredulously.

"Did you see anythin' in there?' Sans asked worriedly.

"See? No, I don't think so," Papyrus said. "It did have a strange sort of sound, though."

"Not a hum?"

"Hmmm. No, I wouldn't say so. More like… Sort of an in-and-out kind of rhythm? Very low." He got up and then knelt down at the edge again, peering in.

Sans got up and grabbed his arm. "Careful."

"I think it's alright." Papyrus dipped his finger into the void but when he pulled it up, the pitch liquid vanished instantly from his glowing bones. "It's still, I think. Very very very cold."

"Maybe let's not be sticking our hands in there, okay?" Undyne said. "Shit. So what do we do?" She looked at Sans.

The short skeleton was quiet for a while, staring into the darkness. He traced the edge with his eyes. It was an off-kilter oval shape. One that might have started as a circle and then been dragged to the side. Now that he really looked, the edges weren't as frayed as the unusual lights he'd seen through his sister, except at one end. Maybe it wasn't a blow-out after all. That made his soul shudder, but he wasn't sure he was able to make any sort of real conclusion from it, aside from that meaning the void itself wasn't unstable like when Gaster was trapped there.

"Well?" Undyne pressed.

"You look a little disturbed, brother," Papyrus said, nudging him gently.

"It's fine," he said. He held onto Papyrus's arm with a weak grip. "As long as you're fine."

"I feel excellent, in fact," he said.

"Are you well, though, tiny one?" Whorl asked.

"Sure," Sans said quietly.

Papyrus patted his brother on the back. "Maybe that red thingamajig is what was important to find here? What do you think?"

"Well, something definitely reacted to you, kid," Undyne said, peering over the orb. "Hm. This thing looks kinda like somethin' I've seen before."

"Oh really?" Papyrus asked excitedly. "Where?!"

"Gerson had it. Said it was an old artefact." She handed it back to him. "Maybe it's the same kinda thing?"

Papyrus tapped his teeth thoughtfully. "That's a lead, then! That's good news, right, Sans? Um. Sans?"

Sans's eyelids were heavy. He'd almost passed out. He weakly stuck his thumb up. Papyrus sighed. He stood and lifted the short skeleton easily.

"It's been a long night," he said. "Maybe we should take a break."

Undyne nodded. She looked around the chamber and folded her arms. "Yeah. Yeah, you go up, I'll, uh… I'll start to take care of this."

\- - -

Whorl was kind enough to take the skeletons up to the land above the lake again. With every foot away from that hole in the world, Papyrus glowed less and less, until it was just the normal shine of his soul that glittered amber.

Up on the dock where they'd left their stuff, Papyrus knocked water out of his head and then held Sans upside-down to let the dark liquid pour out of his sockets. He gently laid him out on solid ground and got him a snack from inside his phone.

"Sans, are you awake?" he asked.

"Hm?"

"Do you want to have something to eat? Because I really think you should."

Sans sighed. He sat up slowly and rubbed his head. "Sorry."

"No sorry, just eat this." He gave over some citrus cookies and then went back to his pile of clothes. He raised a circle of bones around himself like a curtain so he could change. "Did you faint again down there?"

"Nah," Sans said quietly. "Just kinda low." He slowly nibbled one of the cookies. "…You sure you're alright, huh?"

"Yes, of course!" Papyrus replied. "That glowing was certainly interesting, though, hm? Have you ever seen anything like that before?"

"In dreams, sometimes," he said. "Or, uh… That time the kid was, uh… fightin' the other kid, before the barrier broke. You came outta a soul-steal all glowin'. With a huge shield. You remember that?"

"Umm… Noooo, I don't think I do, but it sounds very cool!"

Papyrus emerged from his concealing femurs in some dry shorts and a pink tank-top. He tucked the red orb into his pocket and offered Sans a change of clothes. As the short skeleton got to his feet, Papyrus straightened up swiftly, wide-eyed, to the sound of high-pitched woofing. Something squirmed under his shirt and a small, white dog fell out of his clothes and excitedly ran around his ankles. Sans snorted out a laugh and Papyrus gawked for a moment.

"Oh shi—ooot! How the heck did you get in there?!" he squawked.

The dog did not answer him, but bounced on its small legs up to the height of his head, giving him a lick on the cheek before stealing one of the giant bones and bounding away into the long grass. Papyrus cawed and gestured after the little creature incredulously. Sans wheezed and grinned wide.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I don't know! How did he even get in there?!"

Sans tried to catch his breath. A memory from his sister triggered deep in his skull. He recalled a similar artefact near a piano puzzle Undyne had set up in Waterfall. There was a red orb on a pedestal there. When the kid had picked it up, she'd somehow found an entire pomeranian in her pocket soon afterwards. It had taken the orb and bounded away. She'd done the same thing in several timelines, but could never wrap her head around what it was for aside from summoning dogs. He remembered she'd said something about it maybe a month ago: how she'd brought Kid and their goat brother to see it this time around, but none of them had been able to suss out its secrets either, and somehow the dog had consumed it before vanishing into a river. He wondered if it was somehow the same one.

Sans held out his hand. Raising his brow, Papyrus passed the orb over. Sans put it in his pocket, and after just a moment, a little white dog identical to the previous leapt from within it, shaking the dampness off itself. It yipped at them, pleased. It ran around again, stole another bone, but this time used it to pole vault across the impossible distance that was the lake and vanish from sight.

"Don't tell me I just got grabbed by the void for an orb that summons annoying dogs!" Papyrus said.

"…Kinda looks that way, huh?" Sans took out the artefact and held it carefully. It shimmered faintly in his hands.. "But… that can't be all."

"Can't it?! Why not! OooOOOH, if your dreams led us there and made you sleepwalk just for that I'm going to be incredibly cross with them!" He plucked it away from his brother and glared at it very close to his face. "You better be helpful, you hear me? We really need a win here and you better not have been keeping my brother from having a proper sleep for no reason!"

The orb said nothing. Papyrus's eyes went wide and then he frowned and sighed heavily. He pulled up his shirt and took a dog out from his ribcage upside down. Sans burst out laughing again and his brother held the dog up, only for it to lick his face and yip.

"Are you all the same dog?!" he demanded. "Are you clone dogs?! Are we going to be overrun with dogs?!"

"Wanna take 'em to the _lab_?" Sans asked with a wink.

"Sans, please," Papyrus said.

"Alright, alright, I'll _pawse_ it."

"Nyehhh…" The tall skeleton gently placed the tiny dog down.

Once again, it stole a bone from the circle and ran off, exceedingly pleased with itself.

Sans still didn't know what to think. This orb— it couldn't have been that red sun in his dream, could it? He didn't think so. Still, there was something about it. Something about Papyrus, too. Everything had reacted to him, and very dramatically as well. Another piece of the puzzle without a full picture to guide them.

"Welp. Tori did say dogs were good luck." Sans winked. "Could use a little of that, huh?"

"I guess?" Papyrus sighed. "I mean. It's better than nothing, right? It has to be." He clenched his hands. "…Maybe it can help me get my memories back. Somehow."

"Maybe," Sans said tepidly.

A big blue arm punched out of the lake with a loud splash— Papyrus jumped back in alarm. Sans raised his hand to greet Undyne as she heaved herself out of the water.

"I miss anything?" she asked as she pulled her hair out of a ponytail and dragged her fingers through it.

"Dogs," Sans said.

She stared blankly at him in reply for a few seconds before turning to Papyrus. "So?"

"Dogs," he agreed. He handed over the orb.

Undyne looked at it in puzzlement for a moment, then her back suddenly went rigid. She stood up straight as a little white dog appeared through her hair, slumped over her shoulder with a happy, panting expression. She looked at him, wide-eyed, and then blew out a sigh. "Seriously?"

"I wasn't _maltese-ing_ you," Sans said.

"Hm." Undyne squinted at the thing in her hand and rubbed the dog's head with the other. "I think I had one of these."

"Is it secretly very powerful?" Papyrus wondered.

"Could be? We'll have to ask Gerson in the morning." She looked at Sans and raised her brow. "And you're still soaked. C'mon. Wanna stay over at mine?"

"But we still don't know what's going on," Papyrus said.

"Dude, did you even sleep since we went outside?"

He pouted. "I don't need to that often."

"Just come have some tea or somethin'. Chill for a minute." Her eye darted to Sans, who had a gloom of guilt about him.

Papyrus caught her angle and he nodded. She grinned and grabbed the dog and handed it off to the short skeleton, beckoning for them to follow her.

As they left, Sans stared into the dog's dark eyes. It woofed and licked his cheek. He sighed and gave it a little squeeze.

"You got any clue what's goin' on, pup?" he asked.

The dog simply tilted its head. The skeleton chuckled tiredly.

"Yeah, me neither."

\- - -

The taller monsters reached Undyne's house first. She noticed her training dummy was gone— chalked it up to time going askew.

Though Papyrus doubled back for his brother, he claimed he was fine. Just slow. Still carrying that little dog around. Didn't mind just having a little quiet for a few minutes. Papyrus fully understood and went ahead to start setting up a place for him to sleep. Seemed a bit redundant to him, though. Sans would gladly doze off anywhere most of his body would fit.

At the crossroad path leading to Undyne's cave, Sans started to get a little dizzy. He gently put the dog down and patted its head.

"Don't wanna pass out on top of ya, bub," Sans said.

The dog wiggled and booped its cool nose on his hand before bounding away into the caverns. Sans straightened up and rubbed the back of his skull. Here came the fragments again. Light didn't change, but shadows did. Might've seen Undyne patrolling. She'd been through here too many times to count, so that would make sense. He'd spent maybe half the day seeing stuff that wasn't there. He wondered when it'd just take up everything.

As he trudged up the path to the house, he paused at a ledge overlooking the shimmering waters. A chill shook his bones. Through some silent fragment of space, he could see _her_. His kid. He was sure of it.

He was cautious getting closer. It was like looking through a window. He knelt down, squinting, and she was right there, though her features still wouldn't stick. An existential chill rattled him when he saw his own arm reach out and hold that kid. He knew this moment. Could never forget it.

She'd given him her soul. They'd become a giant, bone beast. They'd decided it was a dragon. He'd learned about every second of her little, lonely life, and she'd had to endure the mess that was his. And yet, they were happy. Overwhelmingly so. Afterwards, they'd come to this exact spot to chill before going home that night. He had one of the charms that Papyrus had made to look like their skull attached to his phone. So had she.

His left eye was flaring. He sighed and dropped onto the stone, letting his feet dangle in the water. He rubbed his forehead with his palms.

"Kid, I'm sorry," he said quietly. "If I wasn't such…" He cracked an exhausted smile. Didn't matter. She didn't care, he knew that. Wasn't like she could hear him now, anyway. He just wished he could find her. Had to know she was okay.

Something faint dripped into the calm water. He looked up, but couldn't see anything. Didn't know why he bothered. His grin turned sardonic. It was always this way, wasn't it? A cruel joke. Time laid bare in the hands of a loser like him once, which made him uniquely qualified to find its true guardian, and yet he couldn't keep his feet under him for more than a couple hours. Kid was probably fine. Bet she was doing great out there. He was the one so desperately reaching for a red light he was too weak to grasp and too out of it to find. She didn't need him. Nobody needed him.

The cut in the side of his hand stung. He looked at it with a raised brow. What was that feeling? Couldn't be scolding him, could it? _Great_, he thought. He was monstrupomorphizing a scar.

He sensed Papyrus before he saw him, but was still a little surprised that he plopped down beside him and put his arms around him.

"Things are going to be okay," he said.

"…Yeah," he said quietly.

"I'm serious. And also, I'm completely positive."

"I know."

Papyrus glowed his sunshiny magic, warm and comforting through the chill of the water. "You've been working harder these last few days than I think I've seen you, ever in your entire life. Even though you're still not feeling well, right?" He smiled proudly. "You're so determined. I know that means something. And that thing is! That things are going to work out! We'll figure out the weird red dog orb. And we'll figure everything else out, too. And find our siblings."

"Yeah," Sans said quietly. He huffed out a tired sigh. _"_Why am I like this?"

"Why are you like what?" Papyrus asked.

Sans just raised a brow and gestured to himself. His brother scoffed.

"Sans, you are sad, and you are allowed to be sad!" he said. "Emotions are good! Showing your emotions is good too! And. I mean. Honestly, any time you don't just answer with something vague and noncommittal when I ask how you're doing is a win in my book."

Sans scoffed softly. "Short book."

"For a short brother." Papyrus chuckled and shot him a wink. "I think we can add a couple lines to it every once in a while. And. At least you are self-aware."

Sans laughed tiredly. He slumped and rested his hand on the cool stone beside the fragment of time. From the corner of his eye, he could see the kid. Looked like she was almost asleep, leaning on his shoulder. He couldn't tell if the spot feeling a little warm was just his imagination. She was going to get up soon. They were going to go to Grillby's.

Papyrus gave him a squeeze. He couldn't articulate why, but it made his eyes water.

"I guess… I just kinda want everyone to be together again, y'know?" he said.

"I do know. And. You. Deserve. A break."

"Do I?"

"Yes, you do. I have decided, definitively."

"I don't have time," Sans muttered.

"Let me worry about that for a little," Papyrus insisted. "Trust me, brother."

Sans slumped where he sat. He didn't know what to think anymore, but he'd believe in Papyrus. That was usually a good start.


	40. What to do when the void spits up your dad

_Hey! Its me. I don't know when youre gonna get this_

_or I guess if youre gonna get this but I hope so_

_I miss you <3_

_I dont know how long its been over there? Hope its not long!_

_Here its been two days, i think. Maybe three? I cant tell. It seems like not that long but kinda forever at the same time_

_We found what was making sans sick! It was in a whole other universe. We met another you as a tiny kid, lol! you were so cute! i took pics, i'll show you when we get home :D_

_i gave him the scarf you made me i hope you don't mind. it made him super happy_

_anyway it was their gaster doing dumb sience stuff. we fixed that, but we kinda fell somewhere else_

_remember that dream i told you about? the one where everyone looked spooky? that's where i am now. they don't look that spooky nymore_

_everyone's really nice. even tho undyne here faut me lol! it was cool tho XD_

_also shes queen XD_

_there's more skeletons here! or at least one more. her names mistrall (i think that's how you spell it?) i wonder if she ever existed at home_

_maybe that's too sad i dunno_

_also there's another time kid here. i thought it would be supr weird and i guess its a little weird but shes nice. shes a lot diffrnt from me and i think that helps lol_

_itd be so weird if she was like my twin or something omg DX_

_this sans is doin his best to get us home. he's really nice but sometimes its kinda hard because i miss sans so much, you know? its kinda painful and i think he knows, which sucks bcause its supr not his falt_

_when he wakes up, give him a hug for me ok? <3_

_and if you get this can you let mom and dad and asgore know we're ok? and we'll be home asap_

_im gonna take pictures of like evrything btw_

_I miss you did i say that already?_

_its funny, the papyrus here is so much like you. i think that's all that's really keepin me from losing it_

_dont tell anyone else i said that ok?_

_asriel misses you too_

_love you papyrus <3 <3_

_i'll just keep sending notes until i get home_

_and if you get this and can't send something back i won't be upset lol_

It was three in the morning. Not ideal for a little kid, but collapsing earlier had done Frisk at least a small amount of good. She was perturbed that the best sleep she'd gotten since Sans had gotten sick had been from her knocking herself out beyond normal recovery, though.

She'd awoken slumped against an equally slumped, short skeleton, who had dozed off reading a book in a language she couldn't understand. It felt a bit too familiar. Papyrus had told her Sans had carried her around the rest of the day as she napped, and Pidge had teased that she looked like a little puppy. Embarrassing? A bit. Was she still too tired to care very much? Same answer. Either way, she was glad to see he was okay after what had happened at the Soul. Last thing she needed was another unconscious skeleton on account of her.

Frisk had dreamt of Sans while she'd been out. Saw his bluish outline in an overwhelming shroud of black. He'd been missing an arm. He'd said it was fine when she reached out to touch the empty socket of his shoulder. Then, he'd been overtaken with snow. She was swept away to Snowdin and her home again— dreamt of her mom, and Papyrus, and once again, Sans. It wasn't really him. It was the vision her mind would conjure to contain his memories in her head— give her what felt like someone external to bounce ideas off of. It was nice to hear his voice despite the falseness.

Now, she stared at her phone screen in the low light of a living room similar to her own, nestled under a blanket and leaning against the side of the otherworldly Papyrus. He was reading a graphic novel— not a scary one, though. He, like her brother of the same soul, was quite the night-owl.

Frisk looked up at him silently for a little while. She snapped a picture and then tapped on his arm, leaning over to show it. He grinned.

"Very neat," he said. "Has your device managed to reach your home yet?"

"Noo, doesn't look like it," she said. She bit back a sigh. "It's fine, I didn't expect it to."

"Mm, nothing's ever easy, is it?" he said apologetically.

"Do you think I should go back? I mean, to the Soul? I just… I don't know what to do."

"Just give Sans some time. I know it's hard," he said. "You need the break. But I am very glad you saw at least one of your brothers. I hope he comes through soon. I'd love to meet him."

Frisk cracked a smile. "Yeah? I bet he's gonna be happy to meet you, too." She just had to find a way to get him back. Again. She sighed. "I really miss him. I just wish there was something else I could do." She shook her head quickly. "Sorry, I'm not very fun to be around, huh?"

Papyrus tutted at her gently. He put his book aside and patted her head. "You feel guilty every second you're not doing something, don't you?" He smiled sympathetically when she flinched in response. "You're really very small and far from home, with a lot of worries in your skull. Of course that's mostly what you're thinking about! Don't worry about how you come across to me. You don't need to be _fun_. I like you, however you are."

"Thanks, Paps," she said softly.

He nodded and smiled. "The last time I was separated from my siblings for a while, I was so paranoid about something happening to them. So. I understand. And even now, with mom gone… Well! At least she sends letters very regularly. We're expecting some in the next day or so, actually."

"Pidge said she was following the King, right? Is it to do with the curse stuff?" Frisk asked.

"Oh, yes, for sure. Mom was furious with him when everything was over," Papyrus said. "He'd made every monster look wrong and made most of us moon-blind, I think, and changed magic colours which is a very personal thing, and made healing not work, and when she tried to stop him way back when, he sealed her in those Ruins. I mean, he cursed himself first so he wasn't exactly himself, but still. Anyway, he never wanted to be forgiven once my sister saved him and all of us. I think he wanted to go to the End of the World, probably, where nobody could find him."

Frisk frowned thoughtfully and nodded. "What's… moon-blind?"

"Oh! Okay, so, how it works is, our magic mostly comes from the sun, right? We had a little tiny hole in the top of the mountain when we still lived under it. It helped keep us healthy. We were supposed to get that from the moon, too. Some monsters would be a little better in one or the other for some reason. But the curse, it made it so most of us would just become… very very mean. At night. It's sort of hard to explain." He nervously knitted his long fingers together. "I think Sans told me it's because the magic of the sun was stronger than the curse that it wasn't just like that all the time, but the monsters who were moon-blind had a lot of trouble. It was pretty upsetting. It was like, all the anger of the King would make us all angry too."

"Except the… moon monsters?"

"Right! Sans is one. Did you see, he even has part of a moon mark on his hand sometimes!" Papyrus said proudly. "He was always so good about it. If you stayed inside, it wasn't so bad. So, he made me stay inside any night I wasn't on guard duty. And besides! When my sister got here, anybody she beat in a battle would snap out of it!"

"That's good," Frisk said. "That's weird, though, about the magic."

"Is it? Magic works in the same way in your world, though, right?" he said.

"Um. I dunno. I mean. Maybe? We lost a lot of kinda knowing stuff about that in the war."

"…Hm. Strange. My sister said for sure your magic is the same, with the sun and the moon and stuff like that, at least. I mean, you have a hum. That's the same. I'm not sure why the rest of it would be different."

Frisk tilted her head curiously. Pidge learned all that just from peeking in? But, Frisk had no idea about monster magic being related to the sun. Sans didn't know either. He knew that being underground was unhealthy, and he knew they needed the magic from the CORE to survive, but other than that, there wasn't much in his memories that lined up with that specifically.

It did make sense, now that she thought about it, though. The monsters she knew looked a lot healthier in the sunlight, and even Sans had regained his ability to heal once they'd reached the surface the first time. During that erased year, she remembered Papyrus using skills she'd never even seen before, and, actually, he'd needed to sleep even less than he usually did.

"You look confused," Papyrus said.

"Hm? Oh! Sorry, I was just… I think you're right, it's probably pretty close," she said.

"Except the whole _humans using magic_ thing," he said. "Are there others? Like you?"

"Um. Don't think so. Not anymore. When our King looked into it, seemed like humans had no clue about it," she said. "And I learned in school that only ones with red souls could ever do it at all. Maybe like a thousand years ago or something."

"That's a relief," he said under his breath. He cracked a smile. "I wonder, maybe I would have looked more like your brother if that'd all never happened."

"I like however you look," she said.

He grinned a little brighter.

A strange, melodic chime came from seemingly nowhere and the skeleton perked up. He pulled a round crystal out of his pocket. It was gently pulsing with orange. He tapped it twice with his thumb and it silenced itself.

"Ooh. Right on time! There's mail waiting for us," He looked at Frisk with his brows raised. "Would you like an excuse to take a walk?"

"Super yes."

"Are you guys going out?" Pidge had snuck out of her room without either of them hearing. She was groggy and in a baggy green tee, blinking heavily as she held up an oval crystal that softly blinked orange.

Papyrus stuck his hand up to greet her. "Little sister! Yes, come along, we'd be glad to have you."

Pidge flashed a grin. "Extra hands if Frisk passes out again."

"You don't need extra, I'm tiny," she said.

The other girl laughed quietly. "Welp. Got me there. Let's go, Papy, it's probably from mom."

\- - -

The night was bright, moonlight off the snow shimmering enough to give the world a cool, blue tint. It was almost as easy to see through as daylight. Back through the main street of Snowdin they went, up until a big, wooden signpost decorated with arrows marked a crossroads. From there, they headed along the northern path. Paving stones under crushed snow gave way to a worn, dirt road leading into frosty forest.

Just a few minutes through and the path connected to a wide road running perpendicular and away from the town entirely. Right at the junction sat a small, wooden kiosk that looked like a fortified bird house. Pidge darted ahead, up to the large opening in the front. She bounced eagerly on her toes to peek into the shadows.

"Hey? Howdy? Hello? We got a signal," she said. "Anyone here?"

A rustling and quiet cooing heralded a huge, fluffy owl head squeezing through the window. The monster was mostly black with highlights of silver on the edges of his cheek and ear feathers, and he had only one, huge red eye. He squished himself out and onto the counter and sat, dangling strangely long legs, and his tail, like a waving tendril out behind him, plunked a blue, slanted cap with a visor onto his head between tufted, catlike ears.

"Ooh, little ghost. That was quick," he said. His tail stretched back into the building and returned with three letters. He passed one to her, and two to Papyrus. "And there you go!"

Pidge accepted excitedly and tore the envelope open. She pulled out a crisply folded sheet of pale silvery paper and grinned. "Knew it! It's from mom!"

"Of course it is," Papyrus said with a laugh, tucking his away. "Does she say if she's coming home soon?"

"Lemme read it first, goofus!"

"Alright, alright."

The owl monster's eye darted down to Frisk and he leaned down to peer at her unblinkingly. "Hoo, another one. Quite small. Hello, small thing."

"Um. Hi. I'm Frisk," the kid said.

"O-Our cousin!" Papyrus said quickly.

"Stolas," the monster said, putting a wing-hand to his chest. His eye got big. "Frisk, you said?"

"Yeah?"

Stolas's tail flicked back into the dark and returned with a letter sealed with a gold, wax seal. "That's funny, I got something for you a little earlier. I wasn't sure who to signal."

"Um. For me? That's… weird." Frisk frowned with confusion but held her hand out regardless.

The owl gently passed an envelope to her. The small letter was somehow heavy in her hands; she almost dropped it with surprise.

"O-Oh! Um, thanks!" she squeaked.

Papyrus leaned over her to look. There was a symbol of the four-winged Delta Rune— except with the circle replaced with a spiral— embossed in the wax of the seal. He reached down to slide a claw under it for her, and when she opened it, a whole hard-cover book plopped out, with a small letter taped to the front.

_Dear Frisk the Human,_

_Yeoboseyo! It's me, Alphys! We met earlier! I hope this finds its way to you! Haha, if not I'll figure something else out I'm sure. I know you mentioned a bit of your magic and Sans told me a little, and I thought it was such a shame that you'd never learnt spellcasting! I guess you don't have it in your home, right? Soooo, please take this book! It's for really young monsters, and I just thought you might maybe enjoy taking a look at it! Sorry, I hope this isn't imposing! You don't have to if you don't want to! I know it's hard, being away from home like you are. And I know we just met, but if you need anything, let me know! I have a lot of books!_

She signed off with a heart and some characters Frisk couldn't read. There was also a little, simple lizard face with glasses drawn on in gold ink. It winked periodically.

The book had a cute, childish cartoon of a black dragon on the cover. The character was casting a spiral of scarlet magic in front of her as some little white dogs cheered her on. There was no title on the front, instead bearing a sun symbol with the number one inside it. The spine, however, read: _Little Monster's Magic Notes: Volume 1._ Frisk flipped it open and saw pages of sheet music and similar cute pictures drawn throughout as step-by-step guides or encouragement.

"Oh, that's really sweet," Frisk said under her breath.

"Ooh, I remember that one," Papyrus said. "It's just some simple things. Good for games or little puzzles, if you like!"

"Cool," Frisk said. She couldn't help a smile and turned to Stolas curiously. "Can I send a letter back?"

"Absohootly, you can!"

As Frisk pulled her notebook out and began to write a thank you note, Pidge finished with her letter. She sighed and folded it roughly, shoving it into her pocket.

"Few more months, she said." The girl sighed and looked up at Papyrus worriedly. "She said she's getting close to the End."

"I thought so," Papyrus said.

"How long's she been gone?" Frisk asked.

"A few months. But she was gone before that for a while, too." Pidge sighed. "I wish she could let it go. She knows he's never gonna give her the answer she wants."

"She is very stubborn," Papyrus said. He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Very similar to a certain someone, I think."

"We're literally all stubborn, though," the girl said with a tired laugh.

The skeleton snickered. "Well, you're certainly not wrong."

"Is she still looking for the old King?" Stolas asked.

Pidge nodded. The owl gently patted her on the head.

"Don't fret, little ghost, she'll be home before you know it."

"Yeah," Pidge said, pouting a little. She tried to shake it off and snuck in close to Frisk. "What'd you…? Oh! Alphys, huh? That was nice of her."

Frisk nodded. She hesitated, just a moment, and then gave the other girl a hug. "Sorry about your mom."

"Wh…?" Pidge blinked. She wilted and squeezed Frisk tight. "S'okay. I expected…" She sighed. "Thanks." She pulled away and mussed up the kid's hair. "F-Finish writing your dang letter before we both start crying, okay?"

"Okay, okay," Frisk said with a laugh.

\- - -

Just off the main street, there was a little pub sandwiched between a spice store and a fortune-teller's shop. It was tall and narrow, made from dark wooden planks with high, peaked roof and a sheltering awning above the door. Either side of the entrance was decorated with a stone lantern, flickering with blue and purple flame. Since the kids weren't tired at all, Papyrus brought them there.

The inside was warm and golden, lit by a smouldering fire pit, with seats sectioned off in private booths. It was quiet except the faint mumblings of tired monsters near a counter at the back and the the crackle of flames.

Inside one of the booths, Pidge eagerly jumped into a seat and pulled Frisk in beside her. Papyrus sat across and tapped his finger on a crystal orb imbedded into the wood of the table. It glowed faintly with white.

"Dumplings, obviously," he said.

"Aaaand soup!" Pidge said. "No, wait, stew, with the cornbread thingies. Do you think Sans will show up?"

"You never know with him." Papyrus wrote their order into the crystal with his finger. "Frisk, would you like anything else?"

"Um. Tea? Is that okay?" she said.

"Oooh, yes, tea. Good idea."

"And ketchup."

"Ketchup? What f…?" Papyrus's face crinkled. "Oh no, not you, too."

"No, no no, for Sans," she said quickly.

"I will never understand that," Pidge said.

"It is kind of you to think to enable him," the skeleton said with an amused, sideways smile. He wrote it in. "Alright. A ketchup separate."

Frisk leaned over to look at the orb, but didn't see much except Papyrus's writing in gold-orange, fading away. "So it sends messages?"

"It'll print out the order on the other end," Pidge said.

"But you guys still mostly send letters, right?" Frisk asked.

Pidge blinked with confusion. Frisk held up her phone.

"I mean, we use them, too, but I could use this to text anyone who has one of these."

"Ooh. Well, I mean, you need a bigger crystal to send things farther, I think," Papyrus said.

"Ah, I get it. We don't have computers like how you guys'd think of them," Pidge said. "At least, um, from what I understand of what I saw."

Frisk nodded thoughtfully, but she still looked confused. Pidge snickered.

"What?" she asked.

"Well, I mean, I was just getting to know how my own world works," Frisk said with an apologetic smile. "I'm trying to kinda match things up between places in my brain so I'm not just a lost mess."

"Ah. Yeah, that makes sense," Pidge said. "Oh yeah, right, you were a street kid, right?"

Frisk nodded. Pidge smiled.

"Bet you were pretty easy to impress at first, huh? I was the same." She stretched her arms high above her head. "Hey. Can I see your book?"

Frisk plunked it onto the table and pushed it over. Pidge flipped it open and looked through a few pages. Papyrus leaned forward, cheek on his fist and an amused smile on his face. The kid kept on through the book for a minute, nodding thoughtfully, and then pulled back with a bashful grin.

"I can't read music at all," she said.

Papyrus snickered.

"I'm know a little," Frisk said. "Sans and Undyne taught me."

"Mom tried to teach me and I just couldn't get it at all," Pidge said.

"That's okay, I'm still learning to read normal words, too." Frisk pulled the book over. "But this is for really little kids, right? I think I can get it. Maybe I could help you with notes?"

"Nah, don't worry, I can't cast anyway," the girl said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Maybe you could, though, if you tried very hard," Papyrus suggested.

"I doubt it, bro," she said. "Anyway, it's fine. What I got is enough for me. And besides…"

She clammed up as a golden fire elemental drifted over to their table with tea and a fancy glass bottle of ketchup. The monster stalled upon seeing them, and Frisk tried to be casual as she pushed her sleeve up a little. As soon as the blue was visible, the elemental relaxed and placed their things on the table. They thanked her; she nodded and then woodshed away.

Frisk rolled her sleeves up to her elbows. A look of shame flashed over Papyrus's face. He got up.

"Actually. I'm going to get Sans, since we ordered him so many things," he said. "I'll be right back. Be good, you two."

"O-Okay, bye," Frisk said as the other girl raised a hand to wave him off. She turned to her with a frown. "Did I—?"

"No," Pidge said. She lowered her voice. "I think he's a bit worried about it goin' red again and not being able to help you." She took Frisk's arm carefully and held it to stare at the blue. "It's not too bad, is it? Like, how it feels."

The girl's skin was so cold. Frisk got goosebumps.

"It doesn't feel like anything, really." She grabbed Pidge's hand with both of hers and rubbed them together.

"What're you—?"

"You're frozen," Frisk said. "I'd do red for you, but, um… But! My brothers say my hands are really warm even without that, so…"

"Oh." Pidge's cheeks flushed. "I-It's okay. I'm always kinda cold like that." She patted Frisk on the shoulder and then quickly took her tea and took a sip. "I'm alright, don't worry. A-Anyway! Did you take a look in there? Anything you wanna try?"

Frisk tilted her head. Pidge looked like she was trying to hide behind her mug of tea. The kid turned back to the book.

"Um. Well, I saw one for, like, glow bubbles? That's basically all I can do anyway, so if that'd make it easier— ooh, or maybe I could do a couple? That'd be cool."

"Ah, jeez, is volume one really all just stuff like that?" Pidge asked.

"I saw something about making ice cubes. But it says _blues_ have that a bit easier. Oh, and one for small repairs of magic stuff, but I can kinda already do that."

Pidge rolled her eyes. "I should ask her to get you one on bullet patterns."

"B…? Oh! No, I don't need that," Frisk said quickly. "Besides, when would I ever use it?"

"Training?" she suggested. "Dunno." She hunched her shoulders. "Against humans, maybe."

"I-I don't think I'm gonna be fighting any humans! And if someone comes at me, I can freeze them a little or something."

"But, like… Okay, think about it. Time bullets, though. That'd be really cool."

"Well, yeah, duh. As long as they don't hurt, though," Frisk said. "I don't wanna hurt anyone."

Pidge looked her up and down, a slanted smile on her face. "After everything you've been through…"

Frisk blinked. A chill sunk in her stomach. The freckled girl sipped her steaming tea. She looked far away for a moment.

"I hope you stay like you are," she said. "I hope you never want to hurt people." She shot Frisk a sly grin. "But, like, I mean, it's okay if you make 'em fall on the floor or something, right? Don't just let yourself get kidnapped or some junk 'cause you don't wanna hurt some loser like that, alright?"

"Well, I mean, I had to bite a guy the other day," Frisk said bashfully.

Pidge scoffed loudly, almost snorting tea. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve, a big grin on her face. "And you even feel guilty about that! Aw, Frisk. You're a riot, y'know?"

"You fight, though, right?" the kid asked. She remembered she'd even stormed into Undyne's with a blade, even though it didn't look terribly sharp— not that it mattered. "That's what you said?"

"I do." She nodded. "Maybe it's mean. But I don't mind hurting someone a bit. If they deserve it. If I need to protect someone." She smiled ruefully. "I mean, monsters, never. Not on purpose. But humans? I'd smack a human on purpose."

"It just makes me feel sick," Frisk said quietly.

"Drink some tea."

The kid cracked a smile. She took a sip. A new flavour. Berries of some kind.

Papyrus arrived, lugging his half-asleep brother, just in time for the stew and dumplings to be served. Sans was still in his pyjamas, and he slumped across the table right where his brother had placed him. He only roused when Frisk passed him his ketchup. His face lit right up— somehow, it made the tiny nick at the bottom of his bad eye's socket easier to see. He added the red goo to every part of his meal and drank the rest. That and the much-expected scoffing sounds Papyrus made whenever he took note of it made Frisk feel a little more at home.

The food was good. Hearty and warming. The whole place had a cozy nostalgia about it, and the conversation stayed slow and light.

The sun had just barely begun to rise by the time they started the walk back to the house. Sans lagged behind, dragging tired feet in the gold-tinted snow. Frisk dropped back with him as Pidge and Papyrus chattered amongst themselves, striding at a much quicker pace. He shot her a tired smile.

"Doin' alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "You?"

"Yeah. Pretty good." He shoved his hands in his pockets, his eyes half-lidded. "Thanks for trustin' me. Before."

"No no no, thank you for helping. That was… dangerous," she said.

He shrugged. "Knew it'd be fine. Didn't see myself dustin' right then, so."

"I'd never let you in a million years," she said quietly.

Sans grinned. There was a glimmer in his eye. "Protective, huh?"

"W-Well, yeah, I can't let you get blown up for me," she squeaked.

A sympathetic grimace crossed his face. "Your, uh, brother? He real fragile?"

"Yeah."

Sans nodded thoughtfully. "Same here. Used to be normal 'til I fell into the Soul when I was a kid. But, that's also how I became an oracle, so it ain't all bad. Anythin' like that go down?"

"Ooh. No, he was made like that."

"Made?"

"Yeah, dad made him doing magic science with determination stuff," she said. "He was trying to make a fake human soul. Me and Sans were both kinda weird science experiment kids. I mean, I guess Paps was too, except he was on purpose, I think."

It took a moment for Frisk to notice the skeleton wasn't walking beside her. She turned to find him stalled just a few steps back, eyes wide.

"What? You okay?"

Sans stared at her blankly. He tilted his head. "You're… human, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"A monster made ya?"

Frisk nodded. She grasped her hands together. She missed that monster a heck of a lot.

"But. Wait, so… you're…?" He eyed her up and down cautiously. "Your dad, he's…?"

"Um. A skeleton. His name's Gaster."

Sans bristled. The kid flinched.

"Is he mean here, too?" she asked.

He smiled sideways, but his pupils had vanished. "Ah. Don't worry 'bout it. Hey, if your dad's a bad dude, then—"

"Oh! No, sorry!" Frisk said quickly. "No, my dad's really nice. The Gaster I met in the universe before I fell here was the mean one."

"Oh. Ooh." A little glitter returned to him. "Hey. Good news for once. They can be a real pain if they're… Well. Forget that! You got a good one. Even if I don't get how the heck you're even possible, kiddo."

"Y-Yeah, same, mostly."

So two out of three so far weren't so nice, when counting Gasters. Frisk wasn't sure she understood. He was a caring dork back home. Filled with determination, sure. Maybe that was what set him off, somehow. It seemed unusual. Most monsters were really kind by nature. That same nature had caused Sans so much grief when his soul wanted to trust and care for the anomalies that came before her, yet his mind knew from experience it was a disaster waiting to happen. To have one monster be so different from himself— and unusually cruel— was hard to understand.

"Uh. You okay, kid?" Sans asked worriedly. "Sorry, didn't mean t'offend ya if I—"

"Oh! No, you didn't. Um. Just… thinking. Sorry," she said. She let out a nervous laugh. "It's just… It's weird, right? Like, different versions of the same guy, I dunno." She shook her head. "Sorry, I mean, I knew about different _anomalies_ and stuff, even if we weren't really all the same person. But I kinda have trouble wrapping my mind around some of this other stuff."

Sans smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, it's uh… Always kinda existential at first." He patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry 'bout it too much. Come on, bet we beat those guys home."

He whisked her back into the warmth of the house. They were standing on the table. He sat down where he was. By the time she'd hopped to the floor, Pidge was opening the front door. She pouted and levelled her gaze at Sans.

"Cheater," she teased.

He winked. "What else is new?" He stretched. "Welp. I'm goin' back to bed."

"But you just got up, brother," Papyrus said.

"Got a lotta work to do later. You get some rest, too, pigeon, I'm gonna need your help again."

"Yeah yeah, I will," she said, sticking her tongue out at him as he teleported away. "Frisk, you okay?"

"Uh-huh."

"Gonna get some rest?"

The kid shrugged. Pidge smirked as she ditched her outdoor clothes.

"Do it, okay? I wanna train with you tomorrow."

"Train with me?" Frisk echoed.

"Yeah! Think you could use it," she said. She clapped Frisk on the shoulder. "It'll be fun."

"O-Okay."

Pidge grinned and headed upstairs. "And come up if you need anything!"

Frisk nodded, though she had no intention of sleeping anymore. Papyrus put a hand on her head and smiled knowingly down at her.

"I'll keep you company," he said.

\- - -

Frisk spent the next couple hours trying to work through the knot of anxiety over Asriel in her gut and reading her new book. The words were easy enough, and the music notes weren't too bad either. She could whistle a couple, simple melodies, but that didn't do much. Papyrus explained that casting a spell as written was more along the lines of playing music with one's soul. Frisk couldn't quite figure it out but still ended up with red bands on her wrist for her efforts. This time, though, Papyrus wasn't worried. He said the house was safe. Since Mistral never came bursting in, it seemed he was right.

When Sans lugged himself out of bed, he wiped Frisk's bands back to blue and plunked down with her, gently correcting her when she got a note wrong. He didn't stay long, though. Pidge got up and they vanished to _get back to work_, whatever that meant. Frisk wanted to help, but Sans simply asked her to be patient. She was still having trouble with that.

To kill a little time, Papyrus took the kid around town again. She took photos of everything. There was a little yellow lizard kid with black wasp stripes that she thought might be Kid, and had to convince herself to not to rush over to say hello— mostly so as not to risk hugging him. She missed him a lot, too, now that she thought of it. Maybe they could do a big sleepover when they got home, if Sans was okay.

There were still many kinds of monsters here Frisk had never seen. Some had names she hadn't heard before, like the _grimms_ for those little devilish monsters and _mer_ for the fish people that were the same type as Undyne. She saw an orc for the first time— an olive-brown, scaly type of monster that looked like a cross between a dinosaur and a bulldog. They weren't around anymore back home.

She was pretty sure she was getting the world figured out, at least a little. This place had never had the devastating war with humanity that had wiped out whole groups and erased so much knowledge from the monsters. If Papyrus was right about the sun— which she was pretty sure he was— these monsters hadn't been light-starved, either. Their powers seemed a lot more potent here, except the healing. Tech was magic with sparse human influence, and spell books not unlike the one her father had found so precious could be bought in a store. In fact, there was a store filled with them not too far from the pub. Frisk made a note to take a trip there before heading home.

She couldn't quite put her finger on the Soul of the World, though, nor how Pidge as this world's anchor really tied in. Then again, they hadn't talked about time travel much. Maybe it hadn't messed up as it had back home. Maybe this Sans being an oracle had allowed him to subvert part of it, or maybe they'd never been thrown askew at all. There were no _saves_, though. No mention of an angry ghost, or alternate anomalies flitting in and out, either. Reset to midnight, Pidge said. Papyrus didn't have much in the ways of answers. He could feel time when it shifted, he said, but couldn't remember much of it— just like Pidge had told her. Maybe it was best not to get hung up on it, for now, despite a fleeting hope that, somehow, it might help her.

For fun, Papyrus brought Frisk to a large, icy maze he'd help build out near the river. It was guarded by a massive, glittering wolf who gladly accepted an ear rub before the kid and the skeleton delved into the frosty pathways. There were puzzles within puzzles there to help open some secret doors, and it was all a good time until Frisk goofed up a switch and fell into a trap of ice-cold water. Once again a Frisksicle, Papyrus brought her back to the house so she could change as he went to go get lunch for everyone out in the town. He asked her to go pull the others out of work-mode while he was gone. It was almost noon and they needed a break, too.

For the first time in a while, Frisk was back in her own clothes. She spent an extra moment of consideration on her blue and pink hoodie with the little horn-points on the hood. She hoped people would just think the Delta Rune in white on the back was a misprint, because she was way too chilly to not wear it.

She straightened out her hair a bit with her fingers, and then headed to Pidge's door. She knocked, but there was no answer.

"Guys?" she called. "Papyrus said he's getting lunch? And that you should take a break?" She wished she knew what they needed to take a break from.

Sans's door was her next stop. Knocked again. Nothing.

"Sans? Pidge?" She thought she might have heard a voice in there, whether it was replying to her or not. Cautiously, she opened it up.

Sans's room wasn't at all what she expected. The small, dim area near the door was a mess of books and clothes on a wooden floor beside a bedroll and a pile of blankets strewn about everywhere. The only things on the walls were a few drawings of varying quality, presumably done by Pidge or Papyrus, when he was younger. However, beyond that, there was another threshold, shimmering with magic like a mirage, that opened onto a room of dark wood panels lit by firelight and chunks of crystal on a small, stone pedestal. Once more, the interior of a monster house defied logical space.

Frisk edged forward, peeking through the odd, empty doorframe. The room beyond was lined with messy bookshelves, with yet more tomes stacked up haphazardly on the floor, in most abundance beside a huge, wide old table with two wooden chairs near it. The ceiling drew the kid's eyes immediately with a glimmer of light. They were covered in stone panels with crystals imbedded in: constellation shapes arranged in a huge circle around a glowing orb at their centre. Frisk could have sworn she'd seen them before somewhere.

A creak of wood to her right made the kid jump and she turned to look. She froze. There was a large, unusual-looking skeleton in the corner of the room, leaning over top of another, pitch-black crystal orb on a pedestal. The skeleton was a bit taller than Papyrus, but more heavily-built. They wore a black coat with a fuzzy hood, though it had no sleeves covering any of their four arms. The lower pair held the pedestal while the upper pair clasped red magic between sharp claws. The main shoulders had curved, blade-like spikes protruding from them like petrified wings, piercing the coat. Parts of their forearms were translucent like frosted glass. A long, boney tail with a blade-like tip waved gently back and forth behind them.

Before Frisk could say anything, the skeleton perked up and the magic they held fizzled out. They turned, blinking three eyes with shimmering purple irises back at her. The whole right side of their body was scarred faintly, including a little chip at the bottom of the right eye socket, and they cracked a pointy-toothed grin at the kid's startled expression.

"Uh. Whoops," he said in a voice that was two at once, but sounded very much like Sans. "Did I spook ya?"

"Huhwhat?!" Frisk squeaked. "How are you—?"

"Aah! No, no, Frisk, it's okay," he said, raising his hands, though his voice sounded a bit more feminine now. "I'm, uh… I'm… Sans's, uh…"

The kid stared. Her heart thumped. It took her a second, but she knew exactly what this monster was. She gulped hard, but a weak smile crept over her.

"You didn't think up a fake name first?" she joked, though her voice warbled.

The big skeleton froze. Half his face twisted into an amused smile and he rubbed the back of his skull bashfully. "Ah… So, you figured it out, huh?" He laughed. "Course she did, she's a smart little nerd."

Frisk let out a deep breath and her shoulders slumped. "Y-You guys…? Are you okay?"

The skeleton smiled. "Yeah. No worries. This is how we do our work." He chuckled at the look on her face. "You're confused."

"Y-Yeah," she said. "So you're not hurt?"

"Hurt? Why the heck would I be…?" All three of his eyes went wide. "Oh…. Right, right right." His brows tilted apologetically, and he came close to her and knelt down. "Sorry. Don't be scared, okay? It's safe." They pulled the collar of their t-shirt down a little to reveal a red glow in their ribcage. "See?"

Frisk didn't really understand. But, something the snake at the apothecary shop said suddenly made a lot more sense: _soulbonder. _She cautiously got a little closer. "C-Could I…?"

He nodded. She took one of his hands. The bones were freezing cold. On the back of another, that half moon and circle mark she'd seen on Sans at the Soul shimmered like glistening ice. She looked up at his face, gaze lingering on the eye in the middle of his forehead. He smiled sideways.

"Took a bit of gettin' used to," he said. "But he isn't blind in this one when we do this!" He pointed at the right eye, and then laughed quietly and rubbed it with his palm. "You always gotta sound so enthusiastic, huh?" The skeleton's eyes brightened again and he grabbed the kid's shoulder gently. "Since you're here, wanna see what we're working on?"

"U-Um! Sure?" she said.

He picked her up under her arms and ferried her over to the crystal he'd been looking at before. "So. Alright. This thing. It channels what you can hear through the Soul of the World. Still rough, but with pigeon's red, makes it a lot smoother. Easier to separate melodies out without havin' to focus on a bunch of visions, too." He tapped a finger against it and a crystal of red shone up through the blackness. "That's yours. From yesterday, right?"

"A-And… this helps you search?"

"Mhm! Sure does. Gives us an easy thing to match against." He pointed upwards with one of the hands that wasn't holding her. "This room mimics some of the star signs from down there, too. Channel 'em in different ways and we can scan big sections of the _out there_."

"And… I guess you didn't find anything yet, huh?" she asked.

"Mmm no. Not yet," he said. "There's a lot of magic to sort through. This way works best, but we, uh…" His face fell and voice softened. "We can't keep it up for a very long time. But we'll keep trying."

"I know. Thank you," Frisk said. "Um. Any sign of my brother?"

"No. But there's, uh, silent parts. Might be him."

Frisk shook her head. "N-No, his soul's hum merges with mine. It wouldn't just be quiet."

"It does?" The big skeleton looked surprised. "Can you whistle for us?"

"Well, it's kinda two songs," Frisk said apologetically. "I could do it in parts?"

"Hm. Find her a piano or somethin'?" He suggested. He nodded. "Yeah. Good idea. Can you play the piano at all? You can, right?"

Frisk cracked a smile. Finally, something she could actually do. "Yeah, a bit."

The big skeleton lifted her up to look her in the face. All three eyes were bright. He grinned. "We're gonna get this. I know it." He gave her a hug— or more, Pidge did— before carefully putting her back on the floor and stretching, two arms up and two forward, cracking his knuckles. "Whew. Think we're about done for now."

A shiver of magic hummed in the air. The skeleton's bones began to glow white until their whole form washed out. Just a second later, Sans and Pidge stumbled away from each other. They were wearing each other's jackets. Pidge was fully red for a few moments until the colour seeped back into her soul, but it dyed her irises deep crimson. Something about that sent a chill down Frisk's spine. Sans snorted out a laugh and took off the too-small hoodie to pass to the girl. She, however, pulled his big coat tighter around her shoulders and stuck her tongue out. He mussed up her hair.

"Okay, wait, like, my mind's kinda blown right now, though," Frisk said. "You guys can just do that whenever?!"

"Not quite whenever," Sans said.

"It's a lotta work," Pidge said.

"But you can give your soul without dying?" the kid insisted. "That's what soulbonder means?"

"Who said that?!" Pidge's cheeks flushed. "Well, it's… It's a little complicated. It's not really… giving it, it's more like lending it. And I can't do magic much, other than that. But, um! Ooh! Your magic's a lot stronger than anything I do. You should try it!"

"M-Me?!" Frisk squeaked.

"Yeah! Like, with your brothers or something."

The kid's mind raced. "B-But… No, I can't, unless it's Sans, I can't give over his memories, I—"

"Memories?" Sans repeated. "…Oh. I see. We, uh, don't have that problem much."

Frisk blinked. "What?"

Pidge grabbed Frisk's hand. "Don't worry about it, okay? Sorry we surprised you."

"What? No, no no, it's fine! It was pretty cool, actually," Frisk said. She rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry to burst in, um… Papyrus just wanted me to tell you guys to take a break, actually. He's getting lunch."

Sans grinned. "Lunch."

"He's been hungry for like two hours," Pidge teased. She yawned and stretched again. "Hey, Frisk, don't forget, we're training after."

"We are?" she squeaked.

"Yeah! I know just the place." She thumped her on the shoulder. "It'll be fun!"

"Okay, but like… You gotta tell me all about that stuff, okay?" Frisk insisted.

Pidge grinned nervously. "Ah! Um. I'll do my best."

\- - -

Frisk had about a thousand questions, the first of which was repeatedly asking _how_. Pidge explained— through mouthfuls of a big sandwich— that she'd figured it out by accident when she'd taken a near-lethal hit in a battle and been grabbed by Sans, which had put him in harm's way at the same instant. Their determination combined seemed to have triggered it, somehow. They didn't share memories, and they had to be large enough to safely hold Pidge's form, but the way they controlled it seemed pretty similar to what Frisk had experienced.

Once more, Pidge suggested she try it. Frisk had no idea how. The other kid wasn't sure how to explain without guiding her to actually do it. But, she admitted, it might be something unique to this world. Nobody was sure. Frisk couldn't stop running it over again in her head, but she'd hold it back for a little while. It was an interesting thought, but her focus for now had to be on Asriel.

While Sans and Papyrus went off in search of something with a keyboard, Pidge took Frisk down to the edge of town and to the portal hut, equipped with her blunt blade and thick, wooden training sword. She touched her bird pedant against one of the crystals within and opened a red and white portal for them. They emerged in a sheltered, rocky alcove amongst glittering trees, but were only a minute's walk from the huge, grassy field that surrounded the Soul of the World. It was just as nice out there as the first time Frisk had seen it.

Pidge stretched her arms high into the air and let out a long, satisfied sigh. The wind was blowing, cool and refreshing under the warm sun. She turned and tossed Frisk the wooden sword. The kid caught it easily at the carved hilt. It was a bit big for her.

"You don't use any weapons, right?" Pidge asked.

"Um. No, not really," Frisk said.

"Well. That's okay. This's good for your arms," she said. "Undyne always told me, if you're feeling weird and worried and your mind's all over the place, nothing like a bit of battle training to get you all focused up. Good for venting, too!"

"My Undyne's kinda the same," Frisk said. Oh no, she thought, now she missed her, too.

"You'll at least block me, right?" Pidge said.

"Guess so," Frisk said.

"And no magic," Pidge warned. She flashed a grin and the red still in her eyes seemed to sparkle. "Just 'cause, uh, if you go red here, the autocatchers are gonna have a field day." She tapped her sword against the ground. "_Field_ day, get it? …Don't tell Sans I said that."

"What's an a—?"

"Turret defence system," Pidge said. "'Cause we're around the Soul, right? A lot higher security. But! Also! Not too many people near here that aren't guards. Safer, I figure."

"Right," Frisk said. She grasped the hilt of the fake sword tightly. She smiled sideways. "I'm probably gonna suck."

"That's okay! It's just for fun," Pidge said. She grasped the sword in both hands, holding it fairly loosely, and stood, one foot before the other. "Don't worry. Mine can't cut."

"I'm not worried," Frisk said.

Pidge grinned. "Good!"

There was no such thing as an official _battle start _between humans. Frisk had forgotten until Pidge darted forward with a diagonal swing of her blade. The kid sidestepped to the right as the sword sailed by. Pidge grinned and turned, slicing up as she went. Frisk jumped back.

"Hah! C'mon, y'dork, I didn't give that thing to you so you could just run away the whole time," Pidge teased. She tapped the underside of Frisk's sword with hers, raising it up a little. "Hold it up like this. So, if I come at you…" She jabbed forward as if in slow motion and Frisk cautiously raised her weapon so Pidge's aim was set off. "Yeah! Like that."

"Y-You do this a lot?" Frisk asked.

"Oh yeah." She took a step back. "Look. I know you're, like, tiny. But, things go wrong sometimes. Especially if you end up more than one on one. Learning to block a hit might be the difference between reset or not."

"You think guys are gonna be coming at me with swords?" she asked.

"You never know here," Pidge said. "Sometimes, in this world, it's, um… smack or be smacked, y'know? Good offence is a good offence?"

Frisk flinched. "What about, um, block or be smacked?" she said sheepishly. "…Is it dangerous here, is that why you wanted—?"

"What?! Oh, no no no," the girl said hurriedly, putting her hands up apologetically. "No, it's pretty safe here, it's just…" She sighed and rubbed her head. "Ah, sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. I mean, it really is just for fun. But fun can be useful, too, right? And I just… would really like you to feel… safer, y'know?" The red in her eyes began to dim and she smiled bashfully. "I wish I'd know this when I was as small as you. Plus, it's totally safe if you accidentally whack me!"

Frisk had a sudden feeling of déjà vu. She cracked a smile. If it'd put her mind at ease, Frisk would spar. She mimicked Pidge's stance and tried to hold the training sword the same way she'd seen. The girl's face lit right up.

"I'll get you a shield next time instead, okay?" she said.

"Sure, but show me this first," Frisk said.

Pidge excitedly threw herself into it, guiding Frisk on how to stand, how to hold the sword; how to deflect the point. Frisk could tell she was going really slow for her— she must've known what she was doing. The kid had to stop herself from reflexively leaping away, and though she wouldn't strike, she had to admit that deflecting was pretty satisfying, even if she took a few whacks on the arms and shoulders.

Though she was slowing down on purpose, there was something chaotic about Pidge's style. Her strikes were heavy and strong. Frisk guessed she must have practiced a lot. They kept it up for about an hour.

Under the afternoon sun, the kids took a break in the grass, sharing a canteen of cold, sweet tea and sandwiches from another world. White, puffy clouds rolled past overhead, though none broke the light. The wind was cool and refreshing.

"Wasn't so bad, right?" Pidge asked.

Frisk shook her head. She took off her hoodie and stretched before readjusting the hem of her t-shirt. The other kid almost spit her tea out, then started coughing.

"You okay?" Frisk asked.

"Do you not…? Where's your bellybutton?" Pidge asked.

"What's a bellybutton?" Frisk wondered.

The girl blinked blankly. "You said your dad was Gaster?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod.

"Huh." Pidge took another swig. "Welp." She passed Frisk the drink. "You're probably the weirdest human I've ever met, Frisk." She winked. "That's a good thing."

Frisk scoffed quietly. She sipped the tea and then held her knees. "Sometimes… I wonder why I had to be one. Kinda wish I was born one of them, y'know? Is that weird?"

"No way! I feel the same," Pidge assured her.

She held out her hand and looked at her fingers. "Guess I'd be a skeleton or something," she said. "That'd be pretty cool."

"Very breezy," Pidge said with a nod.

Frisk snickered. "Yeah." She handed the canteen back. "So, um, who taught you to fight like that? Was it Undyne?"

Pidge smiled fondly. She screwed the cap back onto the tea and then leaned back in the grass comfortably. "Nah. My mom. Well. Both my moms. My first mom, back where I came from? She used to be a knight." Her eyes lit up. "She always said she was more of a protector than a fighter. But she could swing a sword really well. I mean, she never let me use a sword. Just a stick. But it was good exercise, doing the moves. Y'know, kinda relaxing, when I was little. And I'd do duels with my brother! I was always a little too rough, though."

"…You have a family, back there?" Frisk asked worriedly.

"N-No. No. They were… gone. By the time I came here," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry," Frisk said.

Pidge smiled and shook her head, but there was a forlorn look in her eye. "When I got here, mom thought I had some magical destiny or whatever. She trained me for real. Like the footwork, how to parry; how to whack people with the hilt if I had to. Some weird sneaky tricks. When you're gonna be smaller than everyone you might need to battle, things are a little different. I'm sure you know that, though."

"Yeah," the kid said with a laugh. "Boy, do I. Paps said you battling freed some people from the curse."

"Oh, um. Yeah. That was the magic destiny thing. Determination soul and all that. And it never totally broke it, just the stuff that would make them all go nuts at night. Did he tell you about that?"

Frisk nodded. "Yeah, something about sun and moon magic. It was pretty interesting. I'm glad you could help them, that _moon-blind_ thing sounded pretty bad."

Her cheeks flushed. "Yeah, well, it was the least I could do after everyone was so nice to me." She stretched. "How're your arms?"

"Little sore, I guess. No big deal," Frisk said.

"Ask Papy for a bruise-goo when we see him next time," she said, and then smiled proudly. "I'm sure he can make one for you. He invented all kinds of new ones to deal with weird stuff about me."

"Do you not bruise?" Frisk asked teasingly.

"Not much since coming here, it's kinda weird," she admitted. "But he's a really great alchemist. How 'bout yours?"

"I'm not sure if we have that back home," Frisk admitted.

"Well, you should," Pidge said with a puzzled frown. "I don't know why you wouldn't, unless… Well. It's helpful, even if you can heal with magic."

"Maybe I can borrow a book on it?" Frisk suggested. "It seems kinda like cooking, right? And Paps loves that."

"You got it." She flopped on her back into the grass and folded her arms behind her head. "Hey. Thanks for humouring me. I had fun."

"Yeah." Frisk smiled. She wished her brothers were with them, too, but she kept that in. She lay back on the ground and looked up at the bright blue sky. "Yeah, this is nice."

"I wonder if they're having any luck," Pidge said quietly.

"I hope it's not too much trouble," Frisk said. "Ugh. They have little pianos apps for phones and stuff but I never downloaded one."

"I'm gonna pretend I totally understood what you just said," the girl joked.

Frisk snickered. Pidge suddenly shot up, startling the kid.

"Ah! I know!"

"What?" Frisk asked, sitting up.

"There's a Sun Temple in the woods." She got to her feet and brushed herself off. "It's a bit of a hike. But they're gonna have at least, like, three instruments in there for sure." She held out her hand. "Up for it?"

Frisk took her hand and let her pull her up. "Yeah, sounds good."

As Pidge pulled a compass out of her pocket and wandered into the field, shielding her eyes and peering around, Frisk took a moment to take a breath. She guessed Pidge didn't have to warn her brothers where she was headed too often if Sans could see bits of the future so clearly.

She yawned. Her skin prickled. The air was suddenly chilly enough to send a shiver up her spine. She looked up at the sky. Nothing had changed. Felt like a storm coming in, though.

An abrupt, stabbing pain in her soul made her squeak, and she cupped her hand over it. It flickered on its own accord and she could see the blue bands on her wrist flicker, too.

"Oh dang, what…?" she muttered shrilly. "P-Pidge, I…!"

There were whispers in the back of her ears, beckoning her. She froze. There was something uncomfortably familiar about this. Her vision shattered into fragments of light from days and nights, sun and rain. Her stomach did a flip. She was afraid to, but she turned around.

There was a black gash in the broken world. Widening, seeping a pitch ooze out into the pristine grass, and everywhere it touched drained of colour. A deep blackness so cold and intense that it hurt her eyes and made her dizzy. The air was molasses, her body stiff and slow like fleeing in a dream. Her throat tightened. She thought she heard something she knew. She reached out a tentative hand and the claw marks pricked under her knuckles began to shimmer as if light shone under her skin.

Splatters of leaking shadows split with white as long, thin fingers burst through, grabbing tight to her wrist. A twisted, white maw and two wide, broken eye sockets lurched forth, rings of white iris shining back at her. Her heart pounded with dread and she grasped tight to his hand.

"D-Dad?!"

He was twisted and jerky in his movements, a jump cut in space, distorting like a recording looped over itself. His bones weaved together with more definition as he leaned in towards her.

"Wh-What happened to you?!" she demanded.

"I… I am alright," His voice didn't sound real. It was a broken radio in another room. He reached out his hand and gently touched her cheek with his frozen fingertips. "…_A stór_, we were so worried."

Frisk's eyes welled up as her mind tripped over itself. "I-I'm sorry. I'm trying to g-get us back, it's just—"

"Forget that, are you safe?" he asked.

"Y… Yeah," she said.

"Good." The word oozed out in a deep, long sigh. "I… don't have much time."

"Dad, no…"

"Oh! Don't be afraid." He cracked an exhausted, bashful smile. "I should have worded myself better. I don't have much time to talk with you. I was less stable in this spell than I thought." His dark eyes grew hard and serious. "We need you and your brother. The world is moving randomly and chaotically through time."

"I-It WHAT?!" she yelped.

"It's distressing, but not dire yet," he said. "You are lost, is that right?"

"We need to f-find our way back," she agreed quickly. "B-But, dad—!"

"It's alright. We…" His form shuddered. Black ooze crept up his hand, wrapping into his broken palm. "We… We'll send you a sign." His body wavered and the light left his eyes as the void began to swallow him up. "A… A beacon. Somehow. Don't worry. Just…" He brushed his fingers through her hair before his hand vanished into a pond of pitch darkness. "Watch for us."

"Dad, wait, what about Sans?!" she shouted.

The dark faded. Colour shattered through the greyscale and intense vertigo knocked the kid to her knees. She heard Pidge's voice and was quickly pulled up into the girl's arms.

"What the hell was that?!" she barked. "Are you okay?!"

"D-Did you see that?" Frisk asked shrilly.

"That weird black stuff? It looked like the air was melting," she said, a tremor in her voice. "What…?!"

The ground rumbled. Pidge's eyes bugged out. The red was burning from Frisk's wrists. She yanked the kid upright.

"Run," she said.

Frisk could hardly see. Pidge began to sprint, dragging her along. The rumble grew louder. A thin pillar of stone stabbed out of the ground behind them and began glowing deep green. Others followed. Pidge juked around shimmering barriers erecting between the pillars.

"We just gotta get to the warp!" she shouted.

Blue warnings slammed Frisk from left and right, then right ahead. She jerked back away from Pidge just as a pillar shot up where their arms had been. Green tried to seize on her soul but couldn't, and Pidge whirled, only to bonk into a shimmering barrier between them.

"I-It's okay!" Frisk called. She put a hand over one eye. It didn't help much.

Pidge ignored her. She pulled her blade and ran her finger along the blunted edge. It glistened with red.

"Back up!" she yelled.

Frisk dizzily did, just as Pidge plunged her blade through the translucent, magic wall. It shattered. Didn't matter though. Ground gave way. Frisk dropped.

"FRISK!" Pidge reached but caught only air.

Frisk tumbled blindly for a bit too long until she thumped heavily into a squishy pile of something. She huffed, but when she tried to sit up, she found herself tangled in what felt like a pile of soft pants. The air smelled like distant flowers.

"Heck," she muttered.

Trying to pull away tightened the cloth. She slumped and took a deep breath. It was fine. They'd be taking her alive, anyway.

She sensed another fall before it happened and braced herself. Her stomach dropped regardless and, after a considerably shorter distance, she plunked onto another soft pile. She felt it move, and she did her best to stay calm.

"You a biter?" asked a voice from somewhere.

"N… No?" Frisk said awkwardly.

"Oh good!"

She heard writing, scratching quickly. "Alright. Let's see. Extra small. Brown scales. Brown hair."

Suddenly, Frisk could see again, as a big fluffy blue chow dog moved a stray cloth away from her face. She blinked in the warm, low light of a small stone room with a big fireplace in the centre. At least all the fragments were gone now.

"Brown eyes! Easy!" the dog said proudly. She headed for a lever beside the fireplace. "Okay, dungeon time!"

"Aah, wait, I'm supposed to ask for Sans," Frisk said quickly.

"Oh? Okay! Easy! Queen time!" The dog grabbed the big clunky lever and pushed it forward. "Good luck!"

Before Frisk could ask a thing, she was tumbling again. Coloured lights flashed in her dizzy vision and there was a big pop of magic as a portal opened and she fell through it.

She landed facedown on a purple rug and groaned into it. "Heck…"

"Huh?! What's that?!" Undyne's voice boomed. "You again?!"

Frisk sat up, rubbing her face. A pile of mismatched scarves fell away from her. She looked up to Undyne glowering down at her from the base of the stairs up to her throne.

"Me again. Hi. Sorry," she said bashfully.

The big monster squatted down and grabbed her by the wrist, lifting it up to show that red glow beaming. She squinted. "Sheesh, this again? What'd you do?"

"I had a weird vision and it just went kinda wonky," Frisk said apologetically. "I'm sorry to cause trouble."

Undyne snorted. "You know, you're lucky Sans stuck his neck out for you. Because these things read like you been fightin' for a week."

"Yeah, I'm sorry," she said dejectedly.

Undyne stared down at her for a silent few seconds. She sighed and stood, lifting the kid up under her arms as she went. "Well. Come on."

Frisk could only look confused. The big monster smiled sideways.

"Listen. You're a weird freak, but if you're Sans's pal, I got you. You want some tea while you wait?"

"Wh…? Um! Y-Yes, please. I'd like that a lot."

"HAH! You can be my test subject." She might have winked, though she only had one eye. "I got a new blend or two."

She bounded up the top of the stairs and plunked Frisk down in her cushy throne. It was massive compared to the kid, and also exceedingly comfortable. No wonder the monster kept falling asleep there.

"Don't tell Mist I let you sit here, okay? She will freak right out." Undyne took a certain amount of glee from the thought. She held up one finger. "Wait here." She leapt all the way to the bottom of the stairs and ran down to the doors. "I'll be back, punk!"

She kicked open the doors and they slammed closed behind her. Frisk was left alone in the quiet, royal throne room. She kicked her feet from the height of the huge chair, and then looked at where the marks on the back of her hand had been. Her eyes welled up.

"Dad, you better not be a void goo guy again, I swear," she muttered. She wiped her eyes. She reflexively reached for her phone before recalling that it was back in her hoodie. She hoped Pidge wasn't too worried.

The big doors creaked and Frisk jolted upright. She half expected Mistral, but instead saw a short yellow lizard monster. She perked up right away.

"H-Hi, Alphys," she said, raising a hand.

The lizard grinned. She hurried to meet her. "You r-remembered my name!"

"Yeah, of course," Frisk said.

"Are you alright? Here. Let me…" Alphys gently held her face and looked her over. "You don't look very injured… What happened?"

"The, um… a-autocatchers?" she said. "It was an accident, I just saw—"

"A v-vision, Undyne told me," the lizard said. "Is… it like S-Sans's, or…?"

"It was of my dad. Through, like… a lot of _out there_ void stuff," Frisk said sheepishly. "Does that mean anything to you?"

Alphys nodded thoughtfully. "Sans told me a little. So, the vision, it… m-made your soul s-sort of overcharge, i-is that about right?"

"I guess so," Frisk said.

"Well! N-Not to worry, ol' Archwizard Alphys w-will have you right as rain in no time!" She passed her fingers, glimmering with magic, over top of the red band on Frisk's wrist.

Nothing happened. Alphys began to sweat. She tried again. Still, it didn't change at all.

"Uuuhhh… Th-That's… unusual," Alphys said.

"Oh no, did I get it stuck?!" Frisk squeaked.

"M-Maybe?! Unless… Oh! Unless Sans gave you a special kind!" She nodded to herself. "That must b-be it…"

Frisk hoped so. She sighed. "Sorry."

"Aw, human, it's okay," Alphys said gently. "D-Don't be too hard on yourself."

Frisk shrugged, then folded her arms tight. "Kinda feel like I've been screwing up for months."

"Oh… Do, um…? Do you want to talk about it?" Alphys straightened up and gestured to the throne. "D-Do you mind if I…?"

Frisk shook her head. The lizard easily fit in the seat with her, and she put a consoling arm around her.

"I know, wh-when you're young, sometimes e-everything feels like the end of the world," she said gently.

"But what if it is, though?" Frisk asked worriedly. "I'm dealing with big dumb stuff and I just want everyone to be okay and—"

"What k-kind of big dumb stuff?"

"Well, like…" She put a hand to her head. "M-My dad just told me time is going totally off back home without me and my brother there and that sounds really bad?" She also had no idea how Gaster had managed to reach her through different universes, but that was a whole other issue.

"…Oh." Alphys blinked. "Ooooh. You're a timechild! Of course! Ugh, Sans. Wh-Why didn't he just say it like that?!" She sighed. "So, you're far away home, it's… _very_ far away."

"Yeah," she said dismally. "I gotta get my brother. And I gotta get home. But I just… I need to wait. I gotta be patient, and I'm, like, really having an issue with it."

The lizard nodded thoughtfully. "Especially h-having just heard that, I bet."

Frisk nodded. Her eyes welled up. Alphys cooed gently and carefully pulled the kid into a hug. She was warm. She kind of smelled like soup. Frisk needed this.

"J-Just stay determined, okay?" the lizard said. "You're g-going to get through this. It's t-tough, I know, but… But! You're strong. I c-can feel it. I'm sure you can do it."

Frisk nodded. "Thanks, Alphys. Oh, and, um, th-thanks for the book."

"I got your letter," she said with a smile. "D-Deep breaths, little human. Pogihajima. Um, don't give up, okay? Just… Just pick something. E-Even if it's small. Pick a direction. And work o-on that. It'll help. I p-promise."

Once more, doors crashed open. Undyne stormed up with a big grin on her face, carrying a massive tray of tea and scones.

"Heeyy, Queen Alphys," she teased.

"Aaah, no no no," the lizard said blushingly.

Undyne gave her a kiss when she got close and then laid out the massive tray on the ground. She beckoned to them to join her on the steps. "Tea time, nerds!"

"Ah, I should g-go get back to work, actually," Alphys said. She slid off the throne and carefully lifted Frisk down with her.

"Dude, take a scone a least, Mist spent forever on 'em," Undyne said.

Alphys snickered. She plucked one off the plate. "I'll tell h-her they were very appreciated." She turned and shot Frisk a smile, and then crossed her thumb and index finger so it formed a heart. "You're going t-to be okay. Send me a note any time, alright?"

"Right. Thanks, Alphys." Frisk cautiously mimicked the gesture, and the lizard beamed before heading on her way.

Undyne clunked down to sit on the steps and grinned. "Man, I got a cute wife or what?"

"She's great," Frisk said.

"Good pep talk?"

"Yeah." She sat beside the big Queen and was instantly presented with a teacup. "Thanks. I'm, uh… I'm gonna do my best."

"Yeah, you better," Undyne teased. "Sans's got a lotta faith in you. So. I think you'll be okay."

"Well, he's psychic, so he better be right," she joked weakly.

Undyne guffawed. "That's what I tell him, too."


	41. Play that tune again but this time do it somewhere else

Frisk had tried four different teas by the time Sans and Pidge burst into the throne room. The third one was best, but they were all pretty good. She waved from her seat on the steps, and Undyne got up from beside her to meet them.

"Yo, you really gotta take care of your new human better," Undyne said, folding her arms.

"I know," Sans said, shoulders sagging. He turned his eyes on Frisk with a concerned furrow in his brow. "Kid, y'okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She carefully put down her teacup and got to her feet. "Thanks, your Majesty."

"Eh, no sweat," Undyne said with a shrug.

Pidge ducked around the two monsters and ran to the kid. She grabbed her into a hug. "Jeez, that was scary!" She held her back by the shoulders and looked her over quickly. "Who'd you get? It wasn't Brambles, was it?"

"I don't know, it was a big blue dog?" Frisk said.

Pidge slumped with a sigh of relief. "Blueberry. Good. She's good."

"Brambles is a bit prickly, I guess?" the kid joked.

Pidge made a face, but Sans flicked finger-guns her way and Undyne snorted.

"You guys gotta be more careful," Undyne said. "It's not like I can just put out an order to ignore all red-bands."

"I know," Sans said again. "Kid, has it changed at all?"

Frisk held out her arm. It hadn't. The skeleton grabbed her and touched glowing fingertips against the marks for a few seconds. They stayed red. He puffed out a sigh and looked up at the Queen with a shrug.

"Gimme Snowdin, at least."

"I can give you main street and a bit on either side. Should include your house, right?" she said.

"House's already covered."

She smirked. "You sneaky bag of bones."

"You sure you can't just remove it?" Pidge asked worriedly.

"Nnnooo, it's, ah… It has a certain sound," Undyne said. "Any Guard monster sees a human that's not you and doesn't hear that sound, and they're gonna be treated like an infiltrator. Which is, uh, a lot worse than a red-band. So."

"Oh…" Pidge grabbed Frisk's hand consolingly. "It'll be okay."

"Sorry to cause such a fuss," Frisk said.

"Nah." Undyne waved her hand dismissively. "I mean. It's no scales off my back. You're welcome to, uh, drop in."

Pidge pouted. She squished Frisk closer. "Don't worry, Frisk, I gotcha."

"I-I know. I'm okay," Frisk said. "Um, but, I r-really gotta get…" She bit her lip and looked at Sans nervously. "Please, if there's anything I can do to speed this up, I… I gotta get my brother and go home."

"What, just like that?" Pidge asked worriedly. "…I wasn't too pushy, was I?"

"No, no no no, nothing like that! My dad said something's going wrong," she said. "Like, _chaotic_ _time movements_ or something? I d-don't know why that would be happening or what it means but I—"

"Wait, sorry." Sans raised his hand to pause her. "What d'ya mean, your dad? He got here?"

"Yes? Um, well, maybe no, I…" Frisk winced and beckoned him closer. "Can I share a memory with you, would that be okay?"

"I dunno, can ya?"

"Sans, not the time!" Pidge said.

"No, I mean, literally. If y'think ya can…" He knelt down. "Lay it on me, kiddo."

Frisk gulped. She nodded. Her fingers glittered with red and Undyne _ooh_-ed behind her and leaned closer to watch. The kid focused hard on what she'd seen and touched the skeleton's temples, closing her eyes. She could still see her father's stark white form on the backs of her eyelids.

The magic activated and a rush of images shot through her brain. Her heart hurt. She started to shake. Sans pulled back with a small gasp, plopping down onto his tailbone. Pidge caught his shoulders. His eyes were wide and flickering blue. Frisk gulped, hard.

"I-I'm sorry, are you okay?" she asked. "Did it work?"

Sans stared at her. He grimaced and then leaned up and yanked her into his arms. She went stiff with surprise as the big skeleton plunked back and crushed her into a big, bear hug, his soul humming consolingly.

"Kid, I'm sorry," he said under his breath.

Frisk wasn't sure why, but her eyes watered and her throat tightened. She tried to breathe, but it got stuck in her throat, and she was crying quietly before she could stop herself. Sans cozied her up, patting her hair gently. She crumbled and grasped to him with sharply clinging fingers, sniffling into his shirt.

"Gotta be honest, that was one of the scariest things I ever seen," he said. "But y'really love that guy, huh?"

"S'my dad, I… I r-really miss him," she squeaked. "I'm… I-I'm…"

"So worried about everything," he finished for her. "I know." He sighed. "I know." He drew back enough to give her a little space, and she sat on his leg and rubbed her face with her palms. "Ah. Poor kid. I know I'm not exactly who y'need right now, but I'm gonna help ya get 'im, okay?"

"I know." She wiped her eyes. "Thank you. A-And I like you a lot, y'know?"

Sans blinked. His cheekbones flushed. Pidge laughed and gave him a gentle whack before grabbing Frisk's hand reassuringly.

"Told you," she teased him. "You know how your first instinct is always to back off? Yeah, do the opposite of that like ninety percent of the time."

"Call me out in public why don'tcha," he grumbled. He patted Frisk's head as she snickered and wiped her eyes again.

Undyne folded her arms and smiled sideways. "It must be pretty bad, huh? You didn't cry at all when we fought, and, not gonna lie, wouldn't have blamed you if you did."

"Oh come on, you wouldn't have fought her if she started crying!" Pidge said shrilly.

"Man, of course not, how crappy would that've been?!" Undyne said.

"I just…" Frisk sighed. "I feel like I just went through this whole missing my family thing, and I was super ready to never have that happen again? But here I am… Totally a mess. Like a-always. I just wish I knew what to do."

Pidge flinched. "Yeah, it's tough…" She put on a brave face and stared into Frisk's eyes. "But that's okay! We're determined, right? So we got this."

Frisk wished she could be so enthusiastic, but her new friend was right. However she felt couldn't slow her down at a time like this.

"Pigeon, y'didn't see what she did, did ya?" Sans asked.

"I just saw some weird black stuff comin' outta the air," she said.

"Good, at least we only gotta deal with nightmares for two of us, huh?" he joked. He looked up at Undyne. "Hey. Temple open? Can we take over for a bit?"

"Yeah, why?" she asked.

"Welp, we found a piano but we dropped it in front of the house," he said with a shrug.

"I have no idea what you mean, but, uh, go ahead," she said.

Sans led the kids out into the hall and Undyne decided to tag along, telling a pair of dog guards outside the throne room to hold down the fort. Papyrus was waiting for them at the portal circle they'd used the other day, and he immediately greeted Frisk with a warm, tight hug.

"You weren't hurt, were you?!" he demanded.

"No, I'm okay," she said.

"Ugh, I'm so glad. Here." He whisked her sweatshirt out of nowhere— her relief was palpable— and put it around her shoulders. "I'm so sorry, new friend, I wish this didn't keep happening."

"It's okay," she said as she pulled her arms through the sleeves. She gave the anxious skeleton another hug and he instantly squished her again. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course! So. What now?"

"Temple, it's faster," Sans said.

"Plus if the Priest is there, we get cookies," Pidge said.

Papyrus sighed. "So the great piano search was for nothing, hm?"

"Yeah. My bad," Sans said. He patted Frisk on the head and grinned slyly. "Stuff seems to get thrown off with this kid pretty suddenly."

"Sorry," Frisk said sheepishly.

The skeleton shrugged. "Eh, keeps things interestin'."

A bright portal brought them to a spot in a grassy courtyard. It was rimmed with trees with white, smooth bark and leaves shining copper and gold. The castle wall could barely be seen just beyond, but even so they, made a sheltered, otherworldly alcove. Ahead of the group, at the top of carved, rock steps, was a polished stone building comprised of mostly columns and windows, its roof protruding out in triangle spikes, so that the structure would have appeared as a geometric sun from above. The pyramid-like peak in its centre shone with warm light.

In the grass, there was a large, round pool with a silvery moon marking inscribed at its depths. Undyne gestured to it proudly.

"Just had this installed a couple months back. Used to be a big dumb sundial here," she said. "With a fancy Sun Temple like that, seemed like a bit of balance would be nice, right?! Plus, the old Queen said she thought it was cool."

"She probably didn't say _cool_," Pidge joked.

"It is pretty cool, though," Frisk said, peering into the glistening water. "Do those marks do anything?"

"Not totally sure," Undyne said. "We lost moon magic for like two hundred years or somethin', but, on the full moon, this water glows and you can actually use it for healin' stuff."

"What?! Queen Undyne, you never told me that!" Papyrus said.

"Ah, sorry, kiddo, just figured it out a little while ago, guess it slipped my mind."

He pouted. "Can I come take some next time?"

"You literally don't even have to ask," she said, thumping him on the shoulder.

Papyrus brightened right up.

"Your Highness!" It was Mistral. Her armour unchanged; looking a little frantic. She darted up to them from the vanishing remnants of a portal and saluted.

Sans gave her a wry smile and she cut her eyes at him dismissively. Undyne grinned and waved her hand.

"Hey, Mist," she said.

"You're not supposed to be off for another three hours!" she said.

"Don't sweat it, I got Bwarf and Little Dog in charge," Undyne said. "Besides, this is way more important than just sittin' around." She gestured to Frisk. "Kid was sad and stuff, and Sans was actually emotionally vulnerable for a minute."

"What?! Aw, I missed it?!" Papyrus cawed.

Sans grinned awkwardly. "Bro."

"Your scones were really good," Frisk said, looking up at Mistral.

"Oh yeah, they were great," Undyne said.

"Oh! Thank you." A little flush of green tinted her cheekbones and she coughed into her fist as if to clear her throat. "Well. Alright. It must be important, then. I will accompany you until…" Her eyes shifted back to Frisk. She bristled. A pale glow of green lit around the white in her eye sockets. "Wait a moment."

Papyrus lifted the kid instantly and shielded her in his arms. "Oh no you don't, not this time. You will have to go through me."

Mistral frowned. "No, it's just—"

"She's havin' a weird issue," Undyne said. "Didn't do a thing, but they won't revert."

"Oh." The skeleton held out her hand to Frisk. "May I?"

Frisk nodded. She rolled up her sleeve and Mistral held her hand gently. The crystal on her brow glowed and she pressed her fingers against the red band.

"Don't y'think we tried that?" Sans said.

"Shh, you absolute nuisance," she said.

"Nu-Sans," Frisk said quietly.

Pidge snorted and Sans burst out laughing. Even Mistral cracked a smile. She pulled away after a moment and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, human."

"Thanks for trying," Frisk said.

Up the temple steps, they were met by a monster almost as tall as Undyne—the palace's Sun Priest— an amber-eyed, lithe black dog with a caramel coloured snout and eyebrow spots and extremely pointy, perked up ears. She wore a white and gold robe emblazoned with marks of the sun on the sleeves and hem, but a Delta Rune on the chest, and a circlet of golden jewelry on her head. She observed them resolutely for a moment before giving them each a lick on the cheek and inviting them in. Just as Pidge had hoped, there was a big basket of fresh, sun-shaped cookies just inside the door. She took two and made Frisk take some, too. Sans explained what they needed, and the Sun Priest gladly offered to help.

The temple itself was very open, made up mostly of windows to let in the light. The walls were carved with scenes of many monsters in a swirly art style and a wide array of magic symbols. Dogs were the most common creatures to be seen, holding the moon or resting against the sun. Every once in a while, there was a monster depicted cradling a star, as well.

The hallways were massive and echoing in there, much bigger on the inside than on the out. The centre room had a high, domed ceiling marked with an intricate sun pattern in huge rings, and a gap in its middle for the real sun to beam through. There, the light would catch on a pedestal with a water-filled bowl made of polished, translucent crystal with streaks of gold like straw running through it, and some little, leafy plants

As Mistral and the Sun Priest began hauling instruments up out of a hidden chamber below the floor and Sans lazed nearby on a stone bench, Papyrus pulled Frisk aside and sat on the floor with her. He opened his brown jacket to get to a bandolier he had slung over his shoulder and around his chest. Its pockets were packed with vials sloshing with potions.

"Yeesh, planning something big, Papy?" Pidge asked.

"I thought it would be prudent to be prepared!" he asserted. "I brought almost every type I have. But! I just had an idea! An unorthodox one! And I think it might be quite clever, if I do say so myself!"

"Is there a potion for _security feature goes nuts_?" Sans wondered.

"Muffle!" Papyrus said, producing a vial filled with dark grey goo.

"Muffle?" Pidge repeated, puzzled.

"It's meant for feet. To keep your footsteps quiet. But magically," he said. "Also very soft and comfy."

"If you think it might help," Frisk said.

"I do!" He rolled up her sleeves and popped the cork on the muffle potion, and began to gently apply it to her wrists. "Now, I don't think it's a permanent solution—"

"Heh," Sans snickered.

"If I'm right," he said, rolling his eyes at his brother, "monsters who are not Guards should probably not be able to hear the off-sounds unless they are very very close."

"Thanks, Paps," Frisk said, watching curiously as the potion's dark colour faded to nothing. It didn't feel like much at all. "What happens if you drink it by accident?"

"Not much, I don't think," he said.

"The quietest burps ever," Pidge joked.

Frisk snickered. She looked up at Papyrus curiously. "Hey, um. You wouldn't happen to have any bandages, would you?"

"Ooh, now that is also a clever idea, Frisk," he said brightly. He pulled a roll of them from nowhere. He began to carefully wrap her wrists and continued up around her hands. "You'll let me know if it's too tight, right?"

"Yeah," she said.

"That's a good idea," Pidge said. "It'll just look like you've been training."

"True," Frisk said.

"Did you have a good time with that? You know, before this spooky stuff happened?" Papyrus asked.

"Yeah, it was fun," Frisk said. "Pidge is really good."

"That she is," he agreed. "Sigh. I'm sorry, little friend. I wish this wasn't happening like this."

"Wouldda been kinda cool to just be able to come here for a legit visit or something, yeah," the kid said with a nod.

"Children, we're ready!" the Sun Priest called. She held out her hands, gesturing to an odd array of old instruments— drums, horns; a harpsichord. "Do any of these fit your needs?"

"Thanks, sunshine," Sans said, taking a stroll around and plunking a finger down on one of the harpsichord keys. He beckoned to Frisk. "What d'ya think, kiddo?"

Frisk joined him and the tall dog shadowed her, leaning over to watch as she peeked around. She, too, headed straight for the harpsichord. She stood on her toes. The keys looked familiar enough, though black and white was inverted from what she was used to.

"Ah, here," the dog said, lifting her up under her arms and pulling a wooden block over with her foot. She plunked Frisk on top of it, and then rushed to open the cover and prop it up. "There you go, small one."

"Think y'can play it?" Sans asked. "If not, y'can just gimme the tunes and I'll do my best, but…"

"A song will always work better from its source," the Priest said.

Frisk nodded. She looked at the keys and tapped a few. Similar to a piano, but with a metallic tinge to the sound. Different, but pleasant. Antique, somehow. Undyne leaned over her, too, ears perking curiously. Frowning with concentration, Frisk searched for the right note to start her own hum. Asriel's wasn't far off. She ran her fingers up and down the keys, getting a feel for where the notes lay, and then began to play. Asriel's first, slowly as she got a hang of the pattern on her left hand. Then, her right, interweaving her own hum along with it, very simply at first. Adding a few notes on the lower octave to support it. Red sparkles drifted from her fingers and she yelped and pulled back.

"No no no, my dear, keep going," the Sun Priest insisted.

Frisk gulped. She looked at her fingers. She caught sight of Pidge and Papyrus just over top of the instrument. The skeleton had his hands clenched hopefully and the girl stuck both thumbs up. Frisk took a deep breath and started again.

The entwined melodies summoned red sparkles of magic from her fingers, and her focus brought them out and fluffing around the temple like dandelion seeds on a breeze. Mistral caught one in her hand and stared at it in bewilderment. The motes hummed with Frisk's portion of the melody, so soft as to be barely audible, but the monsters could feel the resonance against their souls. The Sun Priest, too, had caught one in her paws. She stared at intently, amber eyes widening; pupils dilating.

When the kid stopped, she looked to Sans hopefully. "Was that okay?"

He grinned; his eye was alight. "Kid, it was—"

"Fantastic!" The Sun Priest jumped to the bench and passed Frisk off into the hands of the Queen before taking her seat and beginning to play. She repeated the melody perfectly, with fervour and skill that came from expert hands. Her magic flared gold, starting from her fingers and spiralling outwards, a tornado of fireflies lighting the temple.

Undyne unwittingly squeezed the kid close to her chest. Frisk was in awe. She'd never heard anyone play anything like this before, nor seen the flow of magic burst and glitter with the sound.

The Sun Priest finished with a flourish and magic coalesced in the ceiling and beamed, bright gold and intense, into the crystal bowl before vanishing, only sparkles drifting in its wake, and leaving the group stunned and staring. Mistral darted over and peered down into the bowl.

"I have never seen that before in my life," she said.

"Wow, same," Undyne said. "Yo, Soleil, nice work."

The Sun Priest beamed. She got up to see Frisk, leaning in so close her cold nose almost booped her. "Little one, that song… It is something special, isn't it?"

"W-Well, I'm not sure if hums usually combine like that," she said.

Soleil nodded. She straightened up and joined Mistral at the bowl, and plucked from it a small, rounded disk of gold stone that was engraved with some strange symbols. "Would you mind if I keep this? It would be a lovely one to add to the collection."

"The song of the universe, right?" Sans said with a smile. "What d'ya think, kiddo? It got quite the reaction."

"I-If you want, yeah," Frisk said.

The dog grinned. With a crackle of magic, she pulled the stone into a second, perfect duplicate and then handed one over to her. "Many thanks, timechild."

Frisk's face flushed. Sans nudged the dog gently with his elbow.

"How'd you sniff that out?" he asked

"The song said so," she said brightly. "Though. I'm not sure what it means."

"Hey, Sans," Pidge said brightly. "Bet we can track her brother with that, right?"

"Sure think so," he said.

"Phew," Frisk said. She gladly handed it over to him.

"Wait, hold on a moment," Mistral said, raising a hand. "Someone is missing?"

"It's a pretty weird thing, Mist," Pidge said.

"Well. I am Captain of the Dragonguard. Is there any way I can help?" she asked.

"We'll let ya know," Sans said.

"Ooh, she could keep an eye out for Frisk's brother, couldn't she?" Papyrus said. "Just in case he doesn't come through the Soul, somehow."

"Or any other weird black sludge portals," Pidge said.

"Excuse me, what?!" Mistral barked. "Sludge portals?! The Soul?!" She whirled on Sans. "What have you done this time?!"

"I dunno, what'd I do last time?" he asked.

"This is my fault, I'm sorry," Frisk said quickly.

"No way, I'm the one that made it so you'd fall here if anywhere," Pidge said swiftly. "And your brother is… Tell her what he looks like."

"Um, well, he's kinda goat-like? But he has sharp teeth. And white fur, with black stripes here." Frisk traced lines under her eyes and down to her jawline with her fingers. "And big horns. And long, floppy ears. And a small tail. But, uh… I mean… I guess he'd be either about as tall as Pidge or as tall as you?"

"That's… a discrepancy," Mistral said with a puzzled frown.

"Yeah, it's, um, a long story," Frisk said. She felt like she was saying that a lot.

"Perhaps you could draw him for me," the skeleton suggested, pulling out a sheet of paper and a quill and offering them. "And these… sludge portals."

"Um. Sure, gimme a minute."

As Frisk scooted aside to try to sketch, Papyrus watched curiously. Pidge hovered, too, but she looked a little anxious. The grown-ups had gathered close to the bowl. Soleil's tail was wagging, and they conspired in low, excited voices. Sans broke away after a minute and clapped Frisk on the shoulder.

_"_Y'did good," he said. "Really made that dog's day."

"I'm happy I figured it out," she said. "But it's not too bad, it's sorta counting, I guess."

"Hm. Guess so," he said. He leaned over to look at her borderline chibi-style drawing and smiled sideways. "Welp."

"Az is gonna laugh at me so hard if he sees this," she said quietly.

"I think it's pretty cute," Papyrus said. He turned to look at Sans with his brows raised. "What do you think, brother? Was this enough to help?"

"Yeah. The more info we got, the better," he said. "Didn't realize we just had a half, but hey. So how'd that happen?"

"I dunno, really," Frisk said. "His always sounded like that. And he was born, like… a few hundred years before me, I think. So I'm not super sure how it all works; we never really figured it out."

"Maybe you were always supposed to be siblings, then," Papyrus said, eyes brightening. "Or maybe there's a secret prophecy! Ooh, those are always fun, don't you think?"

"I dunno, I think we don't have anyone who does prophecies anymore," Frisk said.

"Aw."

"Prophecies maybe aren't all great, though," Pidge said, folding her arms. "They can put a lot of pressure on people, don't you think?"

"Ah. I guess you would know, little sister," Papyrus said apologetically. "But, if mom hadn't thought you were the kid with the magical destiny, we might not have met for a lot longer! And I'm really very glad we did."

The girl cracked a smile and she grabbed his arm. "I never said it was all bad!" She looked at Frisk. "Were you part of your Delta Rune prophecy back home? Did they ever figure that out?"

"Um. Well… Maybe a little? But mostly it was Asriel," she said. She finished up her picture, only to have it plucked away by Pidge.

The girl looked it up and down and she grinned. "Welp."

"Is it that bad?" Frisk asked sheepishly.

"No! No no, it's just… It's not bad," Pidge assured her. She brought it over to where Mistral was conferring with Undyne and Soleil to hand it over.

Frisk rubbed her head. She looked at Sans. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"What, more than that?" he asked.

"Yeah!" she insisted. "My dad said the world is messed up back home, I can't just… I can't just do nothing."

"Like I said," Sans said apologetically. "It takes time. You gotta be pa—"

"Patient. I know. I know, I know." She rubbed her head. "Man, I feel like now I'm stuck in a loop or something."

"I was gonna say," Sans said.

"Sans, be nice, it's hard," Pidge said as she joined them again.

"What about that light in the Ruins, is it anything?" Frisk asked.

Pidge froze, eyes wide. She looked at Sans quickly. His brow furrowed.

"Nah," he said. "Dead end."

"Do you know anything about it?" Frisk pressed. "It looks a lot like those _save_ things I mentioned."

"Oh! And she did pull red magic out of it. Remember, I told you?" Papyrus said quickly.

"Don't know much, t'be honest. Figure messin' with it might be like that, uh, worst case scenario I told ya 'bout, kid," Sans said apologetically.

"Oh." Frisk pouted slightly and Papyrus reassuringly patted her shoulder.

Pidge sighed. "I-If… If we could just get your brother here, somehow…"

"That'd be really great. One thing off the worry list, right?" Papyrus said.

"Could we try to reach out there again?" Frisk asked.

"It's, uh, not so easy as that," Sans said. He grabbed her hand that he'd marked and tapped the top of it, his eye flashing blue. "And I know, under here, this hasn't healed yet, right? I can't channel into you again until it scars over or it might do real damage."

"Ugh, and we wouldn't be able to heal anything like that until the full moon," Papyrus grumbled.

"I don't mind scars," Frisk said swiftly.

"Not scars. More like, blow your hand apart," Sans said.

Frisk frowned. She winced. "I-I can live with one—"

"NO!" Pidge and Papyrus both yelled.

Sans rubbed his brow and pointed at her. "That ain't healthy."

"My literal universe might be falling apart, though!" Frisk said shrilly.

"Hey, uh, you guys okay over there?" Undyne called from across the room.

"Fine," Sans said, raising his hand. He lightly pulled Frisk by her arm. "C'mon. Outside."

Out in the courtyard, Sans stomped his heel into the grass and out flipped a wooden garden table and chairs that looked to have somehow grown organically from tree stumps and stones.

"Listen, kid, we got some rules we gotta lay down," he said as he used blue to hover her onto a seat and then plopped down himself across from her. He counted on his fingers. "No blood sacrifice. No limb sacrifice. And sure as hell no eye sacrifice. Capiche?"

"Wh-Who said anything about eyes?" she squeaked.

"I dunno, but I got mine on ya." He winked his blind one. "Just, uh, stay on my good side." He pointed at his left socket. "It's this one, in case y'forgot."

"We just don't want you to get hurt anymore," Papyrus said, dragging his chair up beside the kid and grasping her small hand in both of his. "That scar on your leg was really bad, and I know you went through a lot before even getting to visit us! So we'd like very much for you to stay safe."

Frisk winced. She kept the fact that she almost certainly had similar scars through her shoulder and her side, too, in her head. She hoped her mom wouldn't be too mad at her when she got home. She hoped nobody would notice until enough time had passed that she could plausibly claim she didn't remember where they came from.

"I know you're used to, well… Not making it sometimes, right, Frisk?" Pidge said. "But we can't risk that here. We have no idea what'll happen. You might get sent back to midnight like me, or you might just get launched into the frickin' void."

"You're right," she said with a sigh. "I'm sorry. But I just don't know how long… I mean, I dunno how time is moving back home, but it's definitely gotta be moving. This song's gonna help, though right?"

"It still takes time," Sans said apologetically.

"It's like a matching game, in a way," Papyrus said.

"There's nothing else I could do to… I dunno, get out there from here?" Frisk asked. "Even just to grab Az?"

"So, uh. Here's the problem, I guess?" Sans said, resting his elbows on the table as he knitted his fingers. "I gotta be your conduit. Can't just trial-and-error it. I gotta figure out where ya were from and channel it for ya. Make sense?"

"Y… Yeah. It does," she said quietly.

"As long as you're here, you're my responsibility. I would never forgive myself if somethin' stupid happened to ya," he said, frowning over his knuckles. "Maybe you're strong enough. Hell, y'probably are. But we can't tell without usin' ya as a test subject and I'm not willin' to. We only got one shot at this."

"If he channeled you to the wrong spot, you might get sent to a different place in time," Pidge said. "Or even to a totally different universe. And you might not be able to get back here."

Papyrus clutched to Frisk anxiously. "We can't do that to her! Don't you worry, Frisk, we're definitely absolutely not going to shoot you off into a strange time place."

"Yeah, Papy, that's the point," Pidge said gently.

"But, uh…" Sans's eyes dropped to the table for a moment. He sighed. "Hate to tell ya this, but Pidge and I can only handle our work for a bit each day. If we're splittin' our time between searchin' for him and searchin' for your home, this could take weeks. Or worse."

"O-Oh." Frisk's stomach dropped.

"We don't mind puttin' ya up for that long, of course—"

"Of course, you can stay with us as long as you need!" Papyrus said.

"But I figure you're in a bit more of a rush than that."

Frisk grimaced. Her mind raced. Weeks. Or worse. Could she handle that? She doubted it, especially without Asriel. Papyrus squished her reassuringly. Pidge flinched. She tapped her fingers on the table.

"You guys didn't have any, like, backup plan or anything, did you?" she asked.

"We never expected to get split up," Frisk said softly; cursed herself for being so stupid.

"So no, like…? No waypoints or anything? No meet up places?" Pidge wondered.

Frisk shook her head, but a chill ran up her spine. Her brow furrowed and she jerked straight up. "W-Wait. Wait wait. There was something, um. It's hard to explain. But there was this… place. Out in the void. Not to Az, but—"

"Kid, I told ya—" Sans began.

"I know, I know. But maybe… If I shared a memory with you, could you… maybe get me to somebody? Or, like, channel me in that direction?"

"If I could, I wouldda said," he said apologetically.

"Even if the somebody is a weird time guy who lives, like, _out there_?" she asked.

Sans's eyes went wide. "That's… I mean. If I could get enough info, maybe." He teleported to her side. "Could you, uh…?" He offered his hand.

Frisk grabbed him gently and let the red flare up in her palm. She reached out with her other hand and he bent towards her so she could touch his skull. She brought up the colourless duplicate of her brother that had met her off somewhere strange. He'd said if she ever needed directions to find him, right?

The skeleton before her drew in a sharp breath. When he pulled back, his eyes were wide. The energy in his left socket burned bright.

"Wow, that's… somethin' else," he said.

"Bro, is it dangerous, though?" Pidge asked worriedly.

"I don't, uh… I don't think so. Not this guy. He's… interestin', that's for sure." He turned his attention on Frisk with a curious frown. "He omnipotent?"

"I got no clue," she said.

"Wait, I don't understand, who are you going to find?" Papyrus asked.

"He looks like Sans but he's all grey and I'm not sure if he's a real guy or not," Frisk said. "But he told me if I need directions, to find him."

Pidge looked worried. Papyrus perked up a little, though.

"If he's like our brother, I'm sure he can help you," he said. "What do you think, Sans? Is there a way to do that without hurting her?"

Sans looked the kid up and down thoughtfully. Pidge grabbed his hand.

"I think we could try," she said. "If you have it clear enough."

Frisk looked at them hopefully. The skeleton sighed and smiled sideways.

"Back to the Soul, I guess," he said.

\- - -

Pidge and Sans went ahead, but Papyrus insisted he gather up a few things, first, so Frisk went with him back to Snowdin. She didn't notice anything different, but her nerves were spiked anyway. She held Papyrus's hand until they got to the house.

Up in his room, Papyrus hung up his bandolier on the wall and then lugged a large wooden chest out from his closet. It was packed with fanciful potion bottles, arranged in a gradient of colour. He sat on his knees to look through them and Frisk sat with them. His sharp fingers rested on the top of a bottle swirling with orange.

"Frisk?" he said. "We're friends, right?"

"Yeah, of course," she said.

"Do you… think we would have been friends even if your brother wasn't a Papyrus?"

"For sure! You've been so nice to me! I mean, at least, I wouldda wanted to be your friend," Frisk said. She laughed quietly. She was never really hard to win over— she loved her Papyrus and his infectious positivity about ten minutes after meeting him. Same thing could be said about almost all of her friends, actually. "Dunno about you liking me, though, I've been such a mopey mess."

"As if anyone could blame you for being a little out of sorts after dropping in from another dimension, you silly Frisk!" he teased. "I find that you're very comfortable to be around, actually! You remind me a little of Sans when he was a lot younger. I mean, just how you feel so responsible for everything. But also how easy you are to talk to." He plucked up the orange potion: it had a sun and a lightning bolt embossed in the glass. "Hm. This one, annnd… Maybeee…" A blue-turquoise one in a very spherical bottle was his next choice. "Okay!"

"What're those?" she asked.

"Well. This orange one, it's a very _brave_ recipe. It's for speed! It'll make you very quick. If you need something like that. I can imagine many uses," he said, placing the bottles into her hands. "And that turquoise one, thats a sort of mixed up _patience_ recipe. My own creation! It's cool when you touch it. Plus! It's got a small drop of healing water in it, so it's very good if you get too tired or headachy or anything. It's more of a salve, though. I mean, you could drink it but I wouldn't advise it unless you burn your mouth or something. My sister does that quite a lot. Anyway, I would feel a lot better if you would take these with you."

"Thank you so much," she said. She stored them away in her phone. "Hope I won't need them."

"I also hope that," he said. He sighed and sat back, rubbing his skull. His cheekbones flushed a little. "You'll come back, right?"

"Yeah. Definitely," she said.

"Good! Good. It's just, um. Nyeh. I… don't have all that many friends. And I like you a lot and I am really extremely grateful for you fixing my dreams, I'd like to at least to be able to throw you a going away party before you leave."

"Aw, Papyrus." Frisk couldn't help grabbing him into a hug. "I don't need a party, but I'm gonna come back."

The skeleton gratefully squeezed her in return. "Hopefully with your brother," he said brightly.

"Definitely with my brother," she said.

\- - -

The portal hut was outside the protected area and they lingered too long. For the third time, Frisk was plucked up by a Guard and sent to the palace before Papyrus could stop it. He arrived to grab her back at almost the same time as she landed on the purple carpet in the throne room. Undyne was apologetic, but also clearly found it a little funny, as she'd just gotten around to sitting down again. The skeleton, on the other hand, was less than amused despite Frisk's assurances that she was okay. To be honest, though, the kid was definitely starting to get the painful tingles of a stress headache. She already popped the turquoise potion's bottle and rubbed a bit of it on her forehead.

They took the portal straight from the castle, but the area outside the Soul of the World, too, was unsafe. The autocatchers rose up out of the earth before Papyrus and Frisk had even crossed the tree line, pillars of stone glowing with deep green flickering defiantly in their path. Without Sans, the way in was another portal point in a stone alcove across the wide field.

Papyrus was clearly fed up. He drew up a long bone like a staff and gritted his teeth, but froze before taking a step beyond the field. "I'm going to be committing a couple crimes at the moment," he said. "We may have to make a run for it."

"Ah!" Frisk held up her hands. "No, wait, don't—!"

Papyrus did not wait. He ran straight at one of the pillars and struck it with an arc of gold that shimmered down the length of his boney weapon. The stone slid apart as easily as slicing cucumber with a sushi knife. Green magic fizzled in the base, and a section of air that had been empty a moment ago flickered to reveal its translucent magic barrier that formed a boxy segment of maze. He reached out his hand for Frisk.

"Let's go! We'll fix it later!"

The moment the kid seized his fingers, he jumped up to balance on the broken barrier's top and she stumbled up with him. It was like walking on smooth glass.

"Follow me!" he said as he ran forward. "And this might be time for that potion, already!"

This all felt kind of bonkers to her, but as Papyrus carved his way through more of the autocatchers, Frisk grabbed the brave potion bottle and took a swig. It tasted like spiced orange juice, and it sparked her soul like an electric charge. She took off after him much faster than she anticipated, bouncing on the barriers as they came into view, only to overshoot him and stumble face-first into the grass with a yell. She was ready this time, though, and jumped unnaturally high to climb back up on one of the sliced pillars as the earth opened up where she'd been.

Deep breaths. Focus on the steps.

She bounced back up on the barrier only to have blue warnings flash in her mind. Papyrus grabbed her, yanking her out of the path of an autocatcher's purple bullet, which splatted and stuck against the barrier before sparkling away. They shared a look and he pointed towards the Soul before picking her up and tossing her like a football. She stumbled as she hit the grass and took off running as more pillars shot up behind her. She heard a strange raspy voice shouting at Papyrus and looked back over her shoulder as he cut another one of the stones down.

"No! Stop trying to kidnap my friend!" Papyrus shouted down at whoever had yelled.

Another blue warning but Frisk realized too late as she bonked into an invisible barrier and plunked onto her bum. She jumped up, avoiding yet another pitfall, but her speed threw her right into the barrier again. Maybe the potion wasn't so great a plan, actually.

As she leapt and clambered up the barrier, she caught sight of the purple-tinted pillars focusing on her as she dangled by her fingers. Their shots came quick and she took a deep breath and sent out a pulse of red. The bullets sailed backwards and squelched onto their shooters as Frisk pulled herself up.

Abruptly, the catchers shattered in a slice of red, and the kid yelped and almost fell from her perch. It was Pidge, rushing at her with blazing eyes and the edge of her blunt sword searing crimson. Before Frisk could call out to her, every sense in her screamed at her to move. She leapt from her vantage point just in time for a huge, shadowy spear to smash up from beneath her, wrecking everything in it path.

"Pidge, you okay?!" Frisk yelled.

A crash. Magic sparks everywhere. The spear twisted and Frisk realized it was an arm, tipped with a hand with creepy, long fingers and claws. She stumbled away, catching sight of her friend being hefted up in a shadowy fist. The kid felt rumbles beneath her feet and sidestepped out of the way of another hand breaking the surface like a geyser of tar. She ran for Pidge, skidding under a twisted elbow and leaping a forearm to try to clamber up. Papyrus squawked from somewhere and Frisk whirled in alarm, only to get swatted like a fly. She tumbled, sky and grass blending as she bounced along the ground, grunting, and was scooped into the tight grip of a giant fist.

"Let us go, you old coot!" Pidge yelled. She pounded her fist on the knuckle closest to her. "Hey, can you hear me?!"

The ground rumbled again, and a huge, black furry body rose up out of the dirt, as did many more arms. The monster lifted up a big, crocodile-like head and glowered at them with four bright, acid green eyes.

"You two…! Or, three?!" His voice was craggy and higher-pitched than the size of his form suggested. "Soulbonder, what are you doing with these hooligans?!" He dragged Papyrus over as well.

"We aren't hooligans, I'm the great Papyrus; you know who I am!" the skeleton protested.

"Why did you break my special traps, hm?!"

"Because they were coming after my friend and we need to get to the Soul!" he shouted. "She already got dragged to the castle twice today!"

"Twice?!" Pidge looked at Frisk, who was resting with her check on her hand from where she was grasped in the spidery monster's fist. "Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine, I guess," she said, shrugging one shoulder.

The huge monster made a contemplative sound and leaned in to stare at Frisk suspiciously. "Why does she sound evil, then?"

"Heck," Frisk said sheepishly.

"She does not! It's the bands, they're malfunctioning!" Papyrus said.

"That sounds suspicious," he retorted.

Papyrus puffed up and yanked his arm out from where it was loosely pinned to his side and pointed accusingly at the giant monster. "No, it doesn't! Why would we lie about something like this?!"

"We did save the world, Ungol, give us the benefit of the doubt," Pidge said.

The monster glowered down at them. Grumbling, he reluctantly put them down on the ground in a heap. "As you wish, Princess."

"I-I'm not the Princess!" Pidge protested, even as she squished Frisk into a consoling, slightly too-tight hug.

"And yet your mother is the old Queen, Soulbonder. Therefore, you are the Princess," Ungol said.

"Ugh." The girl rolled her eyes.

"Now. You wait right here," the spider said, pointing at their spot with multiple hands. "I'll deal with you in a moment." He turned and dismally began to pick up the pieces of the closest pillars.

"So, what happened?" Pidge asked, lowering her voice.

"Frisk got taken again on the way to the portal," Papyrus said with a frown. "And then I didn't want her to get taken over here since I just got her back, and I knew he wouldn't listen if I tried to explain she was good. Ungol never listens to me. In fact, most Guards never listen to me, it's very frustrating."

"They know you're super nice and they're just worried about you, Papy," Pidge said sympathetically.

"I'm not a little baby bones, though! And they listen to you and you're even younger than me."

"That's 'cause they think I'm a dang Princess, dude" she said.

He sighed and looked at Frisk apologetically. "I'm sorry, friend, I should have just picked you up and tried to carry you the whole way."

Frisk wasn't sure that would have helped much. She smiled and shrugged. "It's okay. I mean. It was kinda fun. Your potion worked pretty well."

"It does take a bit of getting used to," he said. "You did alright for your first time!"

"I ran into everything," Frisk said with a laugh. She grabbed his arm. "But, they should probably not treat you like a baby bones."

"At least Queen Undyne and Alphys don't," he said with a rueful sigh. He frowned. "Well. The system is bad sometimes and I will definitely battle him if he tries to snatch you again, okay?"

"Same. Hopefully he'll be okay to let us go without a duel," Pidge said.

Frisk laughed quietly. "Dunno if you'll need to go that far." She shot Papyrus a fond smile. "Rebellious is kinda a cool look on you, though, dude."

"It is?!"

Pidge snickered. "You know, they really should give him a lot more credit. Without him doing stuff like that when I first got here— you know, like throwing himself at things way bigger than he is— I dunno if our fight against the old King wouldda ever got any supporters."

"You think?! I mean…!" Papyrus grinned and proudly put a hand to his chest. "Nyeh heh! I was pretty cool, wasn't I?"

"So cool," Pidge agreed brightly.

A spidery shadow loomed over them. "Ooh, you three are in trouble," Ungol grumbled. "You broke a dozen autocatchers— do you know how long that'll take me to fix?"

Frisk stuck her hand up. "I can fix them," she said.

"Huwhat?" The huge monster blinked all four eyes separately. "I doubt that very much, strange human."

"Let her try," Pidge said. "And if she can, you'll let us cross together, okay?"

"This time, yes. I suppose. But she can't…"

Frisk was already at one of the pillars, her red magic glowing to reverse the thing back to normal. It was only a couple minutes, after all. Ungol's massive, fang-filled jaw fell agape. An accusatory finger dropped limp and Pidge cut her eyes at him.

"Is that okay?" Frisk asked.

"Well, er…" He prodded the stone all over and peered at it closely. "Yes. Yes, I suppose so." He coughed to clear his throat and straightened up. "Mysterious human, keep that up, and I will let you pass. Just this once."

"We'll have Sans on the way back, he can get you to the house safe," Pidge whispered to her.

Frisk smiled and shrugged. "Okay, no problem."

Fixing all the stones really was an easy job. It was one that Ungol seemed enthralled by, too, fascinated by the red magic glowing from the foreign kid. He let them go with a toothless warning and, finally, they were able to return to the interior of the Soul's chamber.

Sans cracked up at the story of what kept them so long, but gave Frisk a reassuring hug nonetheless. She was glad twofold— he sensed she was getting worn down, and that he didn't seem to be avoiding her anymore. He and Pidge excused themselves, and shortly after returned as a large, three-eyed, four-armed skeleton. He gave Papyrus a hug before kneeling down to Frisk. One of the lower set of arms held her hand and an upper one gently patted her head.

"We're gettin' there," he assured her.

"Do you think this's gonna be really hard?" Frisk asked.

"Actually…" He stood and gestured to the crystals in the rock around the glowing centre of the Soul. "I sent my thoughts in and it responded faster than I've ever seen. So. I actually have an okay feeling about this." He grinned. "And okay means pretty dang sure, by the way. We do have to hurry, though, this is the second time we're _this_ today and after a while it gets pretty heavy."

"R-Right. Right. Thank you so much," Frisk said. "Um. When I get back, d'you think you could show me how it works? Like, next time you can, I mean."

"Don't see why not," he said. "Might need a long nap, first."

"Totally fair."

The big skeleton waved Frisk towards the Soul. The constellation crystals lit up red in response to their presence. He grinned.

"Wowie, looks like it's actually working!" Papyrus said brightly.

"Sure is," the big skeleton said. He bent and grabbed Frisk's shoulders to gently position her right in front of the mass of swirling energy. "Okay," he said, patting her on the back. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Frisk said.

He grinned and straightened up, closing all eyes but the centre one. He raised his upper hands and they began to glow, reflecting the constellation colours. The iris in his open eye flickered through red, blue, purple, and gold, until the whole socket flooded with shining, iridescent white. The crystals followed, and an aura of the same shimmered over Frisk.

"Good luck, Frisk!" Papyrus called. "I know you can do it!"

"Thanks, Paps!" she called back. "I'll be okay."

"Close your eyes and focus real hard on seein' that skeleton." The voice came through Frisk's mind, rather than her ears. "Don't worry. We're tetherin' you. You're safe."

"Thanks, guys," she said. She shut her eyes and conjured up the memories as strongly as she could.

All sound fell away. The feel of her feet on stone and grass melted down to something more akin to water. Frisk gulped. She could feel the claw-mark scars on the back of her hand humming with magic. She cautioned a look around her.

Grey. Endless grey. Light mist swirling and drifting around her, but otherwise, nothing. Frisk took a deep breath.

"Hello?" she asked. "Um. Is someone here? Sorry to bother you, but I need a little help!"

"Heeeeyyy, look who found me." A greyscale replica of her eldest brother was suddenly drifting above her in the mist, laying back with his arms behind his head as if resting in a hammock of clouds. He leaned up to sit in the air, grinning brightly. "Welcome back, sweetheart, how you doin'? Nah, uh, don't answer that, I can tell from the look on your face."

"Yeah, things are kinda weird, um…" Frisk's eyes darted around the grey cautiously. "Is this where you live?"

"If you can call it that, sure." He winked. "Is somethin' like me even alive? Who knows, huh?"

"But… Like." Her first thought was of Papyrus. "A-Aren't you lonely here?"

"Lonely? Pff! Nah," he said. "So! What can I do for ya?"

"Well. It's just, um…" Frisk sighed. "You said if I needed directions, to find you? Because I'm sorta lost and I'm not really sure what's up with… any of this?" She gestured at where they stood. "But after the last time I saw you, things kinda went sideways and I thought… You seem to know how to navigate all this stuff, and I was wondering if, um… If you could maybe help me figure out how to fix… everything?"

"Everything? Whew, kiddo, got big aspirations! You can't. I mean. Not now. Don't need to, really."

"But my brother's really sick and I kinda thought—"

"Don't sweat that," he said, waving his hand dismissively.

Frisk folded her arms and frowned. The grey Sans cracked his knuckles and stretched sleepily.

"So what's buggin' you?" he asked.

"My brother—"

"Yeah yeah, besides that," he said. "Your soul weighs like a brick."

"Is everything too much?" she joked weakly.

"You gotta let that go," he said. "Too much work."

Frisk shrugged sheepishly. "It's just—"

"You don't gotta explain, I know already," he said.

"But can't you just tell me what's going on?" she asked.

"You're on the right track." He smiled sympathetically. "C'mon, you trust me, don'tcha?"

"But everything's been crazy since I messed with that tear last time I saw you," she said.

"Ah. You're just not seein' the big picture," he said. He kicked back, floating in the air to rest again. "No worries. You're young, you'll learn."

Frisk frowned and pouted, folding her arms again as frustrated tears came to her eyes. "I… I really need to fix this and I gotta find my brother, Asriel. If you can help, please…!"

He opened one eye and his face fell. He settled back as if on solid ground. "Aw, jeez, you're actually upset, huh?"

Frisk's face flushed and she wiped her eyes quickly. The grey Sans tutted gently and he put an arm around her shoulders.

"Hey. Seriously. You're gonna be fine. And at the end of this, you're gonna make your big bro even better comin' out of it," he said. "All three of 'em, actually. And your dad. Oh! Hey. Tell your dad, don't touch this whole void thing too much, alright? It keeps tryin' to suck him back in, and the whole endless sufferin' gig ain't good for anyone, alright?"

"Wait, what?" Frisk yelped.

"It's fine. It's fine. Just, y'know, keep it in mind," he said quickly.

"B-But…" She sniffled and rubbed her eyes. "Okay. But… Wait, can't you give me a hint? Anything? Please."

"I think so. Just tryin' to manage everythin', y'know?" He interlocked his fingers. "There's a lotta threads all knittin' together. Kinda gotta ration what info I got, in a certain way." Sans tapped his teeth. "How 'bout a trade?"

"What d'you want?" she asked.

"Sync your soul with mine," he said. "And I'll tell you somethin' I think'll help."

Frisk gulped. She put a hand to her chest and her soul lit up bright red. The grey skeleton grinned. His soul flared white. The song was so soft it felt more like the memory of the tune was what gave it shape. When Frisk let their energies touch, red stained the white over in his chest for just a second before bright blue washed overtop. The colours twisted into purple and he let out a relieved sigh.

"Yeah. Okay. Just what we needed," he said. He smiled fondly. "You're a real good kid, you know that? Honestly. You needed to hear that, right?"

Her confusion was palpable. He laughed. He cupped his hands around his purple soul and somehow lifted it up out of his chest in both hands. His eyes glittered and he squeezed it tight. It shattered into sparkles and drifted back into him.

"Perfect," he said. "Okay. That'll make it a lot easier for him. C'mere." He waved her closer.

Frisk did as he asked and he held her face. He bumped his brow gently against hers. The image of a red sun flashed in her mind, of the dark, starry substance of space flowing, and the shape of a cube filled with a galaxy spinning before her. When she pulled back, eyes wide, Sans smiled at her.

"Wasn't too much, right? Like, your head, feels okay?"

"Y-Yeah?" she said.

"Great. Man, I could really use a nap." He stretched and then cut his eyes at her. "Hey. Can I show you one more thing? Entry's a little rough, but I think you'll dig it."

"I'll be able to come back, though, right?" she asked nervously.

"For sure!" He winked. "And, hey, you'll hardly have lost any time. Guarantee it's gonna get you at least one thing you want. Sorry to be vague. Kinda have to, for your sake. Also sorry that's as obtuse as it seems. But, I figure, can't point you in a better direction than this one, since that's what you came for."

"Um. Sure?" she said cautiously.

He grinned wide. With a snap of his fingers, a red light appeared behind her. "Hang out in there for a bit and I'll pick y'up and send you back when you're done, okay? It'll be worth your while."

Before she could answer, the light seized the kid with what felt like boney hands. They squeezed around her in a hug too tight for her to move and dragged her straight back into red as she yelped with surprise. All she could see was that one blinding colour as it wrapped all around her body.

Suddenly, she was wet and emerged face up, floating in a cool, clear pond under a cloudy blue sky. She took a deep breath, her heart beating hard against her ribcage. She couldn't swim and she was scared to move. But, the edge of the pond was close. She extended a hand to grip on tight and pulled herself closer. As long as she had that, she'd be fine, she told herself.

When she tried to turn, she sunk, but only for a moment. Her feet easily touched the bottom. She rubbed water out of her eyes and sighed with relief. It wasn't hard to heave herself, shivering, out onto the soft grass nearby. She plopped down where she was, eyeing the place around her with cautious curiosity. Where she was looked relatively wild, with flowers sticking up here and there. They looked like blue stars and she was sure she'd seen them before somewhere. Her back was to the remains of half a stone wall, with moss peeking out of the cracks. She could see the red light under the water. Her heart was still beating too fast.

"That was kinda scary, y'know," she grumbled.

It sent up three magic bubbles shaped like hearts that rose quickly, breaking the surface, and popped into red sparkles.

Frisk forced herself upright, holding the wall. The wind was cool and chilled through to her skin. She folded her arms, leaning on the stone, and tried to puzzle out what had happened. She didn't even know how real this was, if at all. But, that grey Sans, would he lead her into danger? She wasn't sure. He seemed to have some deeper knowledge of things— everything, maybe. It still felt so weird to see him, whatever or whoever he was. She felt like he was probably kind, though. Hopefully he wouldn't plunk her somewhere horrible.

She backed away from the wall to try to get her bearings. There were woods of tall, broad-leafed trees nearby and it was too overcast to get the angle of the sun. She guessed from the temperature that it was probably spring. The air smelled like rain and carried the floral scent of the blue blossoms. She recognized it but couldn't recall where from. She was at a loss and returned to the pond. The red light was gone. She pouted.

Her ears pricked to a rhythmic sound in the grass. Footsteps? She recoiled against the wall and waited. Soon enough, she could pick out two distinct voices. Couldn't make out the words, but it sounded like a young man and woman. As they got closer, Frisk realized they were speaking the same language Gaster sometimes slipped into.

She edged back along the wall as they got closer and snuck around behind them. They were skeletons, and they were dressed a lot like the ones that were on that old tapestry — with clinking armour and warm cloaks. The taller of the two had large, ridged horns. That one was dressed in worn, silvery metal and a muted blue cloak around their shoulders, while the other wore light brass and brown armour and a dark teal, hooded cape. They were also armed. The tall one carried a long bone wrapped partially in cloth and fashioned into a spear as well as a round, metal shield with moon symbols cast into it on their back. The shorter one had a sword on their hip that looked like it, too, was formed from bone.

Frisk frowned to herself. Was it possible she was in the past? Or some replica or time bubble of it? It looked similar to what little she knew of the past of her own world, but it could have been almost literally anywhere. For whatever reason, the grey Sans thought it was a good idea to put her in a pond just feet away from some strangers. Skeletons were usually pretty accommodating, though, right? Maybe it wouldn't be totally stupid to ask them for help. Frisk weighed her options. Worst case scenario was probably a battle, but she'd been through that dance before and come out with a family. She took a step out of hiding and cleared her throat.

"Um! Sorry! Excuse me?"

Both skeletons whipped around, wide-eyed. The smaller one had a smooth, round head and a little horn on either side of the skull, rotated outward slightly like cautious cat ears, and a mouth a lot like Sans’s but with pointed teeth. The eye sockets were large and a little upturned, and the irises were flared with turquoise-green magic. The taller of the two skeletons had a long, narrow face, cheekbones jutting in a blunt spike, pointed eye-teeth, and a strong, sharp jawline. There were little spikes on their brow ridges, and those big, angular horns on their head that sloped backwards. Again, the eye sockets were quite large, but much more almond-shaped than the other’s, and their irises were white rings.

The two scrambled to assume a sturdy formation, the larger of them pulling the shield from their back, and Frisk raised her hands quickly. She wondered for a second if she'd gone completely nuts to think this was a good idea, but she stood as firm as she could. The smaller one spoke, the voice feminine and cautious, but the kid couldn't understand her.

"Um! S-Sorry! I don't speak Creatlach," she said, "but I was wondering if—"

"Wait a second, you…?" The shorter skeleton pushed forward cautiously, her hand on the boney hilt of her blade. "You know 'bout Creatlach?"

Frisk nodded. The skeleton shot a glance back at her taller counterpart. Though he looked much more fearsome than she did, he also looked considerably more worried.

"Um. Sorry to spook you guys. I'm Frisk," the kid said.

She was surprised when both skeletons relaxed. The tall one began to laugh and put both palms to his face and the girl started to grin. Her hand fell away from the blade and she shook her head.

"Wow, shortie, y'scared us for a second there!" she said.

"And I… don't now?" Frisk asked.

"Well, nah, I mean, y'have a name that matches your voice," she said, pleased. "So y'must've been raised by a skeleton, right? That and you actually said _Creatlach_ right and didn't just call it _Bone-Tone_."

"Y… Yeah." The kid nodded readily. "Yeah, um, a lot of my family are skeletons."

The girl skeleton grinned bright. "And thank the sun for that, eh? Phew! Cuz, you should see your face!" She nudged the other skeleton in the side and then strode forward to offer Frisk her hand. "Skeletons and adopted skeletons can stick together, right?"

Frisk smiled sheepishly and shook her hand, taking note of her weathered gloves and a sun-shaped marking on the back of one of them. "Y-Yeah. Glad to meet you."

"I'm Vera. That's Zapf." The skeleton jerked her thumb back over her shoulder at the other one. The green in her eyes flickered down to reveal the bright white shine in the sockets, like Sans had. "You're awful small, aren't ya? What're y'doing out here alone?"

"See, um. I'm not sure," Frisk admitted. "I got kinda… sent here by magic and I'm—"

"Oh! You're not lost, are you?" Zapf asked, leaning in. He had a low voice and an accent a lot like her father's, but a little heavier; more rolling of the R's.

"K-Kinda?" she said.

"That's so sad," he said quietly. "Maybe we can help?"

"Who're your folks?" Vera asked with a worried frown. "Your ma or da a skeleton? Maybe we know 'em? Can get y'back home?"

"Um, well my dad's name is Gaster, but I don't think—"

"Gaster… Gaster…" Vera looked back at Zapf. "Y'ever heard of a Gaster?"

"I've heard of an Aster, but not a Gaster," he said. "Are you from very far away?"

"Definitely," Frisk said. "B-But it's not really being lost that I'm worried about."

"It's not?" Vera asked. "Uh. But you're tiny, yeah? And you're all alone? Or, y'were, you ain't now. Hmm…" She tapped her teeth thoughtfully. "This is no place for someone like you t'be out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe… Oh!" She snapped her fingers. "I know! We could bring you to the Boss."

"The Boss'd know how to help," Zapf agreed with a nod.

"Is that far?" she asked hesitantly.

"Not really. But, um… Oh, wow, you're completely soaked, now that I look at ya," Vera said. "What happened?"

"Fell in a pond," Frisk said sheepishly.

Zapf's brow furrowed with worry. He shot Vera a look. "Cousin, the wind is picking up… We could still head to town and then…"

"Oh yeah! Now that y'mention it, I completely forgot." She grinned at Frisk. "We're close to Goblin Grotto, so we can pick y'up something dry, maybe get some lunch and— Y'didn't have somewhere t'be, did ya?"

"I'm, um… Not sure. The guy that sent me was kinda mysterious about what I was doing here," she said. "Maybe I'll know when I see it?"

"Bet the Boss can help with that, too," Vera assured her. She beckoned her back the way they were travelling to begin with. "Humans feel cold a lot, right? Y'doin' okay?"

"I'll be fine," Frisk fibbed, following along. She'd start to shiver soon, she was sure.

Zapf looked down at her and folded his arms tight, his brow furrowing. There was something clearly on his mind, but he clenched his jaw and didn't give voice to the thought. Vera, on the other hand, had started to glow happily as they were on their way.

"Y'know, we sorta expected to find some humans on the way, but you're a real pleasant surprise."

"Bandits," Zapf explained quietly. He shuddered. "You're better."

"Gee, sure hope so," Frisk said with a laugh. "But, um… You don't think we'll—?"

"Just stand behind us," Zapf said.

Frisk's cheeks flushed slightly. Vera shot her a sympathetic smile and patted the blade on her hip.

"Don't worry, we're pretty good at defendin' ourselves," she said. "You ever—? Oh, right, guess y'probably seen a bunch of magic, huh?"

"Yeah," Frisk said.

"You said you were sent here through magic as well?" the tall skeleton asked.

"Ah. Y-Yeah. It's, um…" Frisk rubbed her fingers through her wet hair. "It's a long story."

"How about the short version, then?" Vera asked.

"Well, uh… There was this grey skeleton," she said. "And I think he's a weird cosmic guide guy or something. I think he was trying to help me? I think I'm supposed to find something here or learn something, maybe? It's supposed to be to help my brother. Maybe."

"Eesh, a lotta _maybes_ in there." The short skeleton frowned worriedly. "Are cosmic guides always that vague?"

"I dunno, this is the first one I met," Frisk said. "He said he had to be, for some reason. I don't really get it."

"Your brother is…? Sick?" Zapf asked gently. "Or… lost?"

"Both, actually. Two different brothers. How'd you know that?" Frisk asked.

He shrugged one shoulder and his eyes darted downwards. "I sense… heaviness in you. It's hard to explain."

"He's real good at that kinda thing," Vera whispered to the kid. She put a hand on her shoulder and they continued off the grass and onto a dirt path marked along one edge by a few scattered, shiny stones. "Anyway! That cosmic guide skeleton, what's up with that?"

"I'm not really sure," Frisk said. "He… looks like my brother, but I don't think he's really…? I'm not sure, it's pretty confusing."

"D'you trust him?" she asked.

"I think so." The kid nodded to herself and puffed out a tired laugh. "Sorry, it's super weird. Um. Thanks a ton for helping me out, though, I really appreciate it."

Vera waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, don't worry about it! We're Knights!"

"Knights in training," Zapf said quietly.

"Yeah! Knights, though. We're supposed to help people! S'not far outta our way. Well, actually, technically not outta our way at all since we're the ones draggin' you somewhere, huh? Where're you from, anyway?"

"Um. Snowdin?" Frisk said.

"Never heard of it," she said. "Must be far, eh, cuz?"

"Must be," Zapf agreed, nodding stiffly.

Frisk looked up at the tall skeleton worriedly. "You okay?" she asked.

He nodded. She tented her fingers nervously.

"I'm not too spooky, am I?" she asked.

"I wouldn't say so!" Vera said with a laugh. "See, I like humans! I just think they don't like me so much. So sad. Y'know you guys got bones, right? And we are bones! I figure we should be pals, right?"

"Right," Frisk said. "Don't gotta convince me, some of my most favourite people are skeletons."

"I love that," Vera said. "Hey, Zapf, seriously, y'alright?"

"I am." He smiled faintly. "Just a little worried, I guess." He started to walk briskly, and Vera gently grabbed Frisk's arm and took her along.

"We should get a pony," she whined.

"Where would you keep a pony?" Zapf asked, amused.

"I dunno, she could just follow us around maybe," she said. "Kid, you got a pony?"

"N-No, um, we don't… I mean…" It struck her very suddenly. She should have realized it— how far back in time this place must be. They had the whole world out here. Never even knew about the mountain all monsters would be stuck underneath. She choked on her words and her stomach knotted. She gulped hard and squeaked, "I'm n-not from a big town."

Zapf came to a stop and scuffed his metal boot on the path. His gaze fixed far ahead where dark trees with sparse leaves framed the way forward. He knelt down and brushed over the dirt with his pointy white fingertips. When he straightened up, he put a hand on his hip and then looked at the others.

"We should hurry," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vera: http://fav.me/ddyge05  
Zapf: http://fav.me/ddygein


	42. Stranger Danger?

Goblin Grotto was about a half-hour up the path, and didn't look much like a grotto at all despite the welcome sign with the name scrawled on it that was nailed to the stone wall rimming the place. There was a large, open archway the with pointy tips of a portcullis stored up above, and within a couple metres of it, the spear Zapf had carried slung over his back disappeared in a glimmer of pink magic, and Vera's sword did similarly. The taller skeleton's shield, though, remained.

Standing before the wall was a squat monster like Frisk had never seen before— presumably a goblin. He had red, scaly skin, and a face sort of like a toad's with thick, pointy, conical teeth jutting up and down like an alligator. He also had long rabbit-like ears and big, bulging yellow eyes. He wore a simple brown gambeson with a chest plate overtop, emblazoned with a symbol that looked a lot like a rudimentary Delta Rune: a circle sitting atop three triangles.

The monster raised a hand when the two skeletons and the kid got within a few feet, but then his eyes bugged out and he recoiled up against the wall, clinging tight to a long spear with thick, clawed fingers. "I-Is that a human there w-with you?"

"Yeah, but she's nice and stuff," Vera said. "S'okay? If we vouch for her?"

"Well, I mean—? I mean! Yes, but! Human!" The goblin stood up straight and puffed out his chest. "Before you can enter, you have to let me feel your soul."

"But that's difficult for them," Zapf said worriedly.

"Oh! N-No, no, that's f-fine," Frisk assured them. She cupped her hand over her soul and let it shine until the red magic carried bright in her bandaged palm. She offered it. "Is that okay?"

All the monsters stared, gawking. Frisk wondered if maybe she'd made a mistake, and the guard let out a shuddering gasp.

"Red," he said.

"Oh, wow, that's… really really red," Vera said.

"It's safe," Frisk said quickly. "I-I mean, it shouldn't hurt or anything."

The guard's gaze darted between the two skeletons, and he leaned down towards the kid. He hesitantly extended his hand and brushed the energy. His eyes glazed for a moment; he drew back in a hurry, nodding, the red in his cheeks shifting to blushing brown. "Okay. Come on in."

The skeletons deflated as the guard moved aside, and they quickly ushered Frisk in past the gate. Before the shivering kid could get her bearings, they pulled her over against the wall and out of the main path. Both of them squatted down and Zapf held her hands, eyes wide. She only noticed then that he was missing a finger on his left hand.

"Red?" he said disbelievingly.

"Yeah?" she said cautiously. "Why, is that super weird?"

"You're a wizard?!" Vera asked under her breath. "You're actually a good wizard?!"

"Um. W-Well, I wouldn't say _wizard_, exactly," she said bashfully.

"But you have powers, don't you?" he asked gently.

The kid nodded. "Yeah, um… Yeah. I can do a little bit of stuff."

Vera's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands together, beaming. "Eeeeee! Oh man, now the Boss is really gonna love t'meet you for sure!"

Zapf gently squeezed the kid's hands. He was a lot more restrained, but there was a spark of pink in his eyes. "That's amazing. May I?"

"Oh! Yeah." She slipped her hands from his and lit up with red again as Vera began to squeal excitedly. "No problem."

The tall skeleton cupped both hands around the red energy she held and closed his eyes for a moment. His magic began to bristle and Frisk heard the faint echo of a musical note in the air around him. When he opened his eyes, they blazed with magic. He opened his mouth but couldn't seem to find words.

"Pfffft, cuz, you should see your face," Vera said.

"I don't believe it," he breathed.

"It's kinda weird, huh?" Frisk asked.

He nodded.

"What? Why? How weird can it be?" the other skeleton asked.

"It is stronger than anything I've ever felt. And yet she's never even gained a single execution point in her soul."

"Jeez, of course not," Frisk said shrilly.

"Whaaaat? You're pullin' my leg off," Vera said, but when her cousin's expression didn't change, she put a hand on her head. "What the hell, shortie?! That's… amazing! How'd y'get like that?"

"I'm, um… It's a long story," she said apologetically.

"You're full of long stories, huh?" The skeleton winked in jest. Her grin brightened. "Oh man, a good wizard, I can't even…! I literally thought it wasn't possible. Seriously though, how?!"

"Well, um, I'm still not great at magic," Frisk admitted. She concentrated and a red bubble came to her hand, floating up just a few inches. "I'm still learning."

"No, but I mean, like, how are you _good_, though?" Vera pushed.

"Cousin, you can't just ask someone why they're good," Zapf chided quietly. "How would she even answer such a question?"

"Okay, yeah, I get it, but usually: wizard." She held out one hand. "Good." She held out the other and moved them up and down as if her hands were the ends of a balancing scale. "They don't exactly match up, is all I'm sayin'!"

Frisk wasn't sure how to answer. "I… I try my best," she said tepidly. "I don't really know anything about wizards except that, um, there aren't any where I live."

The skeletons shared a look. Vera took off her warming cloak and put it around the kid's shoulders, pulling up the hood and patting her head. She held her arm and then nodded towards the rest of the town.

"Let's get y'something dry," she said. "And, uh, maybe… keep it a little quiet, alright?"

Goblin Grotto was a walled town about twice the size of Snowdin and its burbs. The streets were dirt and stone, laid out in waves and spirals, lined with cottages and stores with signs dangling off the side to advertise their wares. Monsters bustled about the streets, seeming content in the chilly weather. None gave Frisk a second look.

Vera and Zapf took the kid into a store off the main street, a few rough blocks from the gate, that had a simple image of a ball of yarn and knitting needles on the sign. Inside was lit by magic firelight in sconces and a spiral of energy in glass ball on the ceiling. There were tables laid out with clothes in disorganized stacks, and lengths of cloth were festooned from nails on the walls. A set of crates near the door were filled almost to the brim with balls of colourful yarn, and there were more strewn about the floor on top of fishbone patterned rugs.

Vera gently took her cloak back from Frisk and then strode up to the wooden counter and knocked on it hard. "Hey, hello? Anyone home?"

A high-pitched raowling sound came from upstairs, followed by a loud thumping. A large, blue ball rolled down the stairs across the room only to unfurl into a tabby cat monster in a fancy frock. "Custmeowers!" she said loudly, grinning big pointy teeth. She pulled up glasses on a chain that made her grey eyes look massive. "How can I help you, my boney frie…?" She froze, catching sight of Frisk. "Oh dearie me-ow."

"Um. Hi?" Frisk said bashfully. "The front guard said it was okay?"

"She's with us. I mean. Obviously, right, since we brought her in here," Vera said. "Um, she needs some new clothes, can y'do that?"

"Well, umm…" The cat monster snuck a bit closer to Frisk, looking her up and down.

"She's a safe one, her father is a skeleton," Zapf said.

"Oh?! Well then! She's quite small. I'm sure I have something. Umm…" The cat bustled up beside the kid and measured her with the length of her striped tail. Nodding to herself, she hurried into her tables of clothes and began to sort through them quickly.

Frisk shivered a little and then quickly checked her pockets. She found her phone and shook some water out of it. The screen displayed a cartoon fish blubbing along under a translucent ocean lock screen.

"You guys use gold?" she asked.

"Sure do," Vera said. "Oh! I gotcha covered."

"Nah, don't worry," Frisk said. She poked some buttons on her phone to knock it out of lock. Force of habit had her check her messages, but of course, there was nothing. Then her inventory, just in case— she'd left most of her one change of clothing back where the fanged Papyrus had built her a bed, but she had plenty of gold. "I got it."

"What is that?" Zapf asked curiously.

Frisk wasn't sure how much to say, exactly, but she quickly explained it as a storage and photo device. The skeletons, however, weren't sure what photos were. She took a selfie with them to demonstrate and, once more, Frisk let friendly strangers swipe through her pictures to try to explain what it was. Vera was gobsmacked and Zapf's eyes lit with pink again as he navigated between images of what was now three fully different universes.

"I see. It's like an advanced pictobox," Zapf said. "I have seen something similar but—"

"You have?!" Vera asked.

"The Boss has one. Though it is small and makes little pictosheets instead of bright and detailed like this does. What an interesting invention." Zapf smiled gently. "Your home is quite different from here, hm?"

Frisk nodded. The paw of a cat closed down on her shoulder. She turned and the monster shopkeep smiled at her.

"I've found something your size, kitten," she said.

"Oh! Thank you so much," Frisk said.

The cat showed her to a little alcove closed off by a curtain. Inside, there was already a small pile of clothing. It was stuff fit for a toddler, probably. She found a simple tunic with sleeves down to the elbows. It was deep blueish grey with a lighter shade at the neck, hem, and ends of the sleeves. There was also brown pants that were her size. There was even some new boots, though they were just a little too big. She changed and loosely belted the tunic at the waist. It felt so nice to not be cold and damp anymore.

She took a seat on the little wooden bench in there for a moment to catch her breath in the relative quiet. She wished she could tell when and where she was. Was it the past of the last world? Her own? Somewhere entirely new? Was it even really real? These skeletons felt real enough. And those blue flowers— now that she thought about it, she was sure she'd seen them when she'd travelled through one of the rips in the world to a place far afield from Mount Ebott, where her father used to live.

Maybe if she could find a book or something, she could determine if it was a dreamscape or not. But, if this was really the past of a place, maybe she'd already screwed up by interacting at all. She wished that grey Sans had given her more info than what little he'd said. Hopefully he would have warned her if she was on track to completely screw some place's past up, right? She sighed. Stress pressure was already building behind her eyes.

When she emerged, the two skeletons were still engrossed in her phone. Vera squawked and grinned wide, bouncing up her toes. She caught sight of Frisk and dashed over, grabbing her arm.

"There's so much!" she said. "Come on! I got your payment covered, by the way."

"Oh! But I said I could—"

"Nah, we brought y'here, so…" She smiled. "Not expensive, don't worry. Since you're so small."

"Th-Thank you," Frisk said.

"Hey, uh, something happen t'your arms?" she asked, pointing out the bandage wrapping.

"Um! N-No, not really, just was doing some, um, training with some friends before I got sent here," she said. "I wasn't really expecting it."

"Ah. Can y'punch pretty hard?"

Frisk scoffed and snickered. "No."

Zapf finally shook himself free of the phone. He passed it back to her, but only then did she realize she didn't really have much in the way of pockets. He patted her on the head gently, his eyes still glowing faintly.

"What a place you've come from," he said. "It's a little farther than you implied, isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah," she said.

He put his hand on her shoulder and nodded towards the door. "Let's be on our way for now. The market is close by."

Outside, the cold bristled against Frisk's ears. She stashed her wet clothes in her phone. Vera bounced around her and then grinned proudly.

"Hey, y'look good!" she said. She pointed at Frisk's phone. "Y'don't have to hold that stuff, just put it in your mallet space."

"Mallet space?" Frisk asked.

"Yeah, look." Vera reached behind her back and was suddenly holding a large sack. "I kinda cheat, I like t'keep a bag there." She hid it again and it vanished. "See? Comes with the clothes."

Frisk had never heard of such a thing, but she wasn't shocked. She reached behind her as if there were a pocket on her back, like Vera had. The phone slipped off to nowhere.

"Oh! That's cool!" Frisk said. "We don't have that back home."

"I really enjoyed looking through the pictures of your family and friends," Zapf said. "It's nice to have many people who care for you around you. Which brother is sick?"

"The short one," she said sheepishly.

"And which is lost?"

"The goat one."

"You're very close to them all," he said.

She nodded. Vera cooed at her and put her arm around her shoulders.

"Buck up, shortie, I'm sure we can get y'some help," she said. "Monster Lords are real good at this kinda thing, I promise. And the Boss is one of the best Monster Lords ever."

"Thank you," Frisk said. She slipped some coins into Vera's pocket as she moved away.

Zapf noticed but simply smiled to himself.

As they went down towards the market square, Frisk couldn't help notice her hands were still shaking. She rubbed her fingers over her palms. This was crazy, wasn't it? Here she was, a strange world, third time in a week. Her head hurt. Vera was talking but she couldn't process it. She scrunched her eyes shut and rubbed them with her hands as her legs began to feel weighted and her head spun. She had to stop and she pulled out the turquoise potion again. The tremble was much more noticeable as she tried to pop the cap off it. She poured out a little of the liquid onto her fingertips and patted it against her forehead. Some of the pressure began to subside.

"Hey, shortie, y'alright?" Vera got in her face, eyeing her up and down. She held her shaking hands and tilted her head. "You're gonna drop this if y'ain't careful, huh?"

"Yeah, um. Sorry," she said, stashing it away in her phone again. "You're right." She tried to focus.

"D'you need a healer?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Thanks, though," Frisk said.

Ahead of them was an area of market stalls, bustling with monsters and all kinds of disparate tunes of magic. Wafts of spice and cooking stew billowed through the air. Zapf was already at one of the stalls, loading up a bag with vegetables. Vera beckoned Frisk along, and the kid hurried to keep up. It was a lot to process.

"So, um, you guys said you were Knights?" Frisk asked curiously.

"Yep! Or, I mean, we're gonna be real soon," Vera said as she slid up to a collection of shiny trinkets. "We were guards at our old village before it got stomped. And then started training with the guys at Loch Lune before that got stomped. We fell in with the Boss a couple years back and we're set to get full Knight honours and everythin' real soon!" She grinned bright. "We're even gonna get some new bound weapons!"

Frisk nodded, perked by her enthusiasm. "What's a bound weapon?"

"Like, uh… Somethin' y'can build and then kinda tie to your magic and soul. So y'can summon it whenever, it's real useful!" she said. "Hard to do, though. A lotta people actually gotta have a Lord make it for 'em."

"Ooh, okay," Frisk said. "My brothers have these big skull blaster things that I think might be those." She wondered, maybe Asriel's swords were, too? "That's cool, I hope it goes well."

"Thanks! I'm real glad the Boss took us in, t'be honest," Vera said as she plucked up a couple shimmering crystals and eyes them over. "We were thinkin' of joinin' the Order of Lune before that, but then y'gotta go all the way to the Capital. Meetin' the royals sounds pretty great, but it's super far from here and I kinda like this area, y'know? And, uh, don't tell Zapf I said this but he's kinda a homebones."

Frisk nodded as if she understood everything that had been said, and filed the terms away in her head. "Have you met any of the, um, royals before?"

"I met a Duke once," she said. "But they're the same kind. These real ancient, uh… I dunno what y'call 'em, really? Same kind as in your pics, though, right? Y'know a few?"

"My mom and brother are that," she said.

"Yeah! That's nuts," she said. "What are they actually called; you gotta know, right?! I've heard a ton, is it, uh, _bapho_something? Or are they _luck dragons_? Or is it _khnumian_ or _capripan_?! Nobody ever gives a straight answer."

"Um." Frisk tilted her head. "I always just kinda went between goat and a dragon goat, nobody ever corrected me." She laughed. "That's funny, actually, I'll ask Az when I find him."

"Your missin' brother? I hope y'find him soon, I wanna know," she said.

Vera paid for some of the crystals and hurriedly moved on, pulling the kid with her as other monsters began to get closer in the crowded market.

Frisk could feel eyes on her. Could see them, too— monsters leaning over or doing a double-take as she passed. She stuck close to the skeleton.

"Um, it's okay if I'm here, right?"

"Sure, guard let y'in, yeah? Don't worry," Vera said. "No rule says _no humans_. Some come through sometimes. Think one or two live here, even."

"R-Right. Okay." The hair prickling on the back of her neck advised her otherwise. Her headache was seeping back in. She took a deep breath. As long as she didn't start seeing other times, she was okay. "Um! So, what else do you need, can I help?"

"Um, groceries, mostly." Vera pulled a list out of her belt, though it was ripped and soggy. She winced and crumpled it up, tossing it over her shoulder. "Well, um. How 'bout just stick close t'me for now."

A couple more stalls explored, and Frisk began to relax a little. Nobody found issue enough to confront her or shoot looks that were anything more than curious. A lizard monster did ask to settle a bet over whether human hair felt more like fur or feathers, and pranced away, satisfied, after she let him pat her on the head. She was also given a free pastry by a short, squat, squinting purple bat that Vera was buying bread from. Frisk gladly broke it into three and shared a piece with the skeleton.

One of the monsters was selling used books. Frisk hurriedly checked the pages of one. The text inside was mostly too complicated for her, but definitely wasn't gibberish.

When they met back up with Zapf, he was mulling over chunks of false meat at the stall of a big, muscly orc.

"Got everything?" Vera asked.

"Hm… Almost." He picked a piece and traded some gold for it, slipping it into a sack with the rest of his buys. "You?"

"Yep!" she said.

Frisk offered the tall skeleton the last piece of the pastry. He looked a little puzzled, but he took it.

"Oh. Thank you," he said.

"Are you guys making something specific?" she asked.

"Oh, all kinds of stuff! Mostly Zapf. He's a great cook," Vera said brightly.

"I'm an average cook," he said quietly.

"He's great," she repeated with a proud grin.

"Oh? What do you like to cook?" Frisk said, though his cheekbones flushed and he hesitated. "I, um, r-really love to cook! I cook all the time with my brother, Papyrus, mostly, and my, um, big sister, Undyne. Also my mom's a great cook, too. She showed me how to do pies. My brother, though, he's really into noodles and sauce."

"Noodles?" Vera repeated. "What's a noodle?"

"I…" It had never once occurred to Frisk in her entire life that she would run into someone who didn't know what a noodle was. "I dunno how to… Um. Well. You make a dough. But not a bread dough."

"Uh-huh."

"And you roll it real thin and cut it into a bunch of, like, lines or shapes."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh."

"And then you boil it until it's kinda soft and then you put, like, butter or sauce on it, or put it in a soup."

"Ooh!" Vera's face lit right up. "Okay, okay, I get it! Zapf, we gotta try that!" She grinned bright. "He loves soup. Soup's his thing."

"Oh yeah?" Frisk asked with a smile. "I made soup only one time! But it was pretty fun."

A little glimmer shone in the large skeleton's eyes. "I enjoy it. I still have a lot to learn."

"He's trying t'learn a special recipe for the Boss!" Vera said proudly.

Zapf looked bashful. Frisk perked up.

"What's special about it?" she asked

"It's… well…" His guarded posture slumped a little. "The Boss has some strange powers that sometimes make her a little sick. I heard the Queen makes her a special soup to help, but Burgstede is so far away, and I thought maybe I— if I practiced enough— might be able to craft a stand-in."

"Oh! That's really cool. I bet you can," Frisk said.

The sounds of the market were cut by a deep, melodic horn, and the monsters went unusually quiet. Both skeletons perked up and Vera grabbed onto Frisk's arm. All attention turned down the road. A knight obscured in full armour rode by on a shaggy horse, and was followed by a much smaller creature shrouded in a robe and flanked protectively on either side by more mounted knights, though these ones could be seen to be a silvery bird and a one-eyed grimm. The former carried a white banner with a gold sun marked upon it. The crowd only began to murmur and get back to what they were doing a moment after the final horse hoof had passed out of sight.

"Oh wow," Vera breathed. "Hey, cuz, y'think that's a DB?"

"Must be," he said softly.

"A what?" Frisk asked, keeping her voice down like they did.

"A Divine Beast," Zapf explained.

"What's that?" Frisk asked.

"I've never seen one for real," Vera said.

"They're very mysterious." Zapf looked concerned. "You haven't heard of them?"

"Um. No. They're monsters, though, right?" Frisk asked.

"They are made of magic like us," he said. "But nobody knows where they came from. Just that they are… Divine Beasts. Some think they came from the sun itself."

"And that was kinda… weird, right? Everyone went quiet. They don't come through often?" Frisk asked. "Where d'you think they were going?"

"Sun Temple," Vera said. "Always are, right, cuz?"

"Some special Knights usually escort them in that case, but I've asked before, and even they don't really know much about them," he said. "And it is definitely unusual."

Frisk frowned thoughtfully. The Sun Temple perked her interest. One of the three clues she'd received was something she was sure was a blazing red sun. Maybe that's why she'd been sent here right at this moment. She looked up at them curiously.

"Think I could go there?"

"Wh-What?!" Vera yelped. "Go there?! What for?!"

"I think I'm looking for something to do with the sun," she said.

Zapf gulped. "I'm… not sure if it's wise?"

"Shortie, we don't know anything about DBs," Vera said quickly. "I got no clue how they'd be around us. Or you! All I know is they're really, really powerful."

"Were there any other clues that you had?" Zapf asked.

"Um. The flow of the void." Frisk counted on her fingers. "A red sun. And a weird space cube."

The skeletons looked at each other, at a loss. Frisk sighed. She smiled apologetically.

"It's okay if you don't wanna come. Thanks so much for bringing me here, but I gotta go check it out," she said.

"Do you?!" Vera asked shrilly.

Frisk nodded. "If it might help my brother, I gotta go look." She definitely hadn't wanted to part with these two so soon, but she could see the hesitation all over their faces. "Look, um… I really appreciate you guys. If you're not in a big rush, maybe I could meet you back here somewhere? I-If you can't wait, I totally understand." For some reason, that hurt more than she thought it would. "But, um! I'm super grateful for you guys bringing me this far."

"Wait, wait wait." Vera put her hands up. "But where would y'go?!"

Frisk shrugged tepidly. The short skeleton looked up at her taller counterpart worriedly. He winced. Frisk smiled sideways and raised a hand to wave.

"I-I hope I'll see you again."

Her small stature let her easily slip away between distracted monsters and she peeked around the corner of the buildings edging the road. The horses were already out of sight, but some of their muddy hoof prints were not. She followed them down the stone road to a small incline where there were trees planted alongside it. She paused to look up, only to feel a drop of rain hit her on the head. There looked to be some sort of structure up the incline— probably the highest point in town, now that she thought about it. She noticed the shaking in her hands again and gripped them together tightly.

The hair on the kid's neck stood on end and a faint blue warning had her step back and turn around with confusion. Her heart was instantly pounding at a big, dark shape blocking her view, arm extended, intending to grab hers. She jerked back quickly and tried to figure out what she was looking at. The face that peered back down at her was half-wooden— a mask that looked like some sort of beast covering the eyes and nose of a bearded someone under a dark, well-worn traveller's cloak.

"You _are_ a human," he said with a sense of vindication in his very-human-sounding voice.

Frisk bristled. She felt like she might be sick and took a step backwards. "No I'm not."

"What's a child like you doing here?" he asked.

"Nnnnope." She didn't want to take her eyes from him, but she wasn't staying near the stranger for a second longer. "Nope, not answering, leave me alone," Frisk said quickly, backing away down the road.

When the man started after her, she turned and sprinted towards the shops.

The mostly empty street provided little cover but a few scattered monsters. Her heart pounding in her ears, Frisk raced down the slope as fast as she could, darting behind two large, robed elk women, and ran into the closest alleyway. There was an old cart and another passageway there that lead into a shadowy, narrow gap between yet more buildings. She beelined for it, only to run straight into a gang of three monsters with the aura of ne'er-do-wells bumming it against the wall and smoking cinnamon sticks. A big, grey panther shot her a glare from a bright orange eye.

"Looks like you took a wrong turn, cub," she said with a low growl.

Frisk gulped but she stayed right where she was. "Is there anything back here? I need to hide."

"Huh. That usually works…" the cat mused.

The kid snuck into the shadows. She could hear bootsteps closer than she'd like. "There's some weird human following me. I don't know him. Can I hide here? I'll pay."

A massive bear sat up from where he was crouched and beckoned to her. "My ears like that jingle of gold, but my eyes aren't so good, catch my drift?"

Frisk perked right up and rushed in behind him. "Thank you so much."

There wasn't much back there. Some old crates and a door that was slightly ajar, with the smell of fire and cooking food wafting from it. The third monster, some sort of blue ooga booga with a lot of tentacles, eyes on stalks, and teeth like a shark, gently grabbed the kid and pulled her aside.

"You in some kinda trouble, hun?" she asked.

"I literally don't know what he wants. He just started chasing me," Frisk said quietly. "Oh! Um, if he tries to fight, don't, I'll… I'll deal with it."

"Don't worry 'bout it, cub," the panther said. She readjusted herself casually, folding her arms, and the bear took up much of the rest of the alleyway with the bulk of his shoulders.

Frisk took a deep breath. She braced herself. The blue monster blew out a cloud that smelled like apple pie. The human man hurried by and then, inevitably, doubled back.

"Have you seen a child come down here?" he asked.

"Plenty o' kids." The cat tilted her head towards the outer alley. "That way."

"I'm looking for my daughter. Wearing grey. Very small."

Frisk felt sick; incredulous. She shook her head vigorously when the blue monster's eye stalks bent towards her.

"Name?" the bear asked, puffing himself up.

"What does it matter, have you seen a child like that or not?"

"Fella forgot his own kid's name," the panther said with a sly grin.

The man bristled. His hand rested at his waste. "She is dangerous to you. She has a red soul. She could be a wizard."

Frisk gulped. What was this guy's problem? Again, the blue monster looked at her. She clenched her fists and frowned, and then carefully held the monster's closest tentacle. She let her magic warm through to her, trying to convey as best she could that she meant no harm.

"Uh-huh. Red soul wizard, just out and about. Sure," the panther said.

"I am deadly serious. If you see anyone like that…"

The butt of a spear thumped the ground. The cat's ears pinned back as pink eyes glowed and a large, horned skeleton loomed behind the human man.

"Back. Away," Zapf said.

Frisk perked up instantly, her eyes brightening. The blue monster gave her hand a little squeeze. The human turned and froze in place, looking up at the tall skeleton. A chill passed over the group. Zapf stared the man down, a tight grip on his spear and an authoritative air around him.

"Stop bothering these people."

The man bristled. "You were at the gate, you had the child with—"

"You have no claim on the child," he said stiffly.

With the eyes of so many monsters on him, the man backed up and edged around Zapf, almost bumping right into Vera. She glared at him, folding her arms, and he scoffed and relented.

"You'd be better off turning her over to me," he said.

Nobody budged. The panther grinned sideways and let a smokey cloud of spice drift out between her sharp teeth.

"Can't hand over what we ain't got and ain't yours, human."

The man shrugged. "Well. Your funeral." He pulled his cloak close and shouldered off past Zapf and down the alley back towards the street.

Frisk wanted nothing more but to race to the skeletons, but the blue monster gently pulled her back and pointed to the open door. She nodded and followed, hesitating at the steps and peeking around the bear. His ear twitched towards them and he leaned in towards Zapf.

"Go in the front," he said.

Vera shot Zapf a worried look, but he nodded and his spear vanished from his hand.

"Thank you."

Just inside the door was a kitchen manned by a black and orange salamander with a flaming tail-tip and a five-spined headcrest, much like Alphys's. He looked them up and down with barely a hint of surprise. Frisk scooted aside as the big brown bear and the panther joined them, too. She instantly went for her phone and started pouring a ton of gold coins out on top of a nearby chair.

"Whoa, cub," the panther said, wide-eyed, "you didn't actually have to—"

"No, nope, that was super dangerous, and I said I would," she said quickly. "Thank you guys so much."

The three monsters looked at each other. The panther raised her brows high.

"I mean, we could use it to fix the roof," the bear said quietly.

"Yeah! Yeah, do that, do whatever you want," Frisk said. She winked. "If you don't take my money I'm gonna be super offended."

"Can't have that," the bear chortled, scooping up a pawful of coins.

"Where did you get all this?" the blue monster asked, her eyes bugging out.

"Um. Where I come from, we do, um… play battles? And if you win, you get gold," Frisk said.

"You must be great!"

Frisk shrugged and smile. "I'm okay. Oh!" She offered her hand. "I'm Frisk, by the way."

Before the monsters could answer, two skeletons unceremoniously burst into the kitchen, and Frisk found herself grabbed up in Vera's arms.

"Aaah, shortie, I'm sorry!" she whined. "We never shouldda waited, we sh-shouldda…"

"We were just a minute behind you. We thought maybe that man knew you, until you ran from him," Zapf said apologetically.

"I-It's okay! It's okay," Frisk assured them. "I-I'm glad I didn't have to say goodbye so soon!"

"Great reunion, can you have it outta my kitchen?" the salamander asked, tapping a ladle into his palm impatiently.

Vera's cheeks flushed green. "S-Sorry, we'll go, we'll, uh… Actually, can we get a table?"

The monster nodded and gestured for them to go, and the skeletons scrambled out, taking Frisk with them.

Beyond the kitchen was a dim, crowded tavern. Long, worn wooden tables and benches hewn from logs were packed with rough-looking monsters and exactly one other human, an older, grey-haired woman who looked like she could bench press the big grizzled snapping turtle she was chatting at the bar with.

When Frisk first met Papyrus, he'd claimed that skeletons were the most warm and cuddly of monsters. Vera proved the rule, hugging the kid to her chest and glowing reassuringly warm as if they'd known each other for years. Frisk was grateful and returned the gesture. She patted the skeleton's shoulder and was carefully released to the table they'd picked, situated between some workers napping heavily and a rowdy group of what was presumably adventurers or mercenaries.

Zapf took a long, deep breath and rubbed his face. "Frisk, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, you were super cool," she said.

He shook his head. "I hesitated when you asked for help on your quest. That wasn't very knightly."

"It's okay, it's not really fair of me to ask you to do stuff you don't wanna do. And I definitely don't want you guys to get into any trouble 'cause of me," Frisk said. Her face fell and she rubbed her head. "I shouldda listened to you. I'm sorry, I dunno what I was thinking: of course you guys would know better than me. I shouldda been patient and waited for that DB thing to leave."

"We were just… We were just kinda nervous," Vera admitted. "Like I said, we don't know much about them at all; people get in trouble for going into those temples on a normal day sometimes, so with a DB there, and you bein' a human, I just dunno…"

"You guys talking about DBs?" The panther slid up to join them, placing herself beside Frisk and Vera. "Ixel, by the way. I, uh, do the shopping, mostly."

"Vera and Zapf. And Frisk," Vera said with a smile. "Knights in training. Thanks for helpin' the kid out."

She nodded and then lowered her voice. "So, there's one in town, huh?"

"Do you know what they are?" Frisk asked.

"Most folks haven't seen 'em. They wear those long robes all the time," she said. "And any description I've heard don't really match up too good against each other. But I've heard stories."

"They're representatives of the sun, in some way," Zapf said. "And they are exceedingly powerful."

"Yeah, they say they have crazy luck, too," Vera said. "I heard a rumour that touchin' one's either the best or worst luck ever. But they get to choose? Nuts, right?"

"I heard they could dust a monster just by looking at 'em," Ixel said.

"I heard," a short, buff pigeon from the next table said, leaning over, "that they like to eat little human kids for breakfast!"

"Get outta here, Weepy Jon!" the cat snarled, giving him a solid whack on the noggin.

The pigeon looked rather offended before pulling back to his laughing companions. "That was _one_ time!"

Frisk put her cheek on her fist and looked thoughtful, drumming her fingers on the table. "This is a lot," she said.

"Hey, can I ask?" Ixel said. "What was up with that human?"

"No clue," Frisk said. "…From the junk he was saying, I think he wanted me to go somewhere with him. Which, um, I'm not doing, by the way."

"Is it true, though?" The panther dropped her voice down to a whisper. "Are you a wizard?"

"I w-wouldn't go that far," she said. "…It's red, though, yeah."

"Scorch me," Ixel breathed. She turned her wide, worried eyes on the skeletons.

Zapf reached across the table and put his hands on Frisk's. "He must've seen us at the gate. I'm sorry. I should have been paying more attention."

"So you can make it glow, then?" Ixel insisted. "And you don't…? You don't hate us?!"

"Of course I don't," Frisk said shrilly.

"She has a skeleton name that matches her soul," Vera said. "She might as well be one of us."

The panther smiled sideways. "A human with a skele-name, who runs from her own, huh? You do crimes or something?"

Frisk shook her head— which was a lie, but it'd do no good to explain her unrelated string of food thefts back before she'd gone to Mount Ebott. "No, it's just, almost every time I'm near humans, either I get attacked or I get treated like I'm… not a person. So." It had been the same with monsters at first, too, if she were honest, but they had more than made up for it in her eyes.

"And now they see you're a red one and suddenly people come calling, huh?" Ixel frowned. "That's a rough lot, cub."

"Less rough with some lunch." The massive bear joined them, plunking down a huge wooden tray of food before sitting in beside Zapf so heavily that it bounced him up into the air.

The panther laughed. She slid over to make room for the blue, tentacled monster as she joined them as well. She waved at Frisk and the kid smiled and waved back.

Frisk wasn't very hungry, but she tried a small bowl of soup to be polite and, to be fair, it was very good. She avoided a basket of buns they'd brought, however. None of the monsters were eating them, and one touch told her they weren't magic.

Vera was a chatterbox. She seemed to be aquatinted with the blue monster, Oolin, and was easily befriending Burr the bear, too, with her stories of the wilds outside the town. Zapf was quiet, though. Uncomfortable wasn't the right word, but he certainly looked like something was bothering him.

Frisk was stuck in her head. Worried about that tall skeleton across the table. Wondering about the Sun Temple. About home; about the world she'd left. About Sans. Asriel. Papyrus. Her parents. She gulped to fight the tightening in her throat. She wanted leave and run down the road again, but she stayed firmly put. Be patient, she told herself. Look what happened last time.

When they finished, Frisk paid for the meal as Ixel gave the street a thorough once-over for the masked man. She found nothing, and the two groups parted on cheerful terms.

It was raining large, cold droplets. The skeletons were cautious going up the hill towards the Sun Temple, though any of Frisk's nerves were more from anticipation. The structure there looked like a cottage, but with a very large, arched doorway and a round, stained glass window above the doors. At the peak of its tall roof, it had a crystal, a lot like the one Frisk had seen just a few hours before crowning the temple in Queen Undyne's castle.

There were no horses at the Temple, nor any other sign of activity. The front doors were shuttered and locked. Frisk knocked, but nobody came. She could open it herself, but bursting in the front didn't seem very smart. Another set of smaller doors around the back were also sealed shut. Someone had opened it that morning to sweep out some dirt, though— Frisk could see by touching it. The complexity of the lock didn't matter; the door was open with the faintest glimmer of red.

Inside was a simple store room. The instant Frisk crossed the threshold, her soul surged bright on its own. She jolted with surprise, but it did nothing more. Didn't feel particularly strange either. She looked back at the skeletons lurking behind her and shrugged.

"Maybe it's a safety precaution," Zapf suggested.

"Should we wait here? O-Or d'you want us t'follow along?" Vera asked, a nervous warble in her words.

"We will follow," Zapf said quietly.

"Right! Right, yeah, of course."

With the cousins behind her, Frisk snuck through the storeroom. She leaned her ear against the door and listened carefully. Vera crept up beside her and copied her curiously. With a very light touch, Frisk pushed the door open.

The chamber before them was wide and open, supported by wooden columns, but dark all around the outer rim. Statues of robed figures lurked there, cradling the sun and moon in their hands. Candles lit the inner ring and light beamed down into its centre from high above, even though outside was gloomy and dark. It set a simple pedestal below it glowing faintly.

"So, uh. Shortie. Y'know what you're lookin' for?" Vera asked.

"Some sorta sun stuff, I guess," she said. She peeked around at the statues and she felt a ping of déjà vu. They reminded her of sculptures she'd seen in Archwizard Alphys's library, and in a couple other places in the last world she'd been in. "Sorry, the vision didn't have much else in it."

The pedestal seemed like an obvious place to start but Frisk couldn't see over the top of it. Zapf carefully grabbed her under her arms and lifted her up high enough. The light glittered off a gold inlay that looked like a stylized design of the solar system, with a sun glowing gently white in the centre.

"Is this familiar to you?" Zapf asked.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure if it's helpful," she said. "Thanks though."

"Maybe… Maybe they have some artefacts or something, y'know? Something we could take a look at," Vera said. "Or a book? Like some Hymns or something."

"What's a Hymn?" Frisk asked.

"Temple spells," Zapf said. "_Inspiration _school, primarily. They're mostly for art, as far as I'm aware."

"Ooh. Do they have, like, a Sun Priest or something?" Frisk asked. "The last place I was at, their temple building had a big priest lady."

"I mean, they might?" Vera said.

"Maybe if we could find them, I could ask to borrow a—"

With a bang and a burst of light, a shrouded door across from the group was kicked in and a heroic trumpet of magic blasted through the room as a big monster in silver armour charged in. Frisk felt her soul connect and knew the battle was for her. Vera recoiled and Zapf clung to the kid, but she gestured for him to put her down.

"Intruders!" the guard bellowed. "How dare you trespass in this sunlit place!"

"Aaah, we didn't mean anything by it!" Vera shouted.

"I-I apologize, the back way was open and our curiosity got the better of us," Zapf said.

"You two… And you brought a human here. How foolish must you be?!" The guard leaned forward, peering down at Frisk with beaming yellow eyes. "You, human. What have you to say for yourself?!"

Frisk's heart pounded, but she could do little more than shrug weakly. "Um. Well. I-I'm sorry. But I was wondering if I could meet the Sun Priest?"

"WHAT?!" The guard's eyes blazed like flame. "You thought you could…!?"

A white-gloved hand gently touched on the guard's arm. He stalled and froze utterly as a robed figure slid up beside him. Both skeletons recoiled, bones flushed with colour. It was the same Divine Beast who had rode in on the horse earlier. Zapf quickly knelt and, stumbling, Vera did as well. The guard looked at the creature for a moment, and as quickly as it had started, his battle resonance faded away. He thumped his fist over his soul spot with a metal _clunk_ and then took a step back.

The Divine Beast crossed the room and stared down at Frisk. Its face was shrouded in a white scarf, except for a little bit of dark fur around its equally dark, shiny eyes. Frisk gulped. She cautiously raised a hand to greet the creature.

"Um, h-hi there, I'm Frisk," she said.

The Divine Beast knelt down and tilted its head. The kid smiled sheepishly as the guard gasped and knelt down as well. Despite this, the robed creature's focus was firmly on the kid.

"I'm sorry to sneak in. I'm really glad to meet you, though! I just, um…"

The creature tilted its head the other way.

"I had a weird vision of a red sun and I thought maybe I could find an answer here. I'm sorry if I caused any trouble."

The Divine Beast stared at her silently for a few moments. It smelled, somehow, familiar. It put a hand on her shoulder and the guard swooned and clunked to the floor. Frisk winced and Vera let out a sympathetic _oof. _The robed creature didn't seem to notice, and touched carefully on the kid's shining soul. It lifted her up as it stood and gently sat her on the pedestal. The guard was on his feet again, and the skeletons cautiously straightened up as well. They shared a confused, anxious look between them.

The Divine Beast rested both thumbs on the kid's forehead. A sparkle of light swirled around her, though it didn't feel like much at all. It nodded to itself. It clapped its hands together and the sound shot out more sharply than logic would dictate. The beam of light warmed Frisk' skin and made her blinks heavy. For a moment, her vision washed out white. Then, she was alone.

She turned in place and looked around, baffled. Her whole form glowed with the red of her soul. White light stretched out before her with nothing to break the disorienting uniformity of it.

"Oh great," she muttered. "Hello?" Her voice echoed to nowhere, but in its reply, she could have sworn she heard a note of magic. She took a deep breath and tried to think it through.

The glow probably meant this wasn't entirely real. Another vision maybe?

A whisper called to her without a voice. She whipped around and, to her shock, saw a stark, red orb floating in the air. Excitement jolted in her chest and she ran for it and reached out to grab in. The second she did, though, a shining face seared across her vision and she yelped and stumbled back, her heart an aching drumbeat against her ribs.

"Jeez!" she exclaimed shrilly. She took a deep breath and, though her pulse pounded in her ears, she touched the red orb again.

The apparition unveiled itself before her. Frisk froze. A skeleton, with bones glowing gold and eyes beaming light, a white mark like a sun gleaming on his forehead, and yet she'd know that face anywhere in the universe. He held the same red orb. Somehow, she was floating at his height.

"P-Papyrus?!" she yelped.

He blinked back at her. "Y-Yes?!" It sounded just like him. Every note of magic correct.

Frisk buckled and threw her arms around his shoulders, and he let out a surprised squeak. Carefully, he reached up to hold her and she whimpered, trying to hold back a wheezing sob.

"P-Papyrus…"

"Oh! Red little friend! What's…?! What's wrong?!" he asked.

"I m-miss youuu," she whined. "I'm a messss."

"Shhh, shh shh, I've got you," he said quietly. "It's alright, it's… Wait. Wait wait. Why can't I…?" He gasped. He held her back and cupped her face, eyes wide and bright. "L-Little sister?!"

Big, shiny tears rolled down her cheeks and she nodded. He, on the other hand, beamed and pressed his brow to hers.

"I knew it! I knew it was helpful! Nyeh heh! Oh, I'm so glad to see you, you don't even know! I mean, I guess I can't _really_ see you, but! It's close enough." He snuggled her warmly. "Oh, you poor thing. Please don't be upset. Why are you upset?"

"I wanna come home," she said quietly.

"Then please come home!" he said.

"I c-can't yet."

Papyrus looked puzzled, but he nodded. "Can I help you? I'd like to! I…" He perked up. He showed her the orb again. "This brought me here. It must be important, right? Maybe it can help you, too?"

Frisk sniffled. She reached out cautiously and touched it. It seeped a little of the red glow from her fingertips. Papyrus's eyes followed suit, beaming with the red colour of determination. Before the kid could ask a thing, the crimson pulse overwhelmed her and the grip of the skeleton melted away.

Everything was dark. Blurry. Voices were growling at each other. Thunder rumbled, shuddering the world above her.

"She's just a kid! Don't be a jerk!"

"A wizard can't be left just to roam!"

"She ain't roamin', she's with us!"

"And she hardly knew what a wizard was until we told her…"

"Hmph! You two are lucky you're still walking! And that nobody tried to claim her soul already. I swear, this foolishness…! And the danger—!"

"Hey, the DB seemed t'like her enough."

"Do not call them that, you rude little—!"

Frisk's vision settled back in, though so too did a headache. Vera was holding her upright, and the fire-eyed guard was grumbling before them. The Divine Beast held his arm again as Zapf stood between them and the kid. The armoured monster relented.

"You're lucky," he said again. "She's awake."

The skeletons instantly whirled on Frisk. Zapf dropped to one knee and put a warming hand against her head.

"Shortie, y'alright?" Vera asked.

"Y… Yeah," she said quietly. She looked at the Divine Beast. "I… I don't understand, I… Papyrus, is he okay?!"

The robed creature dipped its head, and then reached into its robe. It pulled out a book and handed it over, then waved and wandered away. The guard snorted and followed it.

Frisk looked at the book, confused. It was a tome of Hymns.

"Th-Thank you!" she called, though the Divine Beast and its guard were already gone. "…What the heck was that?"

"You're okay, yeah?" Vera asked.

Frisk nodded. "Y… Yeah."

"We should go," Zapf said quietly. "Quickly. Before the storm builds."


	43. Call me a wizard one more time I double dog dare ya

The clouds were a deep, roiling grey, and thunder boomed from the horizon, though the rain was just a light drizzle for now. On their way out of town, Frisk explained what she'd seen to her new friends. They could make about as much out of it as she could, which was not a lot. She couldn't make sense of how Papyrus had looked, but he seemed okay, at least. She wondered if that was due to whatever weird thing her father had mentioned. But could that really make his bones change colour and give him a weird tattoo on his face? She guessed anything could be possible. She also hoped she was right that it really was _her_ Papyrus. It had certainly felt like him. Also, though she didn't give voice to the thought, she was pretty proud of herself for not crying like a baby afterwards.

She was extra grateful that just the hint of Sans's foresight had returned to her— it let her skim the book she'd received as she walked without tripping over rocks in the road. Whatever the paper was made of didn't absorb water, so that was a bonus. The pages were filled with music; spells. They didn't have descriptions, though, and titles were in a language she couldn't understand. The pictures were nice, though. The design of orbital paths showed up an awful lot in there. Sometimes, the sun was inked in with bright red.

"This is kinda a lot, huh?" she mused.

"I was gonna say," Vera joked. "Honestly, though. I never seen so much weird stuff happen in a day, I don't think."

"Day's not over," Frisk said. "…Sorry. I-If anything else weird happens. I, uh… I kinda seem to bring it with me?" She looked up at the skeleton and couldn't help the apologetic furrow in her brow. "You guys are really great, honestly. If you, um, get sick of me—"

"Frisk, we are not sick of you," Zapf said.

"I still can't believe we got that close to a DB," Vera said. "And that it touched ya! What'd it feel like?"

"…A hand?" Frisk said blankly.

"Bah! That's so normal," the skeleton said. "Well. At least one thing sorta checked off on your clue list, right?"

"Well. I hope so. But I'm not really sure if this gets me closer to finding my brother or not."

"Show the book to the Boss," she suggested. "She's the smartest monster I ever met."

"She is a composer," Zapf said. "She can craft Dirges, even. If there's anything hidden in there, she's sure to find it."

"Are Dirges super tough?" Frisk asked.

"I think they're definitely some of the hardest," Vera said. "Some of them are so tough you need at least two Lords to cast 'em."

"Dang." Frisk carefully stashed her new book away. "I tried casting, um… Well, last night I guess? This morning? I dunno. Just, like, baby spells, but I couldn't do anything."

"It's rarely possible for humans, as far as I've seen," Zapf said.

"Oh." Frisk pouted. "So Dirges are out, huh?"

"I'd stay away from those most of the time, regardless," he said.

"Right. I have a book my dad had of them, actually, but I can't even really read it," she said. "It's in Creatlach. Well, and a skeleton script, but I got a sheet to match it, which, uh, I guess doesn't super help if I don't know the words."

"Your father must be very powerful," Zapf said quietly.

"He is, I think," Frisk said.

"Oh, hey, curious: your da from the west or the north?" Vera asked.

"Uh. I dunno," Frisk said.

"Does the first character of your name look like a star or a pointing hand?" Zapf asked.

"The hand," she said.

"West!" Vera said brightly. "Me too! Zapf's from the north, originally."

"Are we in one of those places now?" Frisk asked.

"Er. I mean, west, I guess?" Vera shrugged. "We're definitely headin' west. It's a big place, though. Y'really don't know, huh? Man, that Snowdin must be really far."

"Yeeeah, probably," Frisk said.

"What about your ma, she from the Capital?"

"I dunno, to be honest," Frisk said.

"How old are you, Frisk?" Zapf asked curiously.

"Ten-ish? Almost eleven."

"Damn," Vera said quietly, her eyes wide.

"I know, I'm, um, pretty small." He face flushed. "And I… maybe should know some of that stuff, but I—"

"Ah, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant," Zapf said quickly. "It's just… You're doing very well. For someone so young. And in a strange place. But. I'm glad we found you."

"Me too," she said brightly. "…Sorry again for running off. I just…" She sighed as the skeletons both looked at her with concern. "I'm used to just… having to make things happen on my own. And… A-And I, um…" She clung tight to her book. Her fingers were shaking. "This is really important to me. And if I, um, space out or anything, sorry. It's just… It's been a really long week."

The cousins looked at each other worriedly.

"You okay t'keep going?" Vera asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course," Frisk said.

"It's still a long walk," Zapf said.

"It's okay, I climbed a mountain on my own before," Frisk assured him. "I can deal with it."

\- - -

It took two hours before the rumbling thunder storm caught up with their little group. The skeletons didn't mind the downpour, but it was no good for the kid. It was a good thing, then, that Zapf's shield could double as an umbrella.

When the storm began to clear, the sunset encroached upon them. According to the skeletons, their Boss's place wasn't a great distance away, but at once was too far to reach before darkness settled in. Travelling at night was less than ideal. It was the prime time for a bandit attack, and they were usually humans, travelling in groups down the unlit, forest-sheltered roads. Humans liked to do dastardly deeds at night if they could, Zapf explained. Kept their bad actions out of the sun's view, or so they claimed.

Luckily, the road they traveled was not so out of the way that it went unused. The group hitched a ride on the back of a monster's cart under the now clear sky and the bright moon, until a crossroads where their paths diverged. There was a small, wooden house there. It had no door and a campfire crackling outside— a waypoint house, Vera explained. A place for travellers to spend the night. Since the roads had become more dangerous lately, they usually were left vacant, with people electing not to travel in the dark at all. Still, though, it was definitely better than nothing. The fire outside wasn't exactly safe, though. They put it out as a precaution.

There was a small family of rabbits already inside by a smouldering hearth, and they welcomed them warmly. If they noticed that Frisk was human, they didn't say anything about it. Their kids were younger than her— the spotty baby one insisted on flopping on her lap, which she honestly had no problem with.

Once again, Vera's stories entertained the group. Zapf, though, resumed looking a little grim and worried, staying quiet most of the night, with the exception of when they all shared food. Frisk doled out the last of her peanut butter and jam sandwiches from back home, which seemed to instantly become the taller skeleton's new favourite food.

Though Vera passed out and slept like a log— and the bunnies did, too— Frisk couldn't bring herself to. Her legs were a little sore and achey after everything, but a dab of Papyrus's turquoise potion definitely helped. Zapf also sat up, tending the fire with that same melancholy expression. Everything was crazy, wasn't it? She'd probably be the one sleeping for a week when she and Asriel got home.

After trying to read Hymns in the dark for a little while longer, figuring out melodies in her head, Frisk got up from between Vera and bunnies and quietly slipped over to join Zapf. He shot her a small smile, though his spiky brow was furrowed with puzzlement.

"I thought you were asleep," he said quietly.

She shook her head. "Kinda been having trouble with that."

"…You're too anxious," he said.

She nodded. "You, too?"

"Don't worry," he said quietly.

"Zapf, c'mon," she said. "Something's been bothering you since lunch."

"Oh. You… noticed, did you?"

"That's what I do, I notice stuff." She smiled sideways. "…It's not me, is it?"

"Well… In a sense. It's what that human said," he said. "It concerns me." He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry. If I had realized there was one of them nearby, I would have hidden your glow."

"Wasn't your fault," she assured him.

"Normally I… have a little foresight when it comes to danger," he said. "I… I'm fairly perceptive, I mean." He frowned. "Do you know why he was so fixated on you?"

"Some wizard garbage, sounded like," she said, hugging her knees.

He nodded. "I heard… rumours. It may not be true. Us monsters, we live fairly separate from humans. I know almost nothing about their systems or politics, anything like that. But I have heard that all wizards work for their human King. Even children. So, that may have been his motive."

Frisk gulped. "G-Great, am I on a kidnap list now?"

"I'm sorry."

"It's… It's fine," she said. "That's… scary. But I'll be okay. Guess it's not the first time."

Zapf grimaced. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Frisk…"

"Oh! I mean, it's okay! It's fine. We dealt with it." She flinched. "Asriel was there, though, he was really helpful."

"You miss him. I'm sorry."

"I… I'm gonna find him," she said. "I think that's what part of this is for. Gotta be. Right?"

The big skeleton frowned, his expression drooping in a boney version of a pout. "I wish I had answers for you."

"I know, sorry." She laughed. "Guess I'm just thinkin' out loud."

The kid stretched. She settled in to watch the flames. The warm light looked pretty dramatic cast over the bones of the cautious skeleton. She snapped a photo of him and then scooted closer to show him. His face flushed and he chuckled.

"I do look rather worried, don't I?" He rolled his shoulders, popping his spine. "Well. We're close to the Boss's place. It should be safe there. Once the sun rises, we can be on our way again. I don't think it'll take more than an hour."

"I'm kinda excited," Frisk said. "What kinda monster is the Boss?"

"A skeleton, like us," he said. "She's a Lord. One of the last of the skeleton Lords. She's always been very keen on humans and monsters being friends, so I imagine you'll get on very well. She's also very kind. She's been good to Vera and I." He shot her a reassuring smile. "I don't think it will be any trouble at all to get her to help you on your quest. She may even be able to help you with your magic as well, if you ask."

Frisk smiled. "That'd be nice." She tapped her fingertips together. "I hope somehow I can make it worth it for you guys."

"…The peanut butter was already worth it," he said quietly.

Frisk snorted and grinned wide. The big skeleton snickered. He patted her on the head.

"In all seriousness, meeting a human like you, with your red soul, and yet you're… kind. That's worth it for me," he said.

The kid nodded sheepishly. She was glad, but she wished it didn't have to be like that.

\- - -

Frisk didn't sleep, but she closed her eyes and let herself rest for a while. She had offered to trade places with Zapf, but he wasn't having it.

She tried to realign her brain with this new place, but was sure she'd get some stuff confused with the last one when she returned. She hoped that grey skeleton had been right when he'd said time wasn't passing much over there. She hadn't expected Pidge to be such a reassuring presence but now she missed her a lot. She even missed the other Papyrus and Sans. She hoped she wasn't making them worry.

"Frisk?" Zapf asked quietly.

"Yeah?" She blinked and rubbed her eyes. "What's up?"

"Ah. Sorry. Did I wake you?"

She shook her head. "Just resting."

"…You didn't hear anything just now, did you?" he asked.

"No, not really."

He frowned to himself. "Probably nothing," he muttered.

"I'll keep an ear out," she said.

He nodded, but he got to his feet, slowly and quietly pacing the room.

Frisk watched him for a moment before turning to her phone. She brought up her message chain with Papyrus. No reply. She hadn't expected one. She hadn't opened Sans's since he'd fainted. The last thing they'd texted about was the CORE. Must've been when he'd found Gaster. She sighed. She left him a heart before going back to their brother.

_Soooo I kinda ended up in a totally different world again_

She grimaced. She quickly added an asterisk and a _we _to correct herself. She hated to lie, but she hated to worry him even more— on the off-chance he'd even get her messages. And how could Frisk ever have her mom know that she'd lost her son again?

_Its pretty nuts. I'm super sure its the past of somewhere but i dunno where_

_I mean i guess it wouldnt be the past to them lol just to me_

_I told you about that grey skeleton that looks like sans right? he sent us_

_I still have no clue what his deal is but he feels kinda like hes a safe guy? I dunno_

_Hey if you get this can you tell mom we're ok? we miss her! <3_

_and dad too! <3_

_I saw somethin really weird tho, i dunno if it was real? actually i saw a bunch of weird stuff_

_dad tried to contac me right? is he okay? he looked like goo_

_he better not be goo again like for real or im gonna kick his butt_

_also i think i saw you? was it you? if it was, dude you were so bright! what was that mark on your head? it was kinda cool tho_

_you dont even know how good it was to see you even if it just was a weird vision dream or somethin_

She sighed quietly. She really didn't like feeling so confused, but she was getting pretty used to it anyway. Zapf settled back down near the hearth, but he looked a lot more alert than before. Frisk tapped her thumb on her screen absently for a few seconds. It was still keeping time somehow. Three in the morning.

_lol i dont know why im asking i really dont even expect you to get this_

_but i guess it kinda helps me to think that you will <3_

_nyway i met more skeletons again_

_theyre way more helpful then i disserve lol_

_they said theyre gonna take me to their boss who knows a bunch of cool magic stuff_

_she's one of the last skeleton lords they said_

_I wonder if she knows our gr_

Frisk froze. Her ears got hot and her throat went dry. She quickly deleted that last message and said a quick goodbye with a bunch of hearts. It might be nothing. It might not be the right world or time. But, those blue flowers caught in her mind and she couldn't help her imagination from racing away with her. In fact, thinking back on it, there was a certain tapestry— one that showed three distinct skeletons in its centre. Two of which were a tall one with horns, a spear and shield, and another, shorter one with horns as well. Frisk's heart thunked hard in her chest.

"H-Hey, um, Zapf?" She turned to the skeleton with a question on her tongue, but his stiff, glowing-eyed expression gave her pause. "What's wrong?"

He got to his feet quickly. "We should go."

Frisk was confused, but she nodded. "O-Okay." She stood on sore legs, only to freeze with shock at the sound of a _whoosh_ and dull thunk on the floor.

A glob of fire danced where it should never have been. A second arrow tipped with flame sailed in through the open doorway and plunged into the wall. Zapf yanked it out and stomped it down, and Frisk rushed for the first and set her magic aglow. She pulled the hot arrow out and reversed the embers on its bundled tip until it was dull. The scent of smoke was already in the air, and Zapf rushed to wake the others. Frisk cautiously peeked out the nearest window. She couldn't see much, but pinpricks of flame lit up a cloaked form. Wasn't monsters, there was no way.

"Bandits, yeah? A-Are they tryin' t'kill us or smoke us out?" Vera was up, eyes glowing as she helped the groggy, confused rabbits to their feet. "Man, we ain't even good marks!"

"What do we do?!" the mother rabbit squeaked.

"We're definitely surrounded," Zapf said. "…I could—"

"No, no way, if anyone goes out, it's me," Frisk said.

"But you're just a kid!" Vera barked.

"And you guys can't take that many hits!"

"If it's an arrow, it won't matter either way," Zapf said hurriedly.

Frisk sighed. Her mind raced for a plan. Didn't know how many guys. Didn't know the area. Didn't know what would happen if she got killed in this place. Wasn't sure what they wanted, except maybe an easy target. "G-Get out. Through the window." She pulled out Papyrus's orange potion and took a swig before capping it and tossing it to the mother rabbit. "Take this. Speed potion. It's really strong so be careful. I'm gonna go out and I'm gonna yell; you guys make a run for it."

"Wait, what?!" Vera barked.

"I'll meet you somewhere! U-Up the road or something!"

"But little one—!" the rabbit yelped.

There was no time. Frisk booked it out the door. The moonlight was enough that the world looked blue and she could at least tell where she was going. Road all around, grass beyond; and then forest just a few dozen meters away. She brought a red glow to her hand and stuck it in the air before shoving two fingers into her mouth and whistling as loud as she could. She heard the voices of adults and she sprinted for the trees as fast as the potion would take her.

"OH NO I'M TOTALLY ON MY OWN, WHAT AM I GONNA DO!?" she shouted. "AAAAH, I'M SUPER SCARED AND DON'T KNOW WHERE I AM!"

Her boots skidded in the mud and rocketed her beyond the tree line, where she stumbled and bonked into a tree trunk. She hurriedly regained her footing and dodged around it, shouting pathetic nonsense and delving into the shadows of foliage. Her speed tripped her up again, her momentum combined with a toe stuck for just a second too long on a tree root sending her summersaulting down an incline through bracken and bushes.

She whined and grumbled to herself, nursing an aching head. The bandages on her left arm had torn. The red band on her wrist was showing too brightly. She tried to breathe slow so she could listen. It took a moment to hear through her heartbeat. Boots. Men's voices. At least they'd followed. She dimmed the glow she could control and hunkered down as far as she could into the dirt and branches, folding her red arm under her chest. She was small, she told herself. It was still dark out. As long as she wasn't shining, she shouldn't be found. This wasn't the first time she'd had to vanish from adults chasing her. Plus, there was often a lot less cover in the human cities. A forest in the dark like this was a breeze compared to that.

She concentrated on her breathing. In and out. Keep it steady. Keep it low. Don't move. Don't peek. Feel the earth and listen.

She could feel creepy crawlies walking on her. A spider almost as big as her hand crept up onto the back of it. She hoped it wouldn't bite her. It looked back at her and raised a little arm to its mandibles. She hoped she wasn't imagining it and nodded very slightly. Its eight eyes glimmered and it crept away around her. She did her best not to move.

What felt like forever probably wasn't more than five minutes. The feel of footsteps faded, and she couldn't hear any clunking about in the underbrush anymore. By the time Frisk sat up, that large spider had replaced the rip in her bandage with silk webbing. It held out a little claw and Frisk snorted in amusement. She gladly gave it a gold coin.

"Good hustle," she said quietly.

The spider saluted and then disappeared back into the bush.

Without the orange potion, it took the kid some time to trek back the way she'd come. Her legs— and most of the rest of her— hurt even more now, but she'd deal with it when she was safe.

The cabin was soon plainly visible, even through the shadows of the woods. It was burning up like a bonfire. Squinting between the trunks, Frisk thought she could see some larger forms near it. She gulped and stashed herself behind a tree, but then used her phone's camera to zoom in on the scene. One figure was a raggedy man in a cloak. He looked familiar. She frowned and a horrible, sickening anger roiled inside her. It was the same creep from back in town. The other was some guy in armour and a bucket-shaped helmet.

Frisk's heart sunk and she gulped. She couldn't bear to think that everyone hadn't gotten out. She'd never reversed a monster from a pile of dust before, but there was no way she wasn't going to give it a shot if something had gone wrong.

A crack in the branches startled her. Her eyes darted around. Just the wind. She gripped her fingers into the bark of the nearest tree and tried to steady herself. Couldn't stay here. If the humans were searching, at least some of them would probably return the same way.

Lurking back from the tree line, she stayed quiet and kept moving, prowling like a cat through low bushes and ferns. She checked the sky far above— the constellations she saw looked familiar, much to her relief. A bright star glowing for north was easy to see, and just a bit farther, Frisk found a band of three stars together— an easy way to find west.

The forest was a bit disorienting. But, with her focus shifting between the stars, the distant, ever-shrinking road, and where to put her feet, Frisk wasn't making bad time. Nausea was her main concern, but even that abated when she picked out a familiar turquoise-green glow in the trees alongside the now narrow dirt road that barely cut the forest.

Spurred on, Frisk rushed through the foliage and almost bumped smack into Vera before grasping her tight in a hug.

"Sh-Shortie?!" Vera lifted her up off her feet and crushed her close. "Ooooh my stars, never ever ever ever ever do that again, okay?!"

"No promises," Frisk said apologetically. "Did everyone get out?"

"Y-Yeah! Yeah. It's fine. Everything's fine. That drink really helped, especially with those bunbuns. We gottem on their way," she said quickly. "Do y'know what happened?"

"Humans," she said grimly. "I saw the one from town with them."

Vera's expression of incredulity quickly shifted to an angry grimace. She was instantly rambling and cursing in Creatlach, shaking her head quickly and angrily, her magic flaring around her shoulders.

"Calm down, cousin." Zapf emerged from behind a tree, his eyes glowing a distressed pink, but a weak smile lit his face. "That was smart. And also foolish. And so dangerous. Are you hurt?"

Frisk shook her head. Both skeletons breathed a sigh of relief. Zapf blinked, trying to dull his glow, and he nodded his head back the way he'd come.

"I doubt that's the last of them. They must be bounty hunters. We'll stay off the road for now."

"R-Right!" Vera hurried to follow him, still clutching Frisk tight.

"You c-can put me down if you want," the kid said.

"Nope! Not until we're safer!" she insisted.

The skeletons picked up the pace. Zapf strode ahead, pulling branches out of the way for them.

"Not much farther." His voice was strained. "Once we get to the wall, we should be alright."

"These guys are crazy," Vera grumbled.

"B-But what if they don't stop?" Frisk asked shrilly. Her stomach flipped and her mind began to race. What if she were pulled away? Yanked off to some human kingdom? What about them? What about Asriel? What about home? "H-He… He followed…" Her voice cracked. It was hard to breathe. She clung to Vera with shaking fingers and her vision started to get grey and snowy around the edges. "H-He…"

"Whoa, shortie, relax, it's okay," Vera assured her, wide-eyed. "I got you, okay?"

"No, no no no, he wanted t-to take me, he— I can't…" Her throat tightened. She was dizzy. "I'm g-gonna get you k-killed. They're g-gonna try to—"

"Shhh, shh." Vera hugged her close. "It's okay! It's okay, we'll be fine!"

"I-I can't…! I can't, I can't go, I c-can't l-l-let them—!" She couldn't breathe. "I-It's m-my f… fault. It's m-my…! My…!" She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to hide her face against the skeleton. "I'm g-g-gonna faint, I'm gonna… I'm g-gonna… I can't…"

Something was coming. Blue screamed through her. She could still hardly see. "L-Left!"

"Huh?!" Vera barked.

Zapf grabbed them both and yanked them out of the way as an arrow plunged into the tree beside them. With her arm seized tight, he ran, dragging his cousin through whipping branches. More arrows whizzed behind them and dark shapes pursued in a single-file line from the narrow road, gaining too quickly for comfort.

"A-Are they on horses?!" Vera barked. "Man, that ain't fair!"

"H-H-Horses?!" Frisk croaked.

"Well! Since they already know we're here…!" Vera turned slightly and her eyes flashed. She raised a bone wall behind them, then another and another, spearing up out of bushes and between roots. She shoved Frisk into her cousin's arms and grabbed them before setting the ground to erupt with wide bones beneath their feet, surging forward like a wave and shooting them through the forest as her barriers behind them scattered into glittering dust.

Frisk panted, clinging tight to Zapf. She was so dizzy. She felt like she didn't even have a hold of her own body. Every breath she took felt shallow and useless, and every inch of her ached. Her skin hurt from shaking. She blacked out for just a second before snapping back in a confused, panic-stricken haze.

The big skeleton was going fast. Dark trunks shot by in a blur. The were rushing deeper into the woods. His four-fingered hand cradled her head and his magic reached into her brain and tried to soothe it despite his own obvious distress. A little air registered in her lungs. Her eyes began to focus again, but she saw arrows that weren't there, blazing a sharp trail as if on a string of light. Then, there it was— she reached out a hand and grabbed it in red; reversed it to its origin as quickly as it had arrived. Over her heartbeat, she heard a brittle wooden crack and a man's voice swear as the blunt end probably knocked back into him. She could still see the shapes gaining. Why were they still gaining?

She blinked. The footsteps sounded heavier. The gliding of magic shocked her mind. She looked around, trying to figure out where they were.

They stumbled into a small, grassing clearing, and Vera raised bones around behind them like a wall. They were shattered by a thrown javelin that hit the skeleton and knocked her clear off her feet.

"Vera!" Zapf raced to her and put Frisk down as he bent to help her.

She grimaced and huffed, looking sweaty as she sat up, but not significantly worse for wear. "Damn, they were ready." She winked and grinned weakly. "I'm alright. Armour took it."

Zapf grabbed the short spear and drove its point into the dirt. He stood up straight and took out his weapon and shield. The kid followed his gaze. Her heart dropped. She could see the men. Could start to see their features, even if only by bright moonlight.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" Frisk yelped.

Zapf looked over his shoulder and nodded at his cousin. "Take her. I'll stay."

"What, no!" Frisk shrieked. "Don't be crazy, they'll kill you!"

"Take her to the Boss," Zapf said to Vera. "…We will do our duty."

"What duty?! What's he saying?!" Frisk looked at Vera with sharp, frantic eyes.

The other skeleton's cheeks were flushed and her eyes were glowing. "This isn't fair. W-We're supposed t'stay together."

"I know. Sorry." His eyes glowed brightly and an aura of pink glittered over his bones. "It was good to meet you, Frisk."

Vera grimaced, but she nodded. "Love you."

"Love you, too," he said.

Vera seized Frisk tightly by the arm and yanked her away, running as fast as she could into the woods.

"Wait! Vera, no, we c-can't!" she yelled. She stumbled over roots and bushes; tried to dig her heels in but to no avail. "We gotta go back! Zapf! Don't! Come with us!

"I'm sorry," the skeleton said. She whisked bones up under them and hurled them ahead through the woods.

Frisk yelped and clung to her as they rocketed between the trees as if surfing on magic. She couldn't focus. This couldn't be happening.

"Are you on a tapestry?!" she demanded.

"What?!" Vera barked. "No?!"

Frisk grabbed her arm and tackled her, and the two were sent sprawling to the bumpy, root-laced ground. Vera whined and heaved herself up, rubbing her spine. Frisk jumped to her feet.

"Shortie, no, c'mon, we gotta—!"

"NO!" Frisk yelled. "You skeletons are so ready to d-die over…?! No! You're…! If you're not on a tapestry, you're definitely not supposed to die yet!"

"What?! I don't… I gotta get you t'the Boss!" Vera said. "I'm not lettin' them grab you and sell y'off t'their damn King! We can't let 'em get another red, don't y'get it?!"

"Of course I get it! But I'm not letting something happen to him because of me!" She turned to run and the skeleton reached out and snagged her by the leg.

"Kid, no, it'll be for nothing!" she said.

"I-It's already for nothing!" Frisk said shrilly. "If I weren't here, they wouldn't have kept coming!"

Vera grimaced; didn't know what to say. The kid yanked her leg out of her grasp.

"I'm going after him," she said. She took off running. She heard Vera call to her but she had to ignore her.

Her heart beat hard in her ears. There was no way, not in a million years, that she was letting this happen. Couldn't.

Back in the break in the trees, she found Zapf's moon shield discarded, glittering in the grass, along with the now broken javelin and a few cracked bows. Her heart sunk and she rushed to touch the metal. She saw a flash of before— of the shield being wrenched away from him as humans overwhelmed him. She gasped for breath and followed the direction he'd been pulled. No dust in the grass, but blades torn up. She hefted his shield up over her shoulder and quickly skimmed the area. She knew better than to call out. She listened intently instead.

Wind knocked the tree branches, clicking like bones against each other. Water blurbed somewhere not too far from her. The faintness of Vera's voice called to her through the woods. She thought she heard another voice, though. Male. A dull, metallic thump. She perked up and dared to hope, and ran in that direction as fast as she could.

A small river cut through the woods, rimmed by shallow dirt embankments and slick, water-worn stone. Dark figures gathered at the water's edge. Frisk stuck to the trees and crept up to watch.

It was the group of humans. Bounty hunters, Zapf had said. Six of them. Three standing guard and three more looming over Zapf. He was jammed into the stones with the cloaked man from the town standing with a foot on his neck and an armoured spearman crushing his arm. One of his horns was broken and oozed a glittering pink magic. The biggest human in the fanciest armour kicked the skeleton hard in the ribs. Frisk flinched.

"Who is she?! Where did you take her from?!" he demanded.

"Didn't," Zapf grunted.

The cloaked man spit on him. The one on his arm stomped down. Zapf exhaled sharply but gave nothing more. The biggest human dropped to one knee and grabbed the skeleton by his intact horn.

"Listen, monster, and listen well," he said. "That child is ours. Your scrawny _friend_ isn't going to get far. You thought you could keep a red away from us? It'll go to the King, like all the others, and one by one they're gonna rip your kind to shreds." He grinned though his expression resembled disgust more than mirth. "Things like you aren't worthy of even touchin' us. You're dirt. You're made of filth. And I'm gonna wash you off my hands in the river like you never even existed."

Frisk gritted her teeth. Her soul flaring bright and her eyes stinging with tears, she rushed from her hiding spot and held out her hands. She clung desperately, freezing the man in place. It hurt. She could feel his anger and hot hatred echoing back.

"You stop right now!" she yelled, her panicked voice cutting the air. "Don't touch him! What the heck is wrong with you?!" She rewound the man and he stumbled back, then tripped and fell, unable to keep his balance when she released him.

"What the in the hell was that?!" he spluttered.

All eyes were on Frisk. She suddenly felt tiny and her throat tightened as a cold sweat hit her. The guy in the bucket helm pulled out his blade and took a step, but she shot him back, too, forcing his sword away. He struggled to pull it out again but his arm locked in place.

"Chief, I-I can't—"

"That's the wizard," the heavy one said. "Must be."

"I told you, that's the girl from Grotto," the cloaked man said.

"Shut up!" The man in the fancy armour scrambled upright and stared her down. "What did you do, kid?!"

"That's no child, that's some demon in human skin," the one in black snarled.

"All the better," the fancy-armoured man said. "Take 'em. Alive."

"Run," Zapf croaked, only to get hit in the face with the butt of the spear.

Frisk yelped and jumped back; counted six men. Three were headed for her: a heavyset guy, the man in black, and the one in the bucket helm, pulling the sword from his waist. The cloaked man had eased up on Zapf and pulled a long knife out of his belt. He circled around wide. Her high ground wouldn't last long.

Fifteen blue warnings in her head left her little option. She ran straight at the black-clad man who was first to put his leg up the incline and shoved her shoulder against him as he bent to snatch her up. That small force was enough to upset his balance and send the two of them tumbling down onto the river stones. She scrambled away, nimbly sidestepping his hand as it groped for her leg. She grabbed him in red and flung him back up the hill, knocking over the heavyset bandit that was closest to catching up with them, too.

Her heart pounded hard in her ears. She felt sick from the effort. It was already too much. Three on their feet, the armoured one and one with a spear still on Zapf. The cloaked man in the corner of her eye. Bucket helm running at her. Footing was bad. She grasped the shield tight. She'd fought a grown man on a riverbank before and it had not gone well. That was a long time ago, though.

The second that helmeted man swung for her, she spun him backwards, frozen in place, and sidestepped out of the way as she tossed the shield up and locked it, too, releasing only to allow his momentum to run him face-first into the metal. He stumbled and staggered into the river, and was swept off his feet. The spearman and the leader of the bandits looked at each other as their companions struggled to right themselves. Frisk was sweating. Her pulse thudded in her temples.

"Get away from him," she said.

"How are you doing that?" the armoured bandit pressed. "You're already a wizard, aren't you? Strong 'un, too, for someone so young."

"I said _get away from him_." She frowned defiantly, assuming a cautious, braced stance. "I'm not asking again. Please. I-I don't wanna fight, but you have to stop hurting him."

They laughed. Frisk felt nauseous. A red-hot anger flared in her chest.

"You think this is funny?!" she asked incredulously.

"Look, I'm not afraid of some child throwing a tantrum," the armoured man said, "Wizard or not."

Behind him, the spearman dragged Zapf up by his horn. It was clear from the way the skeleton's sleeve and gauntlet hung that his left arm was gone, and his face was laced with uncomfortable cracks. He still wasn't resisting. He looked at her pleadingly, his eyes quickly darting to the side. He still wanted her to flee. She was revolted by the thought.

"You're really crying over this thing?" the spearman asked.

The clear leader of the humans extended his hand to her. "You're a wizard. Have t'be. I don't know what they've told you. Or what they did to you. But if you come back to the capital with us—"

Frisk took a deep breath. "Get off my friend. Tell him to get the hell off my friend."

"They broke 'em," the spearman said. "Just grab 'em."

Disgusted wasn't a strong enough for what she felt. Red burned under the kid's skin. She tilted her head and her irises flared, darting around as the men she'd chucked up the hill finally began to get back down. She could hear footsteps behind her splashing slowly in the swift river. The armoured bandit took a step towards her and she raced to figure out her next move.

Another blue warning. She moved, but wasn't quick enough as a hand from behind clamped around her arm and yanked her off her feet, the cloaked man's dagger at her throat. Red overcame her and she shrieked, the determination beaming from her in a scorching torrent. The humans around her bent and buckled, bodies cranking backwards with jerky, uncomfortable movements. Her mind flashed through their histories so quickly she went numb, barely able to process it, save for a couple fragments. One had broken an ankle last year. Another had only recovered from stab wounds because he'd stolen the healing potion off the belt of a badger monster trying to help him, before he dusted her. They'd all had food poisoning at an inn a few days prior.

The world shimmered and cracked as if lightning had seared the air before them. The humans collapsed, retching and choking with acute nausea. Zapf stumbled away from the spearman as he toppled and threw up. The skeleton weakly reached out his hand for her. She was frozen in horror where she dropped on the ground. She looked at the hot magic flaming from her palms. A wizard? No, a nightmare.

"F-Frisk," Zapf croaked.

Her eyes, sharp, bright red, flicked up to him. He looked insistent. She snatched his shield and grabbed his hand, and they clambered up over the rough embankment together.

A glimmer of red sparkling like tinted glass stained the air just a few feet away. As soon as they crossed it, the world snapped again. Behind them, the humans began to recover, though some were still dry-heaving.

Zapf bent down and scooped her up in his remaining arm and he ran as fast as he could. He caught sight of a dip in the land— a small ravine, and dove into a bush down there. He laid flat amongst the bracken while shielding the kid under him, furling his mantle out over them as best he could. He tilted his head to keep his one remaining horn low.

Frisk looked up into his cracked face and flickering pink eyes and couldn't help the sob the escaped her. She hurriedly covered her mouth and tried to quiet herself.

"It's alright. It's alright," he told her gently.

They stayed still for a long while. The clinking of armour— the coughing and swearing— came and went, but did not return. Zapf kept still and quiet for a while. When he finally sat up, he looked around curiously, eyes flickering.

"…We're safe," he said quietly. "Frisk, I—"

The kid threw herself at him, hugging him tight. He sighed and held her.

"You should have run," he said softly. "…But thank you for staying."

"Shut up, of course," she said with a weak laugh. Her soul flared red again. "H-Hang on. D-Don't move much, okay? I can f-fix you, it's just gonna feel weird."

"Oh, Frisk, it's alright, I…" He went quiet as her magic seeped through his body, warming him but fully locking him in place.

This, at least, she'd done enough now— fixing the fallen or injured back home— that it wasn't trouble. The number of wounds didn't matter. She turned him back just a few minutes. With a glimmer of red and the sparkle of magic along his bones, Zapf's arm had appeared, his cracks had vanished, and his horn had fully returned. He fell out of her stasis and blinked at the tearful kid blankly. Cautiously, he looked at his regained hand, and then reached up to touch his horn.

"O-Oh. I… I may faint," he said sheepishly.

"D-Don't you dare, I can't carry you," she said.

"How did you…?" He huffed out a rough laugh and rubbed her head. "Later. We… We should find Vera."

"Yeah." She was shaking. She carefully gave him back his shield. "L-Let's go, I never wanna see those guys again."

The large skeleton helped her out of the bushes and picked her up again as they began to travel, keeping alert for any sign of life.

"How is it that you defeated them like that?" he asked. "I was so worried about you."

"I… I'm… I dunno how it happened," she said, her stomach knotting. "I… I panicked." She gulped heavily. "I d-didn't mean to, I was just so mad and I f-freaked out and I—"

"Frisk." He cut her off with a solid, long stare. "I know. It scares you. But. I am very grateful for what you did. It was a good idea."

"O-Okay," she squeaked.

He cracked a smile. "It is alright to be a nightmare for your enemies."

She blinked. He really could read minds a little, couldn't he? "I don't wanna have enemies."

"I know. But there are times when you may be ineffably at odds with someone," he said. "It's admirable. To want to avoid battle. But when he grabbed you… You did the right thing. You have to protect yourself if no one else can."

Frisk gulped. Zapf's words reminded her of her of what Sans from the other world had said to her: _some creep picks you up and you kick and bite and yell as much as you have to. _She guessed that could include bursts of magic, sometimes, too. She'd been more used to that kind of thing before the mountain. Now, she abhorred it.

"I n-never want to hurt anyone," she said quickly. "Never. I just wanted t-to stop them."

"You did. They weren't injured when we left, did you see?" He smiled sideways. "Though maybe we could have done with at least some sprained ankles."

"I have to be more careful," she said quietly.

"You can practice being more careful when you are not about to be abducted, Frisk."

Her heart was still pounding and she certainly didn't feel good, but she nodded. The big skeleton smiled at her fondly.

"And. Thank you. For saving my life," he said.

"It was my fault they even chased us to begin with," she grumbled. "And don't say it's not true."

"You're right." He smiled sideways. "But. That is still their fault, not yours."

They moved carefully and quietly and after just a couple minutes, they came upon the clearing where Zapf had been overwhelmed. He gently put Frisk down and she tried to feel steady in the grass. She wiped her eyes. The red in her irises dulled, but still left the brown of her eyes tinted warmer.

"We should wait here, if we can," Zapf said.

"Huh? Really?" Frisk said.

He beckoned to her and she joined him where he knelt. He pointed out a symbol like a star with the lower point extending longer than the others carved in the dirt.

"The first symbol of Vera's name," he explained. "She was here. She'll come back to this spot after a little while." He stuck a finger up to emphasize a point and said, "If you are ever lost, Frisk, it is often best not to move. Let the searcher come to you."

It was sort of funny to her to hear him say that. Sans from first place they'd gone to had told her the same thing. She wondered if skeletons often got lost.

She took a few moments to catch her breath. Zapf called up his spear and slung it over his back.

"Do they… always talk to you guys like that?" she asked.

"Like what?" he wondered.

"Calling you… filth. And dirt," she said quietly. "…Saying stuff about how they don't even want your dust to be found?"

"People don't necessarily say the nicest things to those they're trying to kill, right?"

"Zapf."

He sighed. "Well. I'm glad where you've come from, you don't know these things. They've called us the dirtpeople. Filthmade. Unworthy of the sun. For as long as I can remember. The idea of fully erasing us seems very appealing to many of them. I… don't think it was always like that. But it's been like that for a long time, now."

Frisk again felt a roiling anger that she didn't like. She took a deep breath. She couldn't stop her mind from wandering into Sans's memories. How helpless he was to prevent Papyrus's murder out in the snow at the hands of abhorrent anomalies. How most of the time their brother's dust was lost amongst the glittering snow, unrecoverable. She almost choked.

"That's messed up," she said in a small voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," he said.

She shook her head. "And… And what's a demon?"

"It's… Ah. It's complicated."

"Please," she said.

He winced. "They sometimes call monsters who have killed humans that. A cursed creature. It's a death-mark. But, to call another human that… To them, it means a heretic. A human possessed by a monster's soul. The most horrible creature they can think of."

Frisk frowned to herself. "I dunno if that makes sense to me."

Zapf took a moment to think about it. "Like… a traitor. On a very deep level. And being a wizard makes it all the worse."

"How can I be a traitor if I was never on their side?" she asked incredulously.

"They believe sides are decided when you're born." He sat in the grass with her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Not really," she said.

"I… I'm sure you're not the first," he said. "I mean, not the first to not be alright. Not the first to… be a wizard and not… I mean, we've just never hear of a wizard that wasn't… Ah. I'm sorry, I'm babbling, aren't I?"

"I don't wanna be a wizard," she grumbled.

He rubbed her back with a consoling hand.

She perked to the sound of steps in the trees and quickly jumped to her feet. Was too big and heavy to be Vera.

Zapf stood and drew back to gain a bit of space. He pulled his spear and shield, putting a leg in front of Frisk as the human man in the bucket helm staggered out of the foliage. He hadn't noticed them for a moment, but when he did, he jerked back and yanked his sword from its sheath, but there was a shiver in his fingers and his gauntlets clattered.

"Just move along," Zapf said.

"Where's that child?" the man asked.

The skeleton frowned and gritted his teeth. His soul pulsed and an energy in yellow shone from the human. He snorted and stretched out his arm. Zapf stomped the butt of his spear into the dirt and an aura of pink glittered up around him, shimmering a crackle of sparks across his bones. The man rushed Zapf and the skeleton shoved Frisk back as he pushed his shield forward to deflect. The blade bounced and the human struck again, piercing Zapf's tunic through his side but hitting nothing. A flash in the skeleton's eyes set a torrent of white bone projectiles erupting from the ground like a seismic wave. The man was forced to give them space, juking out of the way.

Zapf raised his spear and swung it in an arc. Purple shimmered off the tip and shot out in a crescent. It struck the human hard and thunked him to the ground with a band of sealing magic around his waist. He grappled with it but was stuck sitting where he fell.

"I offer you mercy," Zapf said.

"Piss off, bonemeal," the bandit snarled.

"Oh my god shut up!" Frisk yelled. She stormed out into the battlefield between jutting bones.

"Ah. Frisk you shouldn't… interrupt a battle," Zapf said sheepishly.

"I don't care! They didn't care when it was six on one!" She glared at the bucket helmed man. "Take your _mercy_ and go! Just leave us alone! Nobody wants to deal with this crap today, alright?!"

The man froze. "Wh—?"

"They don't even have anything that valuable on them; there's nothing worth stealing! And I'm never going with you in a million years! So just take the mercy and leave! Go back to your dumb bounty hunter bandit cave or wherever the heck you idiots live and stop jumping people and burning stuff down!"

"B-Bounty hunter?!" the man repeated incredulously. "Boy, I'm not a bounty hunter!"

"Wh…?!" Frisk's confusion was overrode by her anger. "Then stop acting like one!"

"Also, she is not a boy," Zapf interjected quietly.

"I'm not a bounty hunter," he grunted again. He pulled his helmet off to reveal the sodden, unusually pale face of a young man, nose bloody and crooked. His dark hair was soaked and plastered down against his forehead. His fingers shuddering, he pulled up a medallion on a chain from around his neck: on it was a circle divided into four quadrants, with eight spikes around the outside, resembling a sun. "See? I'm a Knight."

The symbol meant nothing to Frisk, but Zapf narrowed his eyes. The kid folded her arms and scowled at him.

"I thought Knights were supposed to help people."

"We were patrolling the road."

"They're our roads," Zapf muttered.

"No they ain't, they belong to the King," the young man snapped. "Ugh, why am I even bothering… Girl, come to the city with me. You don't belong with these things. You're red. Your place is with the King."

Frisk tilted her head back, an incredulous look on her face. "You don't know anything about me. And don't call them _things._"

"Get out of the way." He smashed the pommel of his sword against the purple shell of magic holding him and it shattered, and he started to push himself to his feet. "Let's finish—"

Frisk's eyes flashed and she reversed the man back to the ground and held him, limbs frozen in a timeless, red haze. He stared back up at the tiny kid that somehow towered, his jaw dropping.

"Y-You're strong." He lowered his voice. "Look, they can't make you do anything, you're gonna be more powerful than any of them, why—"

"Why won't you listen to me?! I'm telling you, you don't know what you're talking about," she said sharply. "You're d-disgusting, you know that?! All of you and your stupid knights. You grown-ups are like talking to a wall. A _dumb_ wall. How many times can I say this?! Take his mercy and leave!"

"You're brainwashed. No normal human would stay with these dustbags."

A new song shocked the air around them and a half-circle of needle-pointed bones surrounded the man from nowhere. With a yell, Vera crashed out of the trees, surfing on a giant, pointed femur. It slammed to the ground right behind Frisk before she jumped off, pointing her sword at the human.

"Hey. _Duine brisg. _Back down, yeah? If you guys ain't gonna play by the rules, we don't have to, neither." She grinned her pointed teeth but her brow was hard and furrowed. "We understandin' each other?"

The young man's eyes darted between the three of them. Frisk's heart was pounding and her mouth had gone dry. She wished she could have been tall and imposing like Asriel. Strong enough to pick this guy up by the scruff and toss him into the trees.

"You're chosen," the human insisted, focusing on Frisk. "The sun picked you."

"Please just go," she said.

"This is wrong. Why would a wizard stick her neck out for these…? It doesn't make sense."

"I don't h-have to explain anything to you." Frisk folded her arms. "And don't call me a wizard."

"Then you're a demon," he said incredulously.

Vera winced. Frisk puffed up her tiny frame and glared at him.

"Y-Yeah. I'm a demon," she said. "Deal with it."

The skeleton broke into a grin. "Yeeeeah, deal with it!" she echoed.

The human seemed utterly baffled. He stared at the resolute little kid silently for a few long moments. Finally, he slumped. "F… Fine."

Zapf nodded and the battle's resonance fizzled out to nothing. He beckoned to them and Vera grinned and put two fingers to her eye sockets and then pointed them at the human as she walked backwards, only to begin to bounce and give Zapf a tight hug. He snorted out a quiet laugh and lifted her to squeeze her tight. Frisk let out a sigh of relief. She released her grip on the human and joined her friends, only to pause when she heard an odd retching sound from behind.

The young man had managed to get up on his knees, but his nose was bleeding and he was shaking so hard that he couldn't stand. Frisk frowned. The skeletons looked at each other.

"C… C'mon, Frisk," Vera said quietly, beckoning her along with them.

Frisk hesitated. She huffed out a loud, annoyed sigh, and returned to the human. She stuck her hand against his unpleasantly damp, bruised forehead and froze him in time. "I'm gonna fix you. Then you leave and never come back here." Though the effort made her dizzy, her red wrapped around him dragged him backwards a half hour before spitting him out again.

He flopped onto his rear and blinked back at her with surprised. She glared at him and mimicked the gesture Vera had done before she scampered off to join the skeletons. Vera snickered and patted her head, and Zapf gladly lifted her up in his arms to carry her off. The young man did not even try to follow.


	44. Night knight, knight night

Her rage and bravado drained, Frisk deflated into a limp, exhausted heap over Zapf’s shoulder as they hurried deeper into the woods. She could hardly keep her misty eyes open and everything hurt. She put a hand to her forehead and groaned. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

Zapf patted her back. His magic was warming through her, trying to heal, though not very successfully. “You did well.”

“Kid, that was real brave!” Vera grinned brightly, though her eyes were still glistening a little. She wiped them quickly. “A-Ah, man, not gonna lie though, it was real damn scary. How’d y’get out okay, cuz? Were they gonna capture ya or somethin’?”

“Oh. Not capture. They fully were killing me,” he said. “I think they intended to do it one limb at a time until my bones gave out.”

“Wh-What?!” 

“Bunch of jerks, can’t believe it,” Frisk grumbled. “I’m glad they threw up, I hope it was gross.”

“But wait, I don’t…” Vera looked at him suspiciously. “Y’got all your bits, though.”

“I did lose an arm for a moment,” he said. “Frisk is a good healer.”

Vera stared at him blankly. She looked up at the pouting kid, who by now had grabbed another universe’s hotdog from her phone and was munching it despite the faint tears running down her face.

“Is human magic really that strong?” she asked shrilly.

“No.” Frisk sighed. “Or. Maybe.” She grabbed her turquoise potion and smeared some on her forehead; the cool it brought woke her up a little. She was sure she’d be feeling this particular outburst for a week no matter what she did. She wiped her cheeks on her knuckles. “Okay. Look. Um. Here’s the thing. My… My magic, it’s…”

“It works in reverse,” Zapf said.

Frisk looked at the skeleton with surprise. He smiled faintly.

“You unlocked the door at the Temple by touching it. You put out a fire the same way, with no smoke at all. For me, you made it as if my injuries had never happened to begin with, right?” 

Frisk cracked an exhausted smile. She rubbed her head. “Seriously, are you psychic?”

He laughed. “I wouldn’t call it that.”

“Dang. Well. You’re right,” she said. “My magic, it’s all… time. Almost all backwards time stuff. That’s my thing. And it’s… I guess it’s strong. I mean, I know it’s strong, but I’m still just learning how to use it.” She rubbed her forehead. “Aaaand I never did anything that nuts before with it so if I pass the heck out, I’m really sorry.”

“I’m just happy you’re not scared of yourself anymore,” Zapf said.

“Why would y’be?” Vera asked. “You won, right? Didn’t stab anyone. I mean, we got scared, but Zapf’s fine, and those jerks had to do that weird human upchuck thing ” Vera smiled apologetically. “Sorry, shortie, I don’t really get the problem.”

“It’s just a lot, I guess, I dunno. I m-might freak out again soon,” Frisk said. “I had a panic attack before so, um, if I start, like, wheezing, if one of you guys could remind me to breathe and I’m not gonna die, that’d be great.”

“Breathe and you will not die,” Zapf said.

“Yeah, definitely keep breathing!!” Vera said.

Frisk snickered.

A large thrum of magic in the air—a low, loud pulse— froze them with surprise. Then, Zapf grabbed his cousin’s arm and pulled her along. 

“Wh-What the heck was that?” Frisk asked.

“The wall,” Zapf said.

“Aren’t we still pretty far, though?!” Vera asked

Zapf nodded. “Hopefully we’ll make it before sunrise.”

“Does something happen if we don’t?” Frisk asked worriedly.

“No.” He smiled sideways. “It just means we haven’t been making good time.”

“Oh.” Her face flushed with embarrassment.

Zapf patted her head reassuringly. “Just rest.” 

“We’ll talk quiet,” Vera said. “Or. I will. Zapf already talks quiet.”

“And keep the magic down,” he said. “There may still be lurkers nearby. We’re not out of the woods yet.”

Frisk smirked to herself despite a heaviness in her chest as she slumped on her friend’s shoulder again. She really missed Sans. She missed her mom. She missed Papyrus’s inevitable squawking at the all-too-obvious jokes they would have made.

\- - -

Blue, star-shaped flowers speckled the woods and soon replaced scrappy vegetation as the forest began to thin. Frisk’s little body had finally given out and she let herself lay limp over her friend’s shoulder as everything hurt. She closed her eyes and tried to turn her brain off, only to rouse with a start to the wingbeats of birds the group had startled from their morning roosts. Zapf pointed out an unassuming line of stones poking up between the blooms ahead. There was a discarded pair of scorched boots just in front of them.

A breeze that chimed with magic brushed their ears as soon as they crossed the stones and Zapf gently let Frisk down. Vera blew out a sigh of relief. She took her gloves off and flexed her bare phalanges.

“That was the worst,” she said.

“I’m so sorry,” Frisk said.

“Sshh, y’goofus.” She lit magic in her fingers and rested them against the kid’s head. “I’ve only healed a human, like, once, so I’m probably real rusty, but…”

“It’s okay.” Frisk held still anyway, even if— like her cousin’s— Vera’s magic was giving her more of a boost of magical reassurance than any actual healing. “I know about the retuning and stuff.”

“Good! Anyway. We should be safe now, right, cuz?”

“I think so.” He was still standing tall and alert regardless. “Just a little farther.”

The tiniest speckle of sunlight warmed the deep blue of the sky. The flowers glittered with dew as the forest gave way to a preened field with a protective wall reaching around it. A tower of stone rose up before them. Frisk felt a chill. Though the skeletons acted as if they’d seen the castle beyond the wall that came up before them a thousand times, the kid was sure she’d seen it just once.

In the courtyard, two statues stood proud, one of a horse and one of a skeleton knight. The horse, in fact, was matched by the real thing, a big, speckled grey mare that grazed nonchalantly nearby. Frisk’s eyes went wide. Vera eagerly ran to the horse and snuggled her snout with a big grin on her face. Zapf let his spear vanish again and leaned back on the wall, taking a deep, relieved breath. Frisk hung back with him for a moment. He caught her eye and cracked a smile.

“Don’t worry. It’s not my first close call,” he said, holding up his hand to show four digits instead of five. “You?”

“O-Oh. No. No, not… Not even,” she said. “Those guys hardly even touched me, it’s all just…” She sighed and rolled her eyes at herself. “Add another thing on the pile of stuff that’s wrong with me.”

“I don’t know, your reaction feels fairly normal to me,” he said.

“Yeah, but it’s no good if I want to _not die_, and I want everyone around me to not die,” she said. “I… I gotta get it together.”

“You’re doing well already,” he assured her. “Deep breaths.” 

He stretched and then tiredly crossed the field, giving the dappled horse an affectionate pat on the neck before heading towards a big, wooden door to the small castle. Frisk gulped. She snuck a little closer and clenched her hands together. It almost felt silly.

“Nimbus?” she said under her breath.

The horse’s ears perked and flared towards her and she looked towards her with big, dark eyes. She felt faint. Vera turned and grinned, heading towards the kid and waving for the horse to follow. She did, lowering her big, sniffing nose to Frisk’s height. Her snout was soft and velvety to the touch, and the kid couldn’t help but smile.

“She’s great,” she said.

“I know, right??” Vera said. “I met her when she was too small t’ride, even! Well. Wouldn’ta been too small for you. But she’s a good big ol’ pony.” She patted the horse with a grin and cooed. “Ain’tcha? Ain’tcha a good pony? Yeah y’are!” She turned and looked at the castle with a glimmer in her eye. “I figure— with the Boss’s okay— maybe I’ll set up a big stable or somethin’. Get a big beastie myself sometime. Gotta find a human willin’ t’sell t’monsters, though. Or go all the way t’Burgstede.”

“So do you and Zapf live here?” she asked.

“Part-time,” Vera said. “We travel a lot. We have a place a couple tathes from Helfen, but ever since the Duke’s Chaos Symphony experiment kinda went ham, we haven’t been there so much. Too loud for Zapf. He’s a real light sleeper.”

Once again, Frisk nodded as if she completely understood all the words Vera had used. The skeleton smiled and patted her on the shoulder. 

“Speakin’ of, let’s get y’inside. Maybe you’ll be able t’get a little rest somewhere safe, huh?”

Though the skeletons went in without hesitation, Frisk felt an uncanny dread as she stood at the threshold where spiral sconces of magic flame had illuminated the path inwards. Maybe this was really it, though. Maybe this was why that grey Sans had sent her here, to these skeletons, at this moment. But, she was sure if somehow she bumped into a tiny Gaster in there, she would collapse.

“Boss? Y’here?” Vera called. “Y’awake?”

“I am!” replied a distant, pleasant, female voice with a very similar accent to Gaster’s. “I’m just in the library, come in, _mo mhuintir_.”

“Um! Boss,” Vera said, edging a little farther in. “We brought someone who needs a bit o’ help? She’s, uh, a little human kid.”

“A human?!” The voice was followed by a sudden clattering and the sound of books falling over. “Bring her in!”

“Don’t worry, huh? She won’t hurt ya,” Vera assured Frisk quietly.

“I know,” Frisk said. She wasn’t worried about that at all. However, she was pretty sure she knew who this Boss was going to be, and she hoped she wouldn’t faint upon seeing her. She already felt a little light-headed.

With Vera walking ahead excitedly, they went down the corridor and into a meeting room, laid out with some benches and chairs, and headed by a small, pale stone throne with gems in the arms at the far end. Vera continued onwards, but Frisk hesitated. This whole thing was crazy, wasn’t it? Zapf put a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

“Vera’s right,” he said. “She won’t hurt you.”

Frisk nodded. The skeleton’s spiny brow furrowed. 

“Then what’s this worry?” he wondered. His cheekbones flushed with pink. “Ah. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry. I’m just—”

“Also worried. I know,” she said with a smile. “S’okay. I’m fine. Just nerves.”

“…You are not a very good liar,” he joked.

“It’s not fair, you’re like a psychic guy,” she said with a laugh. “Sorry. I’ll let you know if I’m right, promise.”

“That’s fair,” he said. He beckoned her down the hallway. “Come.” He paused for one more moment. “Oh. Um. Just, be aware, she is very touchy. I mean, physically. So you are not startled.”

The room at the end of the next hallway was a large library, floor coated in hand-woven carpets. There were cushioned chairs scattered around rather haphazardly and a large, wooden table covered with stacks of books and papers, as well as quills sticking out of inkwells of many colours.

The Boss was right there, brushing off her tunic— white with blue and gold hems, decorated with elaborate spiral patterns. She was a skeleton— tall and graceful looking, with a slender build and strong, pretty features, though there was something a little bat-like about her face. She was almost as tall as Undyne— which was a little taller than Zapf— and had a pair of lyre-shaped horns on her head that made her seem even larger. The spots where her horns began extended forward over the top of her skull in very faint, smooth ridges, converging in a shallow, V-shaped groove with its point in the middle of her forehead. She had bright white pupils shining in her pitch eye sockets, and distinctly pointed eyeteeth. Frisk recognized her— had seen her through her father’s eyes. Her mouth went dry. 

The skeleton smiled brightly, visibly trying to contain her excitement. “_Anam ó mo chnámha_, a tiny human?!” 

Frisk smiled bashfully. Vera held her around the shoulders reassuringly. 

“Um. H-Hi there,” Frisk stammered.

“Boss! This little kid is called Frisk. See it, right?” Vera asked.

“Ooh!” The tall skeleton beamed. “My goodness. That’s a pleasant surprise!” She knelt and offered Frisk her hand. Her fingers were long and thin, each one tipped with a sharp claw. “My name is Avenir. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Hearing the name for real gave Frisk an existential chill deep into her stomach. It must’ve shown on her face.

“Don’t be frightened,” the skeleton said quickly. “You’re completely safe here.”

“I-I’m not scared,” Frisk said swiftly. She took the skeleton’s hand with both of hers— her bones were warm to the touch. “It’s really nice to meet you, too.”

Avenir’s eyes seemed to sparkle with stars. “Fantastic! But. Oh. Small thing, you look exhausted.” She touched under Frisk’s eyes with a glimmer of healing in her touch. “These raccoon marks…”

“It’s not bruising,” she said quickly. “I’m o—”

“She hasn’t slept all night,” Zapf said.

“Yeeeeah, and we didn’t really have the easiest trip,” Vera said.

“My fault,” Frisk muttered.

“Shhh, shortie, stoooop it,” the skeleton chided.

Avenir looked thoroughly befuddled. She carefully wrapped her long fingers around Frisk’s head, resting her thumbs against her brows. The kid could feel magic tinkering around inside her mind and her posture began to slump before she could fight it. 

“My… You’ve got a lot of stories in that little head of yours, don’t you?”

“Um. Guess so,” the kid said bashfully.

“And you’ve seen many places I couldn’t even dream of.” She tilted her head and a faint glow came to each of her eyes, red and blue. “I see… My, my… You’re a very long way from home, aren’t you?”

“Y… Yeah,” she said. She shook her head quickly, breaking the skeleton’s grip. “What’re you…? What’re you doing?”

“Ah!! I apologize,” she said. “Your feelings are singing to me quite loudly. But. This should help.”

“H-Help with what?” she asked.

“Putting you to sleep.”

“But I don’t want to—! I don’t…” Frisk rubbed her eyes quickly. “I don’t have time.”

“You do, little one,” Avenir said gently. “You can’t keep going like this. It’s been days since your last proper rest, hasn’t it?”

Frisk gulped. She could see her friends leaning in around her. Both of Avenir’s eyes were red now, and the warmth that ebbed from her was, admittedly, very relaxing. The kid shook her head.

“I c-can’t…”

“It only works if you let it,” she said gently. She reached out and, when Frisk didn’t recoil, held her head again. “Please, let it.”

“We ain’t goin’ anywhere,” Vera said. “In fact, I might take a nap myself! So…” She smiled sympathetically and squatted down to hold the kid’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, okay? It’s safe.”

This didn’t feel real. Staring into the face of this skeleton— her grandmother. It was too much. Her eyes watered. This had to be why she was here, right? Avenir smiled sympathetically at her. She must’ve known something was off. 

Frisk’s head hurt. She could still feel that tremor in her fingers. She sighed. “Just don’t let me fall on my face, okay?” she said in a small voice.

Before she knew it, the kid was blinking awake in front of a smouldering, warm hearth. A pot of soup was bubbling pleasantly overtop of it. There was a thick blanket over most of her and pillows bunched around her in a chair made for a much larger creature. Vera was fast asleep, too, snoring quietly where she lay, slumped in a similar chair beside her. A little golden sunlight streamed in through small windows high up on the walls. Still looked like it was still barely light out.

“Thank you for doing this,” Avenir said quietly from somewhere behind her. “I’m still completely rubbish.”

“I’m glad to help.” Zapf sighed softly. “I hope it helps her, too.”

“It must’ve been hard out there. I’m sorry.”

Frisk leaned a little in her seat to try to get her bearings. She noticed the faint red glow on her wrists— the bandages were gone. She wouldn’t be surprised if someone had tried to heal a suspected injury on her arms.

The two skeletons were near the table laden with books, both looking a bit troubled. Zapf had ditched his armour plating— she could see it on another chair, along with Vera’s— and was wearing a close-fitting black shirt with a high collar, similar to the clothes Papyrus would sometimes wear beneath his favoured battle body outfit. There was a small tear in the sleeve of the arm he’d temporarily lost. She guessed it hadn’t occurred to her to turn his clothes back at the same time. He folded his arms and frowned thoughtfully.

“I just don’t want to cause you any more trouble,” he said.

“It’s alright, _a stór_. You did the right thing,” she assured him. “And, this girl, she’s exactly what I hoped for. Not just red, but a wizard as well.”

Zapf flinched. “She, ah… Doesn’t really like that word. But she can use very powerful magic. They called her a demon.”

Avenir’s delicate brow furrowed. “That seems… wrong.” She pouted. “Ugh, things didn’t used to be like this, you know that? Back when I was small— this was before their current King— there were humans in my village, and we’d play together like there was no difference at all. Mind you, that was a hundred years ago. But now, calling even a child that…”

“Zealots,” Zapf grumbled. “To be fair, she did take it in stride. She told them to deal with it.”

“Hm!” Avenir cracked a smile. “I’m glad. Thank you for bringing her to me.”

“She doesn’t fit with your plan,” he said apologetically. “She has a home she wishes to return to. And a family she’s very close to.”

“Both a shame and a relief,” Avenir said, winking. “That’s alright. No matter what, meeting a red who isn’t already under the human King’s thumb is a gift. Especially a wiz…” She chuckled to herself and smiled fondly. “A little demon.”

Avenir vaulted over one of her chairs and began to write something on a scrap of parchment on the other side of the large table. Zapf came back to the hearth with a big ladle. He caught that Frisk was awake and shot her a relieved smile.

“Feeling any better?” he asked quietly.

She had to think about it for a moment, but she nodded. The headache was gone and so was a bit of the pain in her limbs. She leaned forward. “…Was that your duty thing?” she asked, jerking her thumb back over her shoulder towards Avenir.

“We were asked to— if we ever found one, that is—keep any unaffiliated red away from the human King. Especially children.” He took on an apologetic frown. “I hope that makes sense.”

“Yeah,” she said. Was that really worth getting dusted over, though? Maybe things were worse here than she thought. She stretched and sat up a bit. “Soup?”

His eyes brightened. He beckoned for her to join as he pulled the cauldron down off the fire and gave it a stir. She leaned over to look into the golden, sparkling broth. There were meticulously chopped veggies floating in it. The smell was pleasant and familiar. The skeleton gave the pot a spark with his magic and then sat down on the stone for a moment.

“I noticed your wrists,” he said. “Did something happen? Were you a prisoner?”

“Oh. Um. No. It’s a long story.” She shook her head. “It’s no big deal. Do they sound weird?”

“Only very very close up.” He turned his attention back on the soup. “I wonder if that peanut butter would go well in this.”

“I’m not so sure,” Frisk said with a laugh. She checked her phone anyway. She did have a crabapple, and she handed that over to him. “Maybe this?”

He looked excited nonetheless. He summoned a bone blade from the air and gave it a quick chop before tossing the slices in the pot.

“Ah! Our wee demon is awake,” Avenir joked. She had a big grin on her face when she darted over and she smiled warmly at Frisk. “You had a nice sleep, I hope. Looks like you really needed it, hm?”

Frisk gulped. Seeing this bright, warm skeleton’s face sent her heart racing. It was bizarre. But, she was family. Two weeks ago Frisk never would have even dreamed of something like this. She didn’t know what to say. It took her a moment.

“Y-Yeah. Thank you. I guess the hour was worth it,” she admitted shyly.

“An hour?” The skeleton blinked and then cast her gaze at the window. “Little one, it’s almost sunset.”

“…What?!” Frisk yelped

“Don’t feel too bad, I also slept almost since we arrived,” Zapf admitted. “I woke up maybe an hour ago. And I only just now finished explaining what happened.” He shot a fond, amused smile at his cousin. “And Vera’s still asleep, actually.”

“Sheesh,” Frisk said. She was increasingly glad she’d been assured there wouldn’t be much in the way of lost time outside this place. She was also a bit surprised that she hadn’t had any dreams at all. “Guess I really did need it.”

Avenir looked pleased. She settled in, her bright eyes skimming the kid over again. “Zapf told me that you saved his life. Thank you,” she said. “And also, that you used quite a bit of magic. He left it up to you as to how much you wish to tell me about it, if anything. I hope you don’t mind my teasing. I think what you said to that human after he kept insisting you were a wizard was very brave. ”

Frisk shook her head. “It’s fine. From what Vera said, sorta seems like wizards aren’t good people, so I don’t wanna be like that.” She tapped her fingertips together and a thoughtful frown crossed her face. “Demon doesn’t mean much where I come from. If they call someone that for going against them acting like huge jerks, then I’ll be that instead of a wizard any day.”

“Oh? Not the first in a line of good wizards instead?” the skeleton asked curiously.

The kid thought about it for a moment. Her frown deepened. “Heck no. If wizards are gonna act like jerks so much that you guys didn’t even realize it was possible for them not to be, why should I somehow give ‘em a better name? Seems like that might even be dangerous.” She folded her arms. “Nah. I don’t know too much, but I do know that it was wizards leading a bunch of humans that really messed up where I live for like hundreds of years. Sounds like what to monsters is a nice wizard isn’t even a wizard at all, so might as well not use it, right?”

“See?” Zapf said with a smile.

Avenir chuckled. “I do.” Her smile fell slightly. “Unfortunately, you’re right. Humans can’t learn magic without guidance. And, right now, the monopoly on that guidance comes from their King and his wizards, who certainly aren’t too keen on coexisting with people like us. This is why they wanted you, little one.”

Frisk looked confused for a second, having to remember what monopoly meant, but she nodded.

“As such, I would like to ask how you learned magic to begin with,” Avenir continued. “Have you had much instruction? And from whom?”

Frisk blinked. “Like… at school? Not really,” Frisk said. “It only really started going a few months ago, but it got a lot stronger pretty fast. I, um, think I…” She tried to think back to when it first began— sometime after her trip through a tear in the lab’s basement, though there was still a large hole in her memory there. It was related to Gaster somehow, though, right? “Pretty sure my dad got it started for me.”

“He’s a skeleton,” Zapf volunteered. “Her family is fully monsters, isn’t that right?”

“Yeah, all of ‘em,” Frisk said. “My brothers, my sister, my uncle, my parents— all my friends. Yeah. I, um… I know, like, one human, I think. She’s nice. But she’s kinda weird like me.”

Avenir nodded. She held out her hand. “If it’s not too much to ask, may I feel your magic?”

The kid was once again struck by how surreal all this was. She didn’t know how much to do or say, but she couldn’t have been guided here without reason, right? Carefully, she lit her fingers up with red and rested her little hand in Avenir’s large palm. The magic hummed and glittered, and seeped gently through the bone. Avenir drew in a sharp breath through her teeth and then pulled back. She stared at her hand incredulously. 

“…That can’t be right,” she muttered softly.

“S-Sorry, I know it’s weird,” Frisk said.

“Oh! Don’t worry!” Avenir was all sunshine again. “It is very unusual, but then again, I’ve felt very little human magic, even after all this time. Where are you from, little one, that all your family and friends are monsters?”

Frisk gulped. Wondered if she’d already said too much. Her face flushed. The other chair creaked softly. She saw Vera stirring in the corner of her eye. She guessed they’d been talking a little too loud. 

“Well, um. It’s called Snowdin. It’s really far away, I think.” She shrugged tepidly.

Avenir looked thoughtful. She stared into her and her eyes skimmed the air as if she was reading. “Hm. Frisky. I see,” she said softly. “Alright. And what was it you needed, Frisk from Far Away?”

“Ah! Right! She’s on a magic quest!” Vera volunteered groggily. “T’help her brothers out. Good mornin’, by the way.” She flopped off the chair and onto the floor, and then pulled Frisk over to give her a warm, sleepy hug. “Shortieee, I’m proud of ya, okay?”

“Th-Thanks!” Frisk was a little confused, but she appreciated the hug— as she noticed Vera’s now bare arms bore a plethora of little, off-white scars.

“Right. We thought you might be able to give her some help,” Zapf said, looking to Avenir. “Since you’ve studied the Celestial.”

“And since you’re super strong,” Vera said.

“Oh? Interesting,” she said. “I will certainly try. Tell me, what is it exactly you need?”

“I’m not, um, really sure,” Frisk admitted. “See, I… Okay, this is gonna sound crazy, but I was already pretty far from home before coming here, trying to help my brother, ‘cause he got really sick. I found a weird cosmic guide skeleton who said he could help me somehow. He sent me to this place with magic, I guess. He said I’d find something, but I don’t know what it is or where to look except for some kinda vague clues. Part of it mightta been in the Sun Temple, but I dunno how that helps me.”

“Man, you’re too little for a confusing quest like this all on your own,” Vera said sympathetically.

“I wasn’t on my own before,” she said. “Okay, this is also gonna sound nuts? But when you do a big… magic travel thing, like I did? There’s this in-between place that looks like night, but kinda acts like water, and we mostly call it the time void. Normally, we pass through really quick, but somebody shot at me and my brother and we got separated. That’s why I’m looking for him. I’m pretty sure he’s still out there. If I could pull him out, that’d be great. Did… what I just said make any sense at all?”

“So, two brothers. A sick one and a missing one,” Zapf clarified.

“Right. Sorry, it’s…” Frisk rubbed her head. “Sans is sick; Az is missing. Sans might already be okay, I just don’t know ‘cause we can’t get home. And Az got knocked away out in the void so I gotta get him back and I just…. I just don’t know how or…” She sighed. “Sorry, it’s just… a mess.”

Avenir looked at her curiously. She tilted her head one way and then the other. “And what of your parents?” she said, gently holding the kid’s shoulder.

“Oh! Um. Well. Our parents didn’t super want us to go on our own, but our magic is kinda the only type that can cope with all this stuff,” she said. “So… They understood. Mom made us some food to bring with us, at least.”

“Yeah, it was pretty good,” Vera said quietly. 

Frisk snickered.

“It’s pretty clever, actually, they take a bread and cut it down the middle and then fill it with tasty things,” Zapf explained, bright-eyed. “So one does not get their hands gooey from eating… preserves? And peanut butter. Very delicious invention.”

Avenir smiled fondly. “I see. So. If you could narrow it down. One thing. What would you ask of me?”

“Ah… Well. I… I guess, if you had anything you thought might help me get Az out of the void,” Frisk said sheepishly. “I dunno if that’s even possible, but—”

The skeleton got to her feet. “I’ll look through my books. Don’t worry, little demon, I may have something for you.” She winked. “Make yourself at home. And feel free to explore.” She shot the other skeletons a knowing smile. “I have something for you two, soon, as well. In the meanwhile, Vera, would you mind giving Nimbus her dinner?” 

“Nah, I don’t mind at all!” Vera said brightly. 

Avenir smiled gratefully. 

“Is there anything I can do?” Frisk asked.

“Be patient. And rest.” Avenir hurried off and disappeared into another room with an armful of tomes.

As Vera went outside and Zapf tended to the soup, Frisk took a moment to recalibrate herself. Her mind matched the dim, magic-lit ruins she’d seen to this bright, warm library. It broke her heart. With cautious steps, she strolled the room, looking at the books of magic and knick-knacks strewn all over in organized chaos. The shelves were packed to bursting. A tremor returned to her fingers and she pulled out her phone. Wasn’t fair. Her dad could never come back here. And this place, it was much more suited to Sans and Papyrus than it was to her. Still, she couldn’t help but feel nostalgic about it. She carefully snapped some photos to add to her collection. It was the least she could do.

She peeked into the room Avenir had vanished into. She was sitting at a wide, wooden desk with extra magic lights in blue hovering around her. She poured over a few huge books, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Frisk hesitated, but took her picture, too, before slipping off.

Outside, Frisk found Vera in the field. The big grey mare was with her, enjoying a good brushing as she ate from a pile of hay and veggies. The skeleton also seemed to have braided a couple of the blue flowers into her mane. Frisk sat in the grass to watch, snapping photos every once in a while. The golden hues of the incoming sunset were very pretty, and Vera’s grin as she chatted all about horses was contagious.

Dinner was soup and chunks of fire-toasted, stale bread. The broth had an unusual flavour but it was very tasty, and somehow refreshing. Vera chugged hers, then spent the time Frisk took eating gently braiding and unbraiding small sections of her hair. At Zapf’s insistence, the kid used up what was left of her potion and refilled the bottle with extra soup. He also gave her another bowl; suggested she bring it to the Boss. She didn’t mind. She didn’t even have to announce herself, Avenir waved her in without taking even a moment to look up.

Frisk entered the study and gave it a curious once-over. Many large bookshelves lined the walls like the library outside, though these held odd contraptions more than books. The tomes that were crammed onto the shelves were huge, some comically so. The walls were decorated with hand-drawn star charts and fanciful pictures in ink of the sun and moon. One corner in particular at the back of the room looked to be notes specifically about the Divine Beasts. Near them, there was a pedestal with a small white orb hovering above it and, to its right, a crystal ball swirling with fog.

She joined the skeleton at her towering table and offered the bowl of soup. Deep blue magic gently seized on her soul and lifted her up as a chair was brought under her. Avenir looked up and took the bowl with a grateful nod. She sipped it and her bi-coloured magic flared in her eyes. Frisk was lost in those colours that were so similar to hers and her brothers’ for a moment. Avenir put the dish down between two large books.

“Ah, Zapf is good, isn’t he?” She tapped her fingers on the page, and then words under her touch chimed softly. “He’s young but he takes everything so seriously. Thank you again for helping him. These two are like family to me.”

“He wouldn’t have even been in trouble if it wasn’t for me,” Frisk said quietly. “And don’t say it was whatever you asked them to do; they agreed to help me before they even knew I had a red soul or anything.”

“My my.” Avenir chuckled. “Then, I can be even more proud of them. But, try to forgive yourself, little demon. I know it doesn’t seem like it sometimes, but even such awful things can lead to something good.”

“I know.” She sighed. “I know, a ton of good stuff would never’ve happened to me without bad stuff first. It’s just… I hate that he got hurt. I really hate it.” She also hated how angry she had felt. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever been so mad in her life. 

The Gaster who had torn a hole in the universe had made her upset like that, too, but at least she could understand a little of where he was coming from. Those humans were so cruel it turned her stomach. Even so, she was just glad that, in a panic, she and her powers hadn’t picked to do worse than that to them. She pouted and slumped, cheek on her fist. 

“I dunno, s’just scary.”

The big skeleton looked down at her with a worried furrow in her brow. Though she hesitated a moment, she put a hand on the kid’s head and patted her gently. Frisk’s eyes got hot. She sat up and brushed her knuckles over them quickly.

“Th-Thanks. Sorry.”

“I understand,” she said. “This seems to have rattled you quite a bit. Are things not like this in your home?”

“Things can be rough sometimes but nothing like that,” she said quietly.

“Zapf mentioned you healed him,” Avenir said. “But he neglected to say the extent of the injuries. I think for the sake of keeping your privacy. Now, I don’t expect you to tell me anything you don’t want to, but how bad—?”

“Bad,” Frisk said. “Like… Lost an arm bad.”

The light in Avenir’s eyes shrunk to almost nothing. “What…?! But he has both…?! I don’t understand.”

“I-If I catch something quick enough, I can… fix stuff like that,” Frisk said quietly.

Avenir leaned in over her, staring with an unnerving fascination. Her soul prickled and considered reaching out. Stalled. Then, withdrew. 

“What was that thing you held near the door earlier?” she asked. “Was that related? A charm of some kind? I could feel a strange magic around it.”

Frisk looked puzzled for a moment before she recalled. “Oh! No, that’s like a… Dang, what did Zapf call it? Like a pictobox? Sorta? He said it was like that. We don’t call it that, though.”

“Oh?!” Avenir’s eyes brightened and sparkled as if Frisk had said something truly wonderful. “Someone in your home has made one like it?!” 

The kid nodded. 

Excitedly, the skeleton hopped up and crossed the room. She picked up a wooden box with a shiny, clear disk in the front and a crystal on the top. She pointed it at Frisk and shocked it with magic. After a moment, the bottom slid open and she pulled out a slick little page that now had a faint, but sharp-lined picture of the bemused kid on it. The colours were mostly grades of sepia. She grinned proudly. 

“I picked this up from an inventor in Burgstede a few years back. Tinkered with it a little to get the focus better. Interesting, isn’t it? May I see yours?”

Frisk hesitated for a moment. But, she’d already shown Vera and Zapf. Again, she really hoped she wasn’t thoroughly messing up the past of some place. She pulled up her phone and scrolled to the picture she took of Avenir from the door before handing it over.

“It, um, doesn’t print though.”

Avenir’s eyes lit right up. She held it close to her face. “That’s astonishing. Those colours…! Hah! I look so serious.” She peered over the phone curiously, turning it over in her hands; inspecting the lens on the back. “Do you know how it works?”

She didn’t; Sans did. She shrugged. “Um, something with light and like, an echo or something? Sorry, I’m—”

“Ah, not to worry,” she said quickly, handing the device back to her. “Maybe another time. Or I’ll spend all day on it.” She gestured to her shelves with a smile. “As if I don’t have enough gadgets to fool around with, hm? Oh! Feel free to take a look at them, if you like. And ask any questions. I’d be happy to explain.”

“I-I don’t wanna interrupt,” Frisk said.

The skeleton waved her hand dismissively. “Impossible.”

The kid looked confused. Avenir pointed back at the table and the blue orbs of magic. They were hovering low over pages of books and Frisk realized quickly that, more than lights, they looked like the eyes of cats from that angle. 

“Ooohh. Okay. Got it,” she said. “Hey, um, can I help at all?”

The skeleton tilted her head. “You can cast?”

“Like a written spell? Um… N-No, not really, I can’t figure out to make my soul do it. Sorry.”

Avenir folded her arms and looked thoughtful for a moment. “Have you seen spell books at all?”

“A couple! Um. It’s pretty new to me. But, um… I got one for babies, and then this one—” She took out the book of Hymns and offered it. “—from a DB in, um… Goblin Grotto? Right?”

“A D…” Her eyes went wide and she carefully took the book from Frisk, flipping it open gently. “A Divine Beast gave you this? Why?”

“I asked for help,” she said.

“You don’t mind if I look, do you?”

Frisk shook her head. 

Avenir took it away excitedly, moving to the table. She had a quill and ink out almost instantly, scribbling something down in a nearby tome.

“Was there a Celestial mark involved?” she asked.

“Uh…”

“Any repeated images. In visions or in the Temple itself.”

“Oh! Um. A red sun,” Frisk said.

“A red… sun…” Avenir flicked through the pages at lightning speed. “And it is…”

Frisk edged over and stood on her toes, but was still too short to see. Blue seized her again and lifted her up onto the taller of the two chairs. Avenir had come to a page with a red sun marked on it in a fancy mandala. The spell written there was simply called Blessing.

“A solar augment. Of course,” Avenir said quietly. “Oh, you lucky thing. Whatever you said to it must’ve been exactly right.” 

She pulled over a dark blue tome with bone runes around the outer edge of the cover and threw it open to a blank page. Her soul chimed along a soft, gentle melody as she copied the musical notes over.

“Um. So what does it do?” Frisk asked.

“In theory, it allows a spell cast during sunlight hours to gain immense strength. If cast with good intentions, of course,” Avenir said as she wrote. “And if you can layer these notes along with your spell in a way that sounds coherent.” She finished up and added a few sentences in skeleton script underneath before handing the book back. “Keep this close to you, little demon, that isn’t a spell that should be shared too freely, alright?” She froze and her cheekbones flushed with a hint of red. “Ah. I apologize. That includes me.” Though she flinched, she grabbed the edge of the page. “I should have asked first; I will tear this out if you like.”

“No, that’s okay,” Frisk assured her quickly. “Don’t worry about it. I trust you.”

The skeleton looked a little puzzled, but there was relief clear in a hum in the air as well. “Thank you. But. I’m not sure I understand,” she said. “We’ve just met.”

“I know.” Frisk could only shrug. “You, um…” She pushed back the immediate want to say she reminded her of her father. “Z-Zapf and Vera think you’re really great! And I trust them. So. I trust you, too.”

Her eyes lit up. She dipped her head. “I appreciate that. I still have a little more tinkering to do. Would you like to watch or…? Oh. Actually that may hurt your wet human eyes. Hm.”

“It’s okay, I’ll go get more soup or something,” she said.

“Good idea,” Avenir said with an approving smile. “I’ll just finish up. I have something you might enjoy planned for tonight.”

The kid nodded. She hopped from the chair and, as she left, the door closed behind her on its own. Magic chimed and flickered bright colours under the door. 

Frisk became keenly aware of the hard thumping in her chest. She took a long, deep breath. The whole thing was making her head spin, but she felt a weird lightness inside. Excitement. Everything seemed to be going well. There was something about that blue book, though.

Vera was lazing in one of the chairs, flicking a coin absently on her thumb and catching it as it fell. Zapf leaned against the table, looking a little concerned. He perked up at her return. She smiled.

“She liked the soup,” she said.

“Thank the stars,” Zapf said, blowing out a sigh.

“You worry too much, cuz,” Vera teased.

He smiled tepidly and shrugged. Frisk snickered. She went back to the chair she’d slept in and traded the Hymns for the Dirges. The cover was uncanny. She only had to flip through a few pages before she found one matching what Avenir had just written. Her stomach did a flip. Gaster had never mentioned that his mother had written the book. She wondered if it was possible he didn’t know. Maybe. He’d been younger than she was right now when his mother had died.

The kid’s heart hurt. She grimaced and hugged the book close for a moment. Even if this was just a weird, out of time place, the odds of it being connected to home just skyrocketed. She was shaking again and felt a bit nauseous.

“You okay, shortie?” Vera asked, leaning over to her.

Frisk nodded. She sighed and put the book away. Zapf crept in closer.

“Would you like more soup?”

“Nah, s’okay,” she said quietly.

“Hey, noticed y’snuck me money,” Vera teased. She showed her the coin she’d been tossing. “Didn’t have to, y’know! Neat symbols on ‘em, though.”

Frisk blinked. She looked at the thick gold coin— Delta Rune on one side and a flower on the other. Only, she wasn’t sure if the Delta Rune had even been invented yet. She winced and rubbed her forehead.

“You don’t think people are gonna notice that much, do you?”

“Well, yeah, that’s how you tell what town it came from,” Vera said.

“Oh dang,” Frisk said sheepishly.

“Frisk, what’s wrong?” Zapf insisted. “Did you… get your answer?”

The kid hesitated. Zapf’s eyes shifted to pink. He could see right through her, she was sure. He put a hand on her shoulder with a reassuring, gentle shimmer of magic in his fingers. She sighed.

“You don’t have to say,” he said.

“I promised.” She cracked an exhausted smile. “You almost got dusted for me, dude, it’s the least I can do.”

The big skeleton knelt down and Vera leaned in, intrigued.

“What’s this about” she asked.

“She was concerned about something to do with the Boss. Right?” Zapf asked.

Frisk nodded. “I really hope this doesn’t screw anything up,” she mutter under her breath. “Okay. Um. S-So. Uh. You know how my magic is, like… weird time stuff?”

“Yeeeah,” Vera said.

“So, um. I’m… also weird time stuff?” She huffed. “I’m sorry. I’m, um. Kinda…”

“In the wrong time,” Zapf concluded, though he seemed surprised by the words as he said them.

Frisk nodded sheepishly again.

“What, seriously?!” Vera asked sharply, lowering her voice, her eyes wide. “Wait, so your cosmic skeleton, he sent you from like… what, different years or somethin’? Can he do that?!”

“A different world. A-And different years,” Frisk said quietly. “I’m really sorry I lied. I mean, I am from a place called Snowdin, it’s just, like… not around here but also way in the future, I think.”

“No!” Vera said as a disbelieving gasp. She looked between the kid and her cousin, gawking. “H-How?! Like. That’s crazy! D’you know how far ahead of us y’are?”

“No, not exactly,” Frisk said. “But, um… Wh-What I do know is, um… What I thought before. It was that, um… Okay, this is gonna sound super nuts, but I was pretty sure that Avenir was… Um. Is. My grandma.”

Vera gawked. Zapf stared at her with wide eyes. Frisk slumped low in her seat, wishing for the cushions to swallow her. 

“A-Are you sure?” the tall skeleton asked in a hushed voice.

Frisk nodded. “I saw her in a memory my dad shared with me.” She sighed. “Dang, this is all sounds so crazy, I’m sorry.”

Zapf gently touched on her temple. His magic fizzed through her brain like a cool soda. “And yet I can feel you’re telling the truth… But how—?”

“I wasn’t born normal,” Frisk admitted. “I’m… Like… I’m not adopted. I mean, I am. By my mom. But not by my dad.”

“What?!” Vera barked. “Wait, so, skeleton name; it’s ‘cause you’re literally an actual skeleton? But y’look human?”

“No, I am human, it’s… It’s complicated,” she said quietly. “…Kinda wish I was a skeleton sometimes instead, though.”

“I’m sure being human has some advantages, though, yeah?” Vera said. “Like the, uh, durability?”

“Only against monsters,” Frisk grumbled. “As if that’s useful.”

“But. Frisk. This is a big deal, isn’t it? Will you tell her?” Zapf asked gently.

“I-I dunno!” Frisk said shrilly.

“Man, y’gotta!” Vera said. “Imagine?! Y’get to meet your descendant? And learn about the future?!That’d be kinda awesome, right?”

“I-I dunno, wouldn’t that be freaky as heck though?!” the kid said. “Unless he’s just like hiding in here somewhere, my dad’s not even born yet!”

“He is not born,” Zapf assured her.

“Right! Heck, I don’t even know how long it’ll be ’til that happens,” she continued, her voice pitching higher. “And I don’t wanna weird her out! She seems really cool and nice and I…” Frisk choked on her words. She’d seen through her eyes as she died. Tears caught her and she coughed to try to cover a whine.

Zapf gripped tighter to her shoulder and his magic warmed her. She needed a hug badly but she kept it to herself. 

“Kid, y’alright?” Vera asked gently.

She sniffled but she nodded. “Y-Yeah. Yeah. I’ll… I don’t know. I just… I don’t want to screw anything up. Ugh, even this could already be enough to screw things up. I mean, I bet it is. If she even believes me. But I totally wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t.” She put her face in her hands. “I don’t knoooww…”

“Well. Whatever you do. It’s your choice,” Zapf assured her.

“Yeah. Even though it’s nuts. We won’t mention it unless you do,” Vera said. “So, uh, keep us in the loop, yeah?”

“I-I will,” Frisk said. “I…” She wiped her eyes quickly. “I don’t know yet.”

“I think she would enjoy knowing.” Zapf smiled. “You are an anomaly; even more so now.”

“Man, you got no idea,” Frisk said quietly.

“Long story number a thousand,” Vera teased. She reached over and patted the kid’s head. “So. Uh. In the future. Do we, like…? I mean, do humans and us, does it go okay? Can you tell us that?”

“It, um… It goes bad for a while. Really bad. But. After a while, I think it goes okay,” she said. “We, um, kinda just got to that part.”

“Wow, damn, that’s crazy,” she said, eyes wide. “Do you know us from then? ”

“N-No. No, um…”

“And what was that about a tapestry?” she pushed.

Frisk gulped. “Man, I talk way too much, huh?”

“Nah, nah, it’s okay!” Vera said with a laugh. “I was just curious; it kinda came outta nowhere.”

“It was, just… Now that I know you guys? I’m really sure I saw you in an old t-tapestry,” Frisk said. “So I… I just knew, if that hadn’t happened yet, there wasn’t even a chance you guys were supposed to… You know. Get hurt.”

“Huh. Hey. That’s kinda smart, actually,” Vera said, nodding approvingly. 

Zapf cocked his head to the side. His eyes flashed with colour. “Oh. I understand. You’ve been here before.”

The kid nodded as Vera’s eyes bugged out. “Just once. It’s… It was empty, then. But there was some art left around. Some of it kinda looked like you guys and A-Avenir. There was also a skeleton with, like, a bunch of spikes in the middle of his head. And a lot of horses and dogs and stuff.”

“…Dogs?” Zapf repeated.

“Yeah, and trees with pink flowers,” she said. “Like, farming and stuff, I think.”

“Oh! I know those,” Vera said. “Dang. We were gonna plant some next season. Guess that’s a good idea.”

“I wish I took a picture of it,” Frisk said sheepishly. She blew out a sigh. “Th-Thanks for not thinkin’ I’m totally nuts.”

“Eh. Don’t worry so much, shortie.” Vera reached over and patted her reassuringly on the shoulder. “No wonder you were so weird, huh?”

“Just a little weird,” Zapf added, smiling fondly.

“And thanks for putting up with me,” the kid said quietly.

“Put up with way worse,” Vera said with a wink.

It wasn’t long before Avenir emerged from her room again. Her bones were steaming. The stone around her shimmered as she passed.

“Alright. Little ones, I have a task for you,” she said.

Both skeletons perked right up and jumped to attention. Avenir smiled.

“The moon is bright and will soon be high enough. I would like you to pick thirty three of the beltaine outside and prepare to steep them. Alright?”

Nudging her cousin with her elbow, Vera grinned. “Sure thing, Boss!” 

“You, too, little demon,” Avenir said. “Don’t worry. It won’t take long.”

“Um. O-Okay. Sure,” Frisk said.

Vera snickered quietly and grabbed the kid up and out of her seat. “If this is what I think it is… Oooh, this is gonna be cool!”

The three went outside into the cloudless night, where the full moon was so bright the world was blue, and extra light was hardly needed. The beltaine flowers were the pale blue ones glittering in the moonlight, each with five, pointed petals. Against the darker grass, they looked almost as if they were glowing stars. When Frisk touched a petal, she could feel a faint hum through her fingertips. She carefully plucked the bloom and spun it between her fingers.

Vera was already done by the time Frisk had picked five, with an armful of flowers and leaves and a big grin on her face. “Hey, Frriiissk, how y’doin’?” she called. “D’you want me to get yours and you get the water? Or d’you wanna hold mine and keep goin’?”

“Umm…” Frisk carefully plucked another one and then gently handed them over to the skeleton. “Got six. Where?”

She nodded her head towards the castle tower. “Just around back, that way.”

Frisk stuck her thumb up and headed for the tower. She waved to Zapf where he wast bent in the field, closer to the trees, as she passed him by. He waved back.

“Oh!! And don’t forget to give it a zap!” Vera called.

“What?” Zapf called back.

“_Zap_ not _Zapf_, Zapf!”

“Whaaat?”

“Forget it, cuz!!”

Frisk snickered to herself. 

Behind the tower, there was a large circle of stones sealed together. Frisk only recognized it as a well because she’d seen one in a video game. It was a little high for her, but she could see over the top when she stood on her toes. She propped herself up with her arms. It was sealed by a circle of wood, with a crystal sticking out of the top. Cautiously, with a bit of reaching, she touched it and gave it a little zap of magic off her fingertip. Something far below creaked and metal clunked. The wood groaned and, after a few seconds, a hidden panel slid back and a large bucket filled with water slid up, supported by a shadowy, long-fingered hand. The kid blinked. She carefully grabbed it from the bottom and lifted it away, trying not to stumble as she settled back on her feet.

“Um, thank you!” she said.

The hand stuck its thumb up and then retreated as the wood panel closed.

When Frisk returned, holding the bucket in both arms, Zapf was waiting. He carried a stack of stone bowls, with all the flowers gathered in the top one. 

“Is it too heavy?” he asked.

“Nah,” Frisk said. “Who was that in the well?”

“Hm? Oh. That water ghost,” he said. “They’re kind, but they mostly keep to themself. Are you ready?” He tilted his head towards the woods. “The Boss and Vera went on ahead.”

“Yeah, I’m ready,” she assured him.

They went to the edge of the field where a path through the trees was marked by the beltaine, easy to spot for anyone who cared to look. It lead to a small clearing, where the last of the flowers gathered around a wide, half circle of rocks cut flat like the stumps of trees, while two stood proud and tall near the opposite end. They were covered in some dot patterns and each had a large, empty cavity near the top. Avenir stood between them, shooting them a welcoming smile. The moon shone above, and from where Frisk stood, it looked as if it rested, cradled between her horns as if it were a part of her.

Vera waved as they got near and bounced back to join them. Avenir gratefully took the bowls and flowers from Zapf. She placed one each in front of the tall stones, and one between them, then straightened up and raised her hands. Red and blue orbs floated up around her shoulders.

“Almost there,” she said. “One more thing, little ones. A small puzzle. The clue is on the rocks.” With a wave of her hand, one of each colour of orb shot off, weaving into the forest like oversized fireflies. “Pick one. Then, we’ll start.”

“Red or blue, cuz?” Vera asked.

“You prefer blue,” he said. “Red’s fine.”

“Thanks,” she said with a relieved grin. “Let’s get… Oh, what about the kid?”

Avenir smiled. “I have something else for her to do.” She gently grabbed Frisk in blue and plopped her at her side, at once taking the large bucket of water from her arms. “Good luck, _mo mhuintir_.”

The cousins bumped their knuckles against each other’s. They each took a moment at their respective stones before booking it off into the woods in opposite directions.

The skeleton Boss smiled fondly. She cut her eyes at Frisk. “Would you like to see?”

“Sure,” she said.

Avenir produced a bi-coloured magic orb that floated down to the kid. From within, she could see each skeleton, following a trail of light. Vera was ahead, sprinting between trees, while Zapf was walking briskly but cautiously. Vera came upon what was clearly the puzzle first; an arrangement of stones in the grass. Frisk took a look at rock here in the clearing. It was similar, but a few bits out of place. 

“What do you think?” Avenir said. She was hovering over the kid’s shoulder with subdued glee on her boney face.

“They probably gotta match the pattern,” Frisk said, pointing at it. “But… one’s missing, looks like. They gotta use the magic to fill in a spot?”

“Ooh, my, you’re clever!” the skeleton said with a laugh. Her eyes brightened. “Do you do puzzles often?”

“Oh, yeah, all the time, my brother, Papyrus, totally loves them,” she said. “We would build all kinds together and test them out. He really likes ice slide puzzles and ones with lots of switches.”

“I see!”

“Icy.”

Avenir scoffed, but she chuckled nonetheless. 

“I must say, you’re handling all this very well,” she said.

Frisk shrugged. “Thanks. It’s, um… Honestly, except the fighting bit, this hasn’t been too bad.”

“Mhm. Well. I’m glad.” She took the bucket and bent to fill Vera’s bowl. “Would you begin to divide the flowers evenly for me?”

“Thirty three by… Oh! Easy,” she said quickly.

The bowl was harder to lift than the bucket, but the kid got it up and brought it over, counting out eleven blossoms to put in the water as Avenir moved aside to fill up the bowl at Zapf’s stone. Once they were done, the skeleton took the stone from her. She placed it back in its position and filled it with the last of the water. 

“Perfect,” she said. “They’re on their way.”

Vera arrived first, clutching a big round rock in both hands. She grinned big and bright, but she waited for Zapf to show up, which wasn’t much longer. They fit their prizes into the openings in the standing stones, which lit up with a pale, moonlit glow.

“Eeeee, lookit that!” Vera said excitedly. “Guess we passed!”

“You did,” Avenir said. “I think you know what comes next.”

Zapf nodded. He knelt to the grass and carefully dipped his claws into the bowl. The water began to glow pink. Hurriedly, Vera ducked down to do the same. Avenir gave Frisk a gentle nudge.

“You too, little demon,” she said.

“Me? Um. Okay.” Frisk was confused, but she did like the others, dipping her fingers into the cool water, though nothing happened. She gave it a hesitant spark and it shone bright, radiant red.

The beltaine blooms shattered into glitter, sparkling across the surface of the liquid. She looked up at Avenir questioningly, but she wore an unreadable smile and gestured for her to join the others, who now stood back from the stones a fair few paces. 

“Take a seat, if you like,” she said.

Frisk did, hopping to a flat rock behind her new friends, watching eagerly from there. Vera reached out to her cousin and grabbed his arm tight, eyes excited and flaring. 

“You two have dutifully carried out every task I’ve set for you,” Avenir said, her silvery voice ringing clear in the night air. “And for that, I thank you with all my soul.” Raising each hand, magic in shining white coalesced above her palms. She lifted them up as if to touch the moon and, with a flash, the whole field was overcome in twinkling magic, like crystal snow twirling down from a cloudless sky.

As Vera gasped, Frisk _ooh-ed_ quietly and clasped her hands together. The skeletons both began to glow gently. The water they’d collected rose up in tendrils from their dishes and the stones they’d brought hovered from their places to be engulfed as the liquid defied gravity and wrapped them up. Then, they flashed out of sight. The glitter faded. Avenir smiled proudly.

“From this night onwards, you two— Zapf of Beinn Mhòr, and Vera of Helfen Marsh— are Moon Knights of Crios Cnàmh. I hope you will accept this title with pride.”

“We do! We definitely do!” Vera said brightly.

“We do,” Zapf agreed.

Avenir bowed to them. They eagerly bowed in return. Frisk wasn’t sure if it was okay to clap but she really wanted to. 

The tall skeleton left her place between the stones and approached Zapf first. She put her hand on his shoulder. There was a flash of magic and a quick, excited merger of hums. His soul surged out pink and in his hand appeared a new spear— refined and partially made of silvery stone. Alongside that, a bone crow with shining pink eyes took shape from nowhere, flapping rattling wings. Vera squealed. Zapf took a step back and put a hand to his head, letting out a disbelieving laugh.

“Now that is an odd sensation,” he said.

“For one who sees so much,” Avenir said with a wink. “Well. You can see even more now, hm?”

“Thank you,” he said. With a flick of his hand, it took off and flew around the clearing. He snickered. “It’ll take some getting used to.”

It landed beside Frisk. She couldn’t help but grin. 

“Can you hear through it, too?” she asked at a whisper.

“Ahh! It seems I can,” he called back to her.

She snickered. “That’s pretty awesome, dude.”

“Oooh, no waaay,” Vera said under her breath. “Amazing…”

“And, for you,” Avenir said, touching on Vera’s turquoise-green soul in the same, melodic way. “I think you will be pleased.”

Vera quickly raised her hand as a new sword formed in her grasp, one with a much more refined blade of the shining moonstone and bone, and a guard that looked a little like the Boss’s own horns.

“Oh man, it’s so coo—” She let out a squawk as, beside her, a large, horse-like, horned skull appeared, its eyes glowing back at her the same colour as her own, just like Zapf’s construct had. “AAaaah!!!” She hugged its snout. “It’s amazing, I love it!!”

Frisk whooped and clapped and, as the ceremony seemed to have ended, she got up and ran to them. She gave Vera a hug, and the skeleton gasped and quickly squished her close.

“You did it! You’re Knights!!” Frisk said. “Great night for it, right?! And you got a blaster?! It looks so cool!”

“Y-Yeah!! Aw, shortie, thanks!!” She giggled loudly and grinned. “I’m real happy ‘bout it!”

Avenir perked up. “Blaster?” she said in a quiet, curious voice.

“And Zaaapf! Congrats!” Frisk held her arms out. “I’m gonna insist on a hug, dude.”

He chuckled and bent down to allow her to latch on. “I am alright with that.” 

“Are you excited?”

He nodded. “I’ve never had any sort of bound construct before.”

“And now we can fully, hundred percent, introduce ourselves as Knights!” Vera grinned widely.

“You guys are super brave, you totally deserve it,” Frisk said brightly.

“And now that the ceremony is over,” Avenir interjected. “Frisk. I have something for you as well.”

“Me?” Frisk pointed at herself with a befuddled look on her face.

“You must’ve suspected,” the big skeleton teased. “I would not have you begin a ritual for nothing.”

“O-Oh. Right,” Frisk said.

Vera clapped her hands together. “Oooh!! Shortie, that’s excitin’, huh? What are y’gonna give ‘er, Boss? A cool sword?”

“Or maybe a nice shield?” Zapf suggested quietly.

“Hm. Something a bit smaller. But more… noteworthy,” she said. 

She doubled back to the bowl that still glowed red and focused some magic into her palm. As she let it drop, the water snapped up and engulfed it hungrily. Avenir drew the red into her bones and returned to the kid, kneeling down as she reached out for her soul. Frisk felt a strange tingling pass through her whole body, and her hum flowed into the open air. The white points of magic shone from her soul, bright and glimmering in reply. Avenir took her hands and cupped them for her, and in the kid’s palms, a light glimmered. A small, rounded object attached to a string dropped into her hands. As the magic faded, the skeletons on either side of her leaned in to look.

“Is it a little doot?” Vera asked quietly, brows raised high.

“I think it’s an ocarina?” Zapf said cautiously.

“An oca-what?” Frisk asked. She curiously lifted it to look. 

The shape was reminiscent of the wide tooth of a beast, though it had rounded points and with a little bit extended to blow into. There were six holes of varying sizes on the top and two on the bottom. Overall, it had a boney colour with a faint iridescence, and there was a four pointed star emblazoned on the top. 

“It’s really pretty,” she said. “Thank you!”

“It is an ocarina,” Avenir said. “And now, it is bound to your soul.”

“It is??” Frisk squeaked. “Oh wow. S-So can I… summon it or—?”

“Maybe keep it out,” Zapf suggested gently. “It’s your first summon of any kind, right?”

She nodded. She could hardly keep her eyes off it.

“It can be a little difficult, especially for children,” he said.

“For humans, learning to tune your soul to cast may take years. Time we don’t have,” she said. “But. A magic instrument like this is a method we often use for monster children. I can teach you to play it fairly quickly, I believe. With that, as long as your soul can support it with its power and you can play the tune, in theory, you should be able to cast.” She laughed bashfully and rubbed the back of her head. “Otherwise, you just will have a nice little musical pendant, there. Which I hope is not correct, because I will need you to help pull your brother from your time void.”

“W-Wait. Wait wait. Y-You can…?! You think you can do it?!” Frisk squeaked, eyes wide.

“Of course she can, the Boss’s the best!” Vera said with a big grin.

Avenir’s cheekbones flushed faintly. “I spent all day searching and I believe I have a spell. Experimental. However, I will need your help to guide it, little one, and I will need one more monster of comparable strength to myself. And sunlight.”

“Where’re we gonna find another Monster Lord?” Vera asked worriedly. “Helfen’s far as heck. And so is Burgstede.”

“I may also have an answer to that,” Avenir said. “But… It’s shaky. And, to be honest, I’m not sure if… Well… I’m sure if we ask nicely, they’ll hear us out, at least.”

“Who?” Frisk asked worriedly.

“The Divine Beasts,” Avenir said. “There is a spell to call them to you. I’m strong enough to cast it, but whether or not they answer is up to them.”

“Well, we gotta try, right?” Frisk asked. She let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you so much. I’m… I’m gonna learn these notes!” She picked up the ocarina and blew into it, hard.

The sound was loud and shrill, but even so, carried a hint of something more than an unceremonious whistle. Zapf covered his ear holes. Avenir chuckled and put her hand on the kid’s. 

“I’ll show you. We have a while until sunrise.”

Frisk’s eyes glimmered. Sunrise. If she could figure this out, she could fix at least one thing, couldn’t she? She looked at the ocarina in her hands with a sense of awe and determination.

“I’m gonna get it, I promise,” she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Avenir: http://fav.me/ddmmix0


	45. DOGsong

It was lucky that music came second-nature to Frisk. Once Avenir laid out the notes, finding melodies was easy for the kid. The fingerings, however, would take a little work, building muscle memory to smooth it out. Also, blowing into the ocarina took a little finesse that she didn't quite have yet. It sounded a bit better than an awkward plastic recorder, but it would definitely take more time than she had to sound good. Despite that, though, the notes carried a tint of red once tooted into existence.

The most baby of baby spells was the production of a night light, not unlike the red, glowing orb Frisk could already do. After hours of whistling and trying to force herself to remember the notes, the skeletons huddled around the kid near the hearth as she practiced the fingering on such a simple spell.

"Picture it in your mind," Avenir said, "and fuse the thought with the melody."

"It's fairly easy once you get the hang of it," Zapf said.

"Okay." Frisk took a deep breath, but not too deep. Her soul flared red. She blew softly into the ocarina and the note came out sweetly.

Just a few more. The skeletons waited with bated breath. She stumbled on the fingering, but quickly started over. The notes were not so sweet now, but they were correct. Red flickered over the instrument and into Frisk's irises, and the points of light in her soul glimmered. A shimmering, pale orb of glowing magic materialized and the kid almost dropped her ocarina in shock.

"D-Did I just—?!"

Vera barked out a loud, boisterous laugh and yanked her over into her arms as the light vanished into thin air.

Frisk's heart was pounding, and she found herself with a big grin on her face as she hugged onto Vera excitedly. "A-Are you serious right now, I can do it?!"

"Y'sure can, shortie!" Vera said.

Zapf blew out a sigh of relief. "Congratulations. I'm glad it works. Because it's, um… still not so good on the ears."

"I know, sorry," Frisk said bashfully. "B-But I'm sure I'll get it with more practice."

"Maybe a little later on that one," Avenir said with a laugh. "You know how your brother's soul sounds, don't you?"

"Yeah," Frisk said.

"See if you can find how to play that, before anything else," she said. "Sunrise is in a little while, still, but not all that long."

"R-Right, um…" She looked at Zapf and cracked and apologetic smile before turning to Avenir. "Is there another room I can do it in?"

"Thank you," Zapf said at a whisper.

"My study," Avenir assured her. She stood and beckoned to her. "Come."

Frisk gladly followed her, waving to the others. Avenir gave her a chair and closed the door, taking a seat at her desk again.

"Wait, won't it be really annoying?" Frisk asked.

"I can't help you if I'm outside," she replied with a smile. "Don't worry yourself about that."

"…'Kay." She ran through the scale of notes.

It was still clumsy. The air was too rough.

She practiced for a while, trying to play smoother. It wasn't perfect, but she didn't have all the time in the world. Then, she began to slowly play the song of Asriel's soul. His theme came slowly at first as she tentatively; clumsily blew the notes out. Just the sound of it out loud sparked her determination. She played it again. And again. Over and over, her soul flaring along with it. On its own, the round began, merging her song with his. Her heart ached to the point of nausea. Her eyes watered and her breath caught in her throat, choking the note. She had to stop. She put a hand to her face and sniffled into it.

Before she could get herself together, Avenir had her hands on her shoulders and gently pulled her in close.

"Shh… Shh, it's alright," she said softly. "What is it?"

"I…" She gulped back a lump in her throat. "I m-miss him so much. I-It's been d-days and I never shouldda lost him, w-we were supposed to stay together."

"I'm sure he misses you, too. We'll do our best," Avenir said.

Frisk shook her head and cracked a smile, wiping her eyes. "Th-That's the only good thing about this. Time m-moves different out there; it won't have felt very long f-for him at all."

"Small comforts." She smiled sympathetically and gave her a squish. "Why don't you take a little break?"

Frisk shook her head. She looked at her ocarina steadily. "I… I almost got it."

"From that magic, it sounds like you _did _get it," she said. She patted her head. "Take a break. Just a walk around the room, even. Breathe. You're doing well. Honestly."

"It's not too annoying, is it?" Frisk asked.

"Actually, I don't mind it at all. Though, I did get a bit distracted listening to it."

Frisk snorted a tired laugh and wiped her eyes on the heel of her hand. "Okay, okay."

When Avenir gave her space, the kid hopped down from the chair and stretched. She put the pendant ocarina around her neck. The weight felt kind of good, somehow. The faint hum of Avenir's magic murmured in its structure. She lifted it and rubbed her thumb over the star mark on its surface. She almost couldn't believe it.

The skeleton went back to her desk and began writing again. "Little one," she said after a moment. "May I ask? Had you seen a construct like the ones I made tonight before?"

"Not like Zapf's," Frisk said, looking up from her ocarina. "But Sans and Papyrus have blasters a little like that. Kinda different shape, though."

"…I see," she said, jotting something down in her notes. "And how did they obtain them? In a similar way?"

"I think dad made Sans's, and then Sans made the ones Paps has," she said. "Papyrus really wanted me to have one later but I didn't know if I even could because I'm… you know… Human." She grimaced. "Was…? Was that a problem at all? It seemed to work pretty quick."

"It was smoother than I expected," Avenir admitted. "I think it's that extra magic bound in you. How did that happen?"

"Ah… Soul broke. It was a whole thing," Frisk said bashfully. "It was my fault. I had to do it to save Az. But it really scared the heck outta everyone else and I almost blew up or something." She cupped her hand over her soul spot and couldn't help a fond smile. "My brother, Sans is… the weakest monster. Maybe ever. But it was his idea to do it. I was knocked out, but the others told me he just went for it. No plan; didn't even worry about what it might do to him. Crazy."

"You miss him," she said quietly.

"Oh my god so much," Frisk said with a weak laugh. "Like, I miss everyone? But he was out sick for days before we w… W-We left home originally to try to cure him. So I couldn't even say _bye_ or anything. It's… hard."

Avenir nodded, her eyes full of sympathy. "Deep breaths, little demon."

Frisk nodded.

She took a moment to pace the room, trying to calm herself. Her eyes drifted over the artefacts on the shelves. There was another, disassembled pictobox with sheets of dim photos piled up beside it.

"Thank you for answering my questions," Avenir said.

"Oh! No, of course. I mean… You're doing so much for me," Frisk said. "It's the least I can do, right?" She paused where she stood as her gaze came upon a familiar cube with many symbols on panels covering its sides. Eyes brightening, she stood on her toes to get a better look; it was very much like the one she and Papyrus had found in the castle when they'd visited. Excitement gave her a kick— a strange cube had been one of her clues.

"Um, sorry, can I ask?" She pointed at the cube and turned, surprised to already find Avenir behind her. "What is that? Is it a puzzle?"

"Oh? Caught your eye, has it?" Avenir asked. She plucked it up in her long, slender fingers; the little symbols under her grasp lit with blue. "It's more like… hmm. A record keeper. Or a magical map. It can serve several functions, to be honest." She spun it on her fingertip and then offered it to the kid. "Care to take a look?"

Frisk carefully accepted it. The symbols under her fingers lit up with the red of her magic. Avenir watched her curiously. She knelt down and gently wrapped her hands around the kid's.

"You've seen one before," she said.

"Ah… Yeah. I think so. Or something that seemed really close," Frisk said.

"Would you like to have it?" she asked.

"O-Oh, no, I couldn't," the kid said quickly, offering it back. "I m-might need to borrow it, though, is that okay?"

"Oh?" Avenir's red eye flared. She smiled. She gently took the cube and then, with a crackle of magic, pulled it apart from itself, seamlessly duplicating it. She handed the second one to Frisk. "There. That shouldn't cause problems."

"Wh…?! Th-Thank you!" Frisk said shrilly. "H-How'd you do that?"

"I invented this myself." She looked at the cube fondly. "Once you've composed your own, it's not so hard to duplicate."

Frisk froze, blood chilling in her veins. She gulped. Avenir chuckled, looking up with both eyes shining.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice?" she asked. "The sounds in your soul are not hard to read. You didn't just wander here and bump into my Knights by accident." She pulled a small, leather-bound book from thin air and opened it, holding the pages open for the kid to see.

Drawn in black and red ink, there was the picture of a kid who was unmistakably Frisk, scar and all, with burning red eyes and red stripes on her wrists. She was facing a solid black-ink shape and surrounded by stars on one page, and, dripping wet, ran into Vera and Zapf on the next. Avenir turned to the next pair of pages, showing the market in Goblin Grotto on one. Beside it was a cabin consumed in flame and Zapf missing an arm and a horn, though red tendrils wrapped around him and a bright, red soul shielded him against six shadowy figures.

Frisk's heart dropped to her stomach. "You…? You saw me?"

"I drew this two weeks ago." With a flick of her wrist, the journal vanished once more. "I knew they would find you. You're out of space. You're out of time. You don't belong here at all, little demon. Not that it isn't very nice to meet you. But where are you from? And who are you, really?"

The kid broke into a cold sweat. She clutched her cube with nervous fingers. Her tongue felt heavy. "Um… I… Yeah. I'm… not in the right time. Um. Is it okay to tell you? Will that mess something up? I mean, I will, if you want, it's just… I really don't know where exactly I am and I don't wanna… ruin anything."

Avenir tilted her head. "Your knowledge won't leave this room."

"I-It's… It's not a big deal for the world or anything," Frisk said. "It might be a big deal to you."

"Oh?" Her eyes glimmered. "Then. Please. I'm sure. I would like to know."

Frisk stalled. This must've been how Gaster felt back when she called him out at Grillby's.

"I-I'm… Uh. We're kinda… family," she said.

"I'm not sure I understand," the skeleton said, brow furrowing.

"You're, um…" She took a deep breath and smiled sideways. "If, um… If this is my world— and I'm pretty sure it is— you're my dad's mom? Sorry. That's, um, pretty weird, huh?"

Avenir stared back at her blankly. "You're human. How is that possible?"

"I…! I can show you," Frisk said quickly. "Y-You don't have to just believe me outta nowhere, I know it sounds crazy." She lit her soul up and held out her hand. "If you l-let me I can—"

Avenir seized her and put the kid's hand against her soul spot, where the energy lit up bright blue and red through her white tunic, and bowed her head. Frisk touched on her temple and carefully pressed her brow to hers. She scrunched her eyes shut, trying to let a little of her memories flash over. A little of what she knew; a little of how she was made. The smallest smidge of Gaster. A tiny pinch of time travel. Hopefully, just enough.

Avenir's shoulders went slack for a moment. The magic in the air hummed softly. Then, the big skeleton sat on the floor and yanked the kid into her arms, embracing her tightly. Frisk gulped heavily and her heart began to ache. She begged herself not to cry and she clung tight to Avenir, her soul syncing against hers before she could help it. Avenir's gladly reciprocated. She huffed out a soft laugh.

"I should have guessed there was some connection…" she said. "There's something about those points in your soul. And, when you called Vera's construct a _blaster_. I used to call them that as a child but the others teased me, so I stopped but… Hah. Always called them that in private."

"I'm sorry," Frisk said quietly.

"For what?!" the skeleton asked with shrill surprise.

"…This is so messed up." Frisk couldn't help but laugh and tears began to dribble down her face. "But I-I'm so happy to meet you."

Avenir drew back and held the kid's face in her hands. She brushed her bangs away from her eyes for a moment and her claw traced the scar on her cheek. The skeleton's irises shimmered with colour and she grinned.

"I wondered why my dreams showed me so much of you. I never would have guessed," she said. "What a wonder. And you have…? Your brothers, they're—"

"Two of them are real skeletons, yeah," Frisk said. "I…! I wish they could meet you. Really. They'd love to! And I bet you'd love them. A-And my dad!"

"Hopefully I'm an alright mother," she joked.

"H-He thinks you're the best," she said.

Avenir nodded. Her smile softened. "But you didn't know me before this, hm?"

Frisk grimaced. She shook her head. The skeleton went quiet. She stroked Frisk's hair carefully.

"It's… a really long time from now. Where I'm from," Frisk said. "Like, um… I think a thousand years, at least? Monsters, um… They didn't have it so good for a lot of that."

"But we've made it a thousand years more?" Avenir let out a small, pleased laugh. "That's reassuring!"

"I hope it's this world," Frisk muttered. "I… I think it is. I have your book."

"Which one?" Avenir joked, gesturing back towards the library.

The kid pulled the blue book of Dirges from her phone. Avenir stared at it, blinking blankly for a few seconds. She reached out, but then reconsidered. Her magic swept her own copy closer and she grabbed it out of the air. She opened up to a page in her version and then cautiously touched Frisk's. She found the same page, but there was just a tiny bit more text on it in a different coloured ink. She grinned wide and then closed both, jumping to her feet.

"We're on our way," she said.

"Did you just do a paradox?" Frisk asked.

"Possibly. Don't worry, all I've done is given myself peace of mind." She clasped her hands together and her eyes glittered. "Oh, this is exciting! I hope you don't mind, I may be a bit vocal with my, um… Future sight, I suppose? I have a feeling you're fairly familiar."

"Yeah," she said.

"Good! Good. I just didn't want to alarm you, which is… why I didn't mention it sooner," she said. "But you're…! A timechild. I'm not sure what exactly that means. But that's the notion I got when your soul just touched mine."

Frisk nodded. She put away the cube and the book as well, but instead grabbed one of her cans of sea tea. She tossed it into the air and used her magic to freeze it. Then, she reversed it back into her hand with a shimmer of red glittering off the metal. Avenir's eyes got big and starry. She lifted the kid up and sat her on a chair, dragging hers much closer.

"Tell me about it?" she asked.

"Yeah." She popped the tab on the can and handed it to the skeleton. "It's, uh. It's a lot. But. Yeah."

Careful with her words, Frisk explained herself as Avenir sipped the cold tea from the future. She left out the death and the dust, as usual, but laid the stuff about the time loops and the void as bare as she could. She told her about the dreams Sans and her both experienced, as well as the premonition ability he had (and the more subtle version he had lent to her). She also explained how she'd come to be as best she could, even if why she was human was still sort of lost on her.

Avenir was fascinated. As a test, she gladly and without warning broke the tip off one of her horns with a chisel from inside her desk. Frisk fixed it as fast as she could, receiving a big bear hug as a reward.

The skeleton had just a little more work to do before sunrise. Frisk practiced her melody there for just a little longer before excusing herself to give Avenir a bit of quiet to work in. The skeleton kept getting distracted, staring at her when the music swelled.

Zapf and Vera both had their new bone weapons and constructs out as they sat around the table in the library, trading notes. The bone bird sat on the back of one of the cushy fireplace chairs, while the large blaster skull drifted absently behind Vera, moving slightly every time she did. Zapf noticed Frisk first and perked up, waving at her.

"How did practice go?"

"Think it was okay," Frisk said.

"You were in there a while, huh?" Vera said.

Frisk trudged over and slumped on a chair with a loud, long sigh. "I told her."

"What?!" Vera barked.

"How was it?!" Zapf asked.

"G-Good. Good. It was good." She folded her arms and rested her head on them, cracking an exhausted smile. "Mightta just done a time paradox or some junk though. Aah, I hope everything works out okay…" Her smile fell and she sighed. "She was really nice about it. Sorta doesn't seem fair, though, y'know? I wish the rest of my family was here to meet you guys."

"I'm very glad it went well," Zapf said.

"Did you learn your super sense thing from her?" Frisk asked.

"He always had that," Vera said with a proud smile.

"She has helped me refine it," he said. "I still have a ways to go."

"Do you have the dreams?" Frisk asked worriedly.

He nodded. "You?"

"Yeeeeeah. They kinda stink," she said.

Zapf chuckled and patted her on the head. "Ah. Well. Useful sometimes, though."

"I guess." Frisk looked up to see Vera's blaster mirroring her worried expression from across the table. She smiled. "It's okay." She sat up and stretched. "It, um… It went better than I thought it would. A-And she gave me one of these." She took out the cube and set it in front of her. "I… I think this is what I needed."

Vera leaned across the table and carefully took it, inspecting it curiously. Some of the symbols lit up turquoise under her fingers. "Oh, right! Yeah, I've seen this. We used it for the end of sound mazes before. 'Member, cuz?"

He nodded. "You can trap a soul's sound within it. Then follow it through your senses. Like, a beacon, I guess."

Frisk perked up at the word. As Vera passed the cube back to her, she clutched it close, excitement stirring inside her. She put it away to make sure it was safe. Her phone registered it as _Avenir's Mystery Cube_. She guessed that was about right.

"I'm real glad you said somethin' to her," Vera admitted. She smiled sheepishly and tapped her hard fingertips together. "I really think that… Y'know, family, when y'got a good one, is real important, so… So! It's good to be close, while y'can, right? Sometimes that's all y'got."

Frisk nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm glad, too." It was still a bit unfair in her mind, though. She hoped the pictures she took would be some small comfort to her dad. "I really like her. I was just super glad she didn't seem… I dunno. Too freaked out? That I'm a human?"

"Nah, no way she would've!" Vera assured her. She winked. "Besides, you're a demon, right?"

"I'm not gonna live that down, huh?" Frisk said with a laugh.

"It's cute, though, I like it!" the skeleton said, grinning brightly.

"Actually, it was very brave," Zapf said quietly.

"I kinda feel like a dork though," Frisk said, rubbing her head.

"I know it is sometimes hard being the odd one out," he said. "When I was little, I was the only skeleton in my town with horns. I… know that's not the same at all, really, but—"

"No, I get it," she assured him. She put her cheek on her fist and cracked a smile. "I had horns for a bit one time, I didn't mind it."

Zapf chuckled. He got up and returned with more soup for all three of them, carefully moving some of the books out of the way just in case. By the time they'd finished, Avenir loudly burst from her study, garbed in a sleek, grey armour over blue and off-white travelling clothes, with a carved, bone horn strapped across her chest. She also carried a large, pale wooden staff that was almost as tall as she was. Its shape was reminiscent of a long, thin wing-finger of a dragon with a large, sharp tip like a claw as its head. That curve of the "claw" cradled a large, round gemstone of pale, shifting colours with a four-pointed star suspended inside.

"Alright!" she announced. "The sun rises soon. I believe I'm prepared. Frisk? Are you?"

"O-Oh! Yeah, sure," she said.

"We're coming, too, yeah?" Vera said quickly, her blaster skull nodding along hurriedly.

"If you'd like. I'd be happy to have you," Avenir said. "Though it may be dangerous."

"We're Knights now," Zapf said with a sturdy, determined frown.

"Yeah, this is what we're for!" Vera insisted.

Avenir smiled fondly. She dipped her head. "I'm grateful. Then. Let's be on our way. We should try to reach the cluain east of here as quickly as we can."

As Vera and Zapf got their armour back on, Avenir headed out to feed and prep her mare. Frisk didn't have much to do but quietly ask what a _cluain _was. Zapf told her it was similar to a meadow.

It was still dark out with just the glimmerings of light at the edge of the sky. Frisk was disoriented; her sense of time was all out of whack. Avenir came out from around the side of the small castle, leading Nimbus by a rein. The horse had some armour on, now— a simple mask to protect her forehead and the top of her snouts, plates around her chest and flanks, and some wide bands over top of mail to protect her neck. They all looked to be made of metal and shiny, smooth magic bone. Vera clapped her hands together.

"Eeeee, pony, y'look so brave!" she cooed, rubbing the big horse's chin affectionately. "Is that a new chanfron? I bet it issss!"

"I'm glad you like it," Avenir said with a laugh as Nimbus contentedly rubbed her head against the pointy-toothed skeleton.

"You don't think it'll be too dangerous, do you?" Zapf asked quietly.

"If I'm honest, I don't know," she said. "Better safe than not, I think." She handed Vera the reins. "Take Frisk ahead, will you? I'd like to talk to your cousin for just a little. We'll catch up."

"Uh, sure thing, Boss." Vera thumped her fist over her soul spot and then, grinning, picked Frisk up. "Y'ever been on a horse, shortie?"

"I-I don't think so," Frisk squeaked.

"No worries! Nimbus's real thoughtful-like! Easy ride." She lifted her up into the saddle and then hopped on behind her, reaching forward to pat the horse's plated neck. She put one arm around Frisk as she stuck her feet into the stirrups. "There we go. Hang on tight, okay?"

There was a raised bit on the front of the saddle that seemed to be the only thing to hang on to, so Frisk grabbed that. Vera raised a hand to wave at the others and tutted at the horse, who eagerly took off at a trot.

The pace was bumpy at first, jostling Frisk up and down, but Vera's grip tightened on her. They left down a small path and then quickly turned off to the east. Nimbus's gate smoothed. She seemed to know the path.

"Doin' alright?" Vera asked.

"Y-Yeah!" Frisk said. "This i-is kinda cool!"

"I know!" The skeleton beamed.

"H-How are they gonna keep up, though? Can they do that bone surfing thing, too?" Frisk wondered.

"Yeah, the Boss definitely can," Vera said. "Don't worry 'bout them. She probably just wanted t'check in on Zapf."

"Why, is he doing bad?" Frisk asked worriedly. "I mean, I wouldn't blame him."

"Eh, he holds all that stuff in," she said, frowning very slightly. "Always been like that. But, like… he's the youngest of us, y'know? And the Boss… I mean, she's our Boss, but she's also kinda like a nice aunt or somethin', too. She does a good job helpin' out when we're down." She smiled sideways. "Don't worry too much, shortie, it'll be alright."

Frisk nodded thoughtfully. "Are… you okay, though?"

"Me?! Sure! Why?" she said.

"We almost died and then Zapf almost died. I know you love him a lot," she said.

"A-Ah! Well…" Vera laughed sheepishly. "I was real freaked out when we had t'leave him, not gonna lie. But when you guys were okay, I was so relieved all the bad stuff kinda shot right outta my skull. I mean, I'm sure I'll have a nightmare or two at some point, but for now, I'm doin' okay!"

"Wish I was like that," Frisk joked half-heartedly.

"Well, you're like a tiny little kid. Even though y'talk a bit older. Of course it would affect ya," Vera said. "But, jeez, stop worryin' 'bout everyone else, alright? It's not good for your noggin'. You're too young for that junk."

Frisk wished she could take that advice. Many times, Sans had pulled her aside and said the same thing. It wasn't like she could help it, though. She nodded anyway.

"I-I'll try."

As the sun crept into the sky, warming the clouds on the horizon with gold and pink, they broke the tree line into a huge field that was surrounded on all sides by more forest and littered with big outcroppings of rock. Vera dismounted near one of them and lifted Frisk down, and then gave Nimbus a grateful pat. The horse meandered away to graze.

It wasn't long until Avenir and Zapf joined them. The younger skeleton looked as if he'd been crying, but his energy was lighter anyway. Vera greeted him with a big, tight hug and he wilted into it. Frisk really wanted to hug him, too, but she didn't. What had happened was still her fault. She didn't want to make it worse by accidentally forcing him to comfort her, because she was sure she'd start crying, too. Even so, he still seemed pleased to see her.

Avenir shielded her eyes with her hand and squinted into the sun. She pulled out her spell book and flipped through it before nodding to herself and sending it away again. "I'm ready," she said. "Please get behind cover."

"Right!" Zapf seized Frisk and whisked her away behind the large jutting stone as Vera hurried to grab Nimbus and stash her away with them.

Once they were sheltered, Avenir thunked the base of her staff into the ground. It let out a low, magic thrum that carried pleasantly on the breeze. She pulled up the horn she wore and tapped it with red magic. She stood tall and blew into it, but no sound came out. Frisk frowned worriedly. Zapf's grip was tight and nervous. She held his hand. Golden sparks began to swirl from the end of the horn even though there was still only silence.

"Is it working?" she asked softly.

"…I think so?" Zapf said uncertainly.

Avenir still seemed to be playing something they couldn't hear. Nimbus's ears strained towards Avenir and she took a step, but Vera gently held her back, cooing to her. The magic whirled around them like a bluster of flower petals caught in a gale. They spiralled off into the field and then ascended skyward. The skeleton lowered the horn and wiped her brow, and the gem in her staff glittered brightly.

"Hopefully they heard that," she said.

"How do we tell?" Frisk asked.

Avenir began to answer, but was drowned out by a loud, deep crash in the air, like thunder despite the clear sky. Everyone jumped. Nimbus whinnied and Vera quickly consoled her.

As if dropped from the heavens, a gargantuan stone structure slammed onto the ground before them, bouncing them into the air. A chorus of birds erupted from the trees around them, their peeping and wings flapping just barely less jarring than the massive _thoom_ of stone hitting the earth. It settled, and then, silence.

Avenir let out a loud, disbelieving breath and then turned to the others, who were all clinging to each other behind the rock. She extended her hand.

"Come on, little demon, this is our chance," she said. "My Knights, wait here for a moment."

"What?! But what if it's dangerous?! Y'can't go alone," Vera said.

"You can rescue us, in that case." Avenir smiled fondly. "Otherwise, I'll signal for you to join us."

Vera sighed. "Okay, you're right," she said, pouting a little.

Zapf nodded quickly. He was reluctant letting Frisk go, his sharp eyes wide and worried. She turned to him and his face flushed.

"Careful," he said quietly.

Frisk nodded. She gave him a quick hug. "It'll be fine," she said. She took Avenir's hand and they headed out into the field.

Whatever had arrived was massive. A mountainous, rectangular structure that towered higher than any tree. It could probably be seen for miles. It was made from smooth, brown-grey stone with little in the way of discernible features except what looked to be three massive, parallel grooves in the side facing them. If they were doors, they had nothing in the way of hinges or handles. Zapf's bone bird circled overhead. It looked no bigger than a fly next to it.

"Whoa, that's crazy big, huh?" Frisk said, eyes wide.

"I believe many of them live in there," Avenir said quietly.

"Have you done this before?"

"Just once." The skeleton tightened her grip on her staff. "I was able to peek, but I did not actually go inside."

Frisk nodded. The closer she got, the dizzier she felt when she tried to look up to see the top. It felt like a mountain looming over them. The sunbeams behind it seemed to give it a golden glow around its edges.

Once they were fully in its shadow, they paused near another small outcropping of rock. Avenir raised her staff slightly and a scuffling sound from behind them let them know Vera and Zapf were changing position to slink up behind it. Frisk gulped. She looked up at Avenir. The skeleton's brow was furrowed slightly, but she didn't seem too nervous. She raised her staff high and its gem glowed.

"Divine Beasts!" she shouted. "I have called you here to ask for aid! A great amount of magic is needed and time is short!" She gestured to Frisk. "This child's brother is missing, and there may not be another way to recover him! We would ask for your help in this matter! In exchange, I will grant you whatever you ask that is within my power to give!"

"A-Are you sure?" Frisk asked under her breath. "This is my problem."

Avenir dipped her head and she smiled slightly. "Part of the formalities, little demon."

Silence. The wind whistled. Avenir tapped the base of her staff into the ground. Frisk gripped her hands together nervously. Her heart began to beat a little too hard in her chest and she took a deep breath to steady herself.

"H-How do we know if—?"

The great slabs parted with the sound of groaning earth and split into a hallway so black nothing could be parsed from it. Frisk squeaked, grasping to Avenir's leg, and the skeleton put a hand on her head reassuringly.

"They're sending a messenger," she said at a whisper. "Careful."

Frisk gulped and nodded.

From the shadows, a small light spot shifted. Out into the grass pitter-pattered a tiny, white dog, holding a scroll in its mouth. Frisk's eyes lit right up and she couldn't help a relieved smile as all the tension left her little frame.

"Ooh, a dog!" she squeaked. She stepped ahead to meet him and knelt down. She held out her hand. "Hey there! Is that for us?"

"Careful," Avenir warned quietly.

Frisk wasn't sure what she meant. The small dog was wagging his tail, black eyes shimmering. He let the scroll go into her palm and she gratefully patted him on the head. The dog's eyes got big and he leaned into her hand. Frisk grinned, carefully placed the scroll aside, and went full in, squishing the dog's cheeks and rubbing his ears.

"W-Wait!" Avenir said.

"Hm?" Frisk looked back over her shoulder. "What's up?"

The skeleton's hand was extended as if to grab her and her eyes were shining and worried, but even so, she froze. Her arm dropped. "What are…? Frisk, what are you doing?"

"Oh! Petting him! Dogs love this!" She turned back to the pooch and grinned. "Don'tcha, buddy? Thanks for the message. You're a good dog, y'know?"

The dog seemed elated. He hopped up and licked her cheek once before spinning in place and bounding back into the shadowy fortress.

Frisk picked up the scroll and straightened up, then unfurled it as the skeleton came to peer over her shoulder. It was in English, but the words were mostly too complicated for her.

"How on earth did you know that would work?" Avenir asked.

"How what would work?" Frisk asked as she turned to pass over the scroll.

"The Divine Beasts are usually more… aloof than that. They behave strangely. And they often don't speak to us," Avenir said.

"Divine…? Wait, he was a Divine Beast?" Frisk asked.

She and Avenir stared at each other silently, the air aching with questions. The skeleton sighed quietly and read the note to herself as Vera and Zapf crept from behind the closest rock to join them.

"So, uh, what now?" Vera asked. "They gonna help?"

"I… believe they're letting us in," Avenir said. "Though…" She frowned and rolled the scroll back up. "Well. We'll see."

"That was very brave, Frisk," Zapf said, wide-eyed.

"Brave? Guys, come on, it was just a cute dog," she said. "Oh! Sorry! Do they try to take your bones or something?"

The skeletons replied with blank stares. Frisk was equally puzzled.

"…Do you guys not know what a dog is?" she asked.

"Eh…? Wait, is that what…? Are you calling the DBs that?" Vera asked. "A… _dog_? Where'd you come up with that?"

Frisk could only shrug. "I dunno, they're just called that, aren't they?"

Again, the kid and the skeletons were equally at a loss. Avenir smiled sideways and nodded her head towards the opening.

"Well. If they're allowing us in, we might as well go."

Zapf nodded. Vera put on a determined frown and she held Frisk's hand as they made their way inside.

The straight, dark entryway didn't look as dark from within it. There were widely spaced columns in line with the door, leading up to another dark opening that wasn't visible from the outside. On the walls far to either side were little sconces, faintly lighting some carved murals of stylized landscapes and dogs, all detailed with paw prints.

Vera clung tighter to Frisk, and though magic flared in her eyes and she put on a brave face, the skeleton looked nervous. Zapf also carried himself cautiously.

Beyond the columns, as if from nowhere, some tall shapes slid out: dogs of all shapes in long, grey robes with a sun on the front of them. Each one was adorable. The skeleton cousins stiffened but Avenir kept moving forward as if nothing had changed. Frisk caught sight of the little messenger dog, who was now standing upright and wearing a robe as well. She waved at him and his tiny ears perked as his tail began to wag. The next dog beside him's tail wagged as well.

Light didn't move properly in this place. The dark opening at the other end of the hall brightened up as they got closer, and as soon as they passed through, they were blinking in warm firelight. The room was oddly-shaped, long lengthwise with unevenly flared ends on the short sides. In the centre was a round fireplace surrounded by sharp triangles in tile on the floor, spiking out like sun rays. Big blue pillows built for giants littered the floor.

Then, like the ones outside had done, dogs appeared from all corners of the room, as if they'd been hidden only behind the pillows and in the sparse shadows. Pooches large and small, spotted and merle, white, and black, and brown, and golden. The skeletons bunched together but Frisk caught herself beaming.

"Oh my gosh, so many dogs," she said quietly. Her eyes were glittering: it was the cutest room in the world.

"Hello, Divine Beasts," Avenir said loudly. She bowed her head slightly. "We've come to ask for help, if this is acceptable to you."

The dogs made dog noises. From behind the flames, a big, white mound rose up, and what came with it was an opulently fluffy, massive white dog, ears up and twitching, with the only thing unusual about them other than their size being two extra eyes, one on top of the other, in the middle of their forehead. They leapt over the fire and sat in front of the group, lowering their face and staring at them closely, drawing in big sniffs. Frisk could hardly resist; the fur looked so soft. When the big snuffling snoot came close, she reached out and pet the four-eyed dog. All the eyes became big and shining, and within seconds, the massive dog was leaning into her, thumping one leg on the ground, tail wagging so hard embers flitted around the room from the fire. Frisk beamed. Finally, this was entirely comfortable and familiar.

Zapf grabbed Vera and pulled her back and away from the whooshing tail, but Avenir stared silently for a few moments, watching as the little human laughed and rubbed the dog's neck. The others began to close in curiously, tilting their heads and wagging their tails. Soon, more dogs crept into her reach, and Frisk was petting them too.

"How is she…? How did she…?!" Vera gawked. "Cuz, look at the DBs!"

"I know," he said quietly. "Maybe… her home has them?"

"But I never seen one act like that before!"

"Maybe we were just approaching them incorrectly," Avenir said. She turned to the nearest dog— a big fluffy mastiff— and offered her hand. "May I?"

The dog wagged his tail. Avenir rested her hand on his soft, fluffy head, and rubbed back and forth. He all but melted and the skeleton smiled.

"I see," she said softly.

Zapf gathered his courage and carefully approached where Frisk was sitting, surrounded by a dozen dogs. The four-eyed one had curled up around her, a big, fluffy fortress. He squatted down and petted a short black and white border collie dog, and she was instantly leaning on him, looking up with those same huge, dark, shiny eyes. He quickly found another, much larger jowly pooch getting in his space, and he sat down as the spotted one flopped herself across his lap.

"They're so cute, right?" Frisk said, grinning as she patted the largest dog's snout. "Ugh, I love dogs, they're always so nice."

"No way…" Vera had begun to squish the mastiff's cheeks. "You guys are really soft. Man, if I knew that, I wouldda patted y'way sooner!"

The big, four-eyed dog laughed with a high, feminine voice. "We would like that!"

The skeletons froze again.

"So you do speak our language," Avenir said.

The dogs began to bark, until the four-eyed one gently shushed them.

"It is nice to meet you, boney ones," the four-eyed dog said. She gently peeled herself away from Frisk and shook her fur out, blowing a breeze and more embers all around the room. "And this little human! How funny! I could have sworn she was a puppy."

"I had a dog trial and they said I got to keep puppy-ness, if that helps," Frisk volunteered.

The dogs around her woofed agreeably, and the biggest dog smiled, tail wagging.

"And! You have spoken the name of Dog," she said. "We welcome you! I am Foredog. We heard your whistle. What is it that you need?"

"Thank you for hearing us out. We would ask for help, casting a powerful spell," Avenir said. "This little human's brother is adrift in the void of time and space, we're afraid. I have a spell that should be able to help him return to us, but it's a Dirge that must be performed in a round. I can carry one part, but not both."

"May I see it?" Foredog asked.

Avenir pulled her book from nowhere and opened it to show the page. The dog leaned in very close to the pages and, after a moment, she nodded.

"Hmm, I see, I see," Foredog said. "Very strong magic, very difficult." She tilted her head to the side. "We will need a gift."

"Name it," Avenir said swiftly.

The dog laughed. "Sorry! Not from you. From a much greater dog. If the Greatest Dog approves, we should be able to help."

"Can we meet the Greatest Dog?" Frisk asked.

Foredog tilted her head. "Will you do the Challenge of Dog?"

"Sure," she said.

"Then," Foredog said. "Pick your Champion."

Avenir grabbed all three of the others in her blue magic and whisked them close, though Zapf was still holding the black and white dog

"If it's a battle, I will do it," she said.

"But you are needed to perform the spell, send me instead," Zapf said.

"No way, cuz, y'just had it real rough. It'll be me doin' that stuff," Vera said.

"Guys, it's no big deal, I should do it, it's because of me we're even doing this junk to start with," Frisk said.

"But we're doin' all this for you, we don't want your brother comin' back t'you gettin' your tailbone booted!" Vera grabbed her shoulder. "The Boss is out. Me, you, and Zapf. Do _stone, parchment, sheers_ for it."

"At a time like this?" Zapf asked.

"Yeah! Best way!" she insisted.

Frisk wasn't worried. Knowing the dogs, it wasn't going to be anything that couldn't be solved with a good ear rub. She put her hand out regardless. Zapf rolled his eyes and did the same.

"You three…" Avenir sighed. "Don't be foolish, you can't do it three ways with just one hand each. And besides, Frisk can anticipate movements, and will certainly cheat due to her sense of responsibility."

"Whaaaat? No I…" Frisk considered it. Actually, Avenir was probably right. She smiled bashfully. "Well. Only because I think I got this."

"Buhhh, but what if y'don't got it, smartypants?" Vera asked, folding her arms.

"Then… I dunno. But I think it'll be fine." She looked up at them with big eyes. "Please, guys? I really super appreciate you wanting to, but I think I can do it. I know dogs pretty well! Promise."

Zapf grimaced worriedly and shot a look at his cousin. She pouted. Avenir sighed.

"Stubborn," she said softly. "So be it." She put her hand on her head and cracked a smile. "I trust you, little demon."

"What?! I mean! Yeah, I trust you, too, but still…" Vera grumbled.

Zapf knelt a little and gently touched Frisk's forehead with a glimmer of pink magic. She felt a reassuring warmth surge through her bones.

"Good luck, Frisk," he said.

"Thanks, guys," she said. She turned back to the dogs. "I'm ready. I'll do your challenge."

The dogs at the edges of the room bayed in a mysterious melody. Others stomped their little paws along with it. Foredog smiled. She closed her eyes, threw back her head, and howled. The fire at the centre of the room glowed and, from it, a shining, round object rose. It floated to Frisk and rested in her hands before the light dimmed, revealing a disk emblazoned with the sun.

"First," Foredog said. "Answer: whomst is a good dog?"

"Oh, easy!" Frisk grinned. "All of you are good dogs. All dogs are good dogs, pretty sure!"

The dogs all rumbled with pleased murmurs, and every tail in the room was wagging. Foredog's ears perked forward.

"Second! The object you hold. What is its meaning? Its purpose?"

Avenir frowned nervously. Vera grabbed her hand. Zapf hugged the border collie closer.

Frisk looked at the sun disk she held. She turned it over in her hands a few times. The shape was familiar. She grinned. She took a few steps back. Checked behind her. A few more. She flipped it on its side and, with a flick of her wrist, gave it a toss. It sailed through the air like a breeze, to a chorus of gasps. Foredog hopped and caught it in her mouth, tail up and wagging proudly. Frisk grinned and clapped.

"Nice!" she cheered.

Foredog swallowed the disk. She stared Frisk down with big, dark eyes. "Third!" She grinned. "You passed! Congradoglations!"

The dogs erupted into joyful howls. Again, Frisk was overcome with excited fuzzballs, all of which she gladly petted. When they moved apart, a red artefact was left before the flame. It was shiny and spherical, with not much else of note about it. The kid's eyes went wide. It was exactly like what she'd seen in the Sun Temple with the glowing Papyrus. Foredog smiled warmly.

"Put the artifact in our fire, and we will see if the Greatest Dog will answer us," she said.

Frisk grabbed the red orb and, after rolling it in her hands for a moment, she lobbed it into the flames. It vanished.

"Greatest Dog, we call to you. Here, Greatest Dog!" Foredog howled a little tune and then looked at Frisk expectantly.

The kid hurriedly grabbed her ocarina from around her neck and stumblingly tooted the same melody. The monsters waited with bated breath. The fire crackled softly. Its embers roiled and sputtered and a thunderous woof answered. The flame burst white and engulfed the room in a blazing heat.

Frisk recoiled, covering her face, but the sensation subsided into a pleasant warmth, like the sun on a cool day. She blinked and peered through gleaming, pale fire that flowed, mesmerizing, around her in an endless plain.

Flames curled and spiralled, twirling calmly, and Frisk thought she heard a small noise. She turned, peering around curiously in the blaze, only to see a pinpoint of white light. There was the sound again, though she wasn't sure what it was. It was a little like a growl, but nasally, somehow. Frisk took a deep breath of the warm air and marched forward towards the light.

Piercing the blinding white, it gave way to what looked like fire and molten gold run through a kaleidoscope. In the intricate, fractal patterns, slept a massive, white dog. He looked somewhere in between a pomeranian and a samoyed, but was the size of a house. His eyes were closed and, very quickly, Frisk recognized those bizarre sounds as the snores of the dog. She held back a laugh and edged around towards his face. The red orb sat by his snout.

Cautiously, Frisk sat down in front of the massive dog, though he didn't budge.

"Greatest Dog?" she asked.

The dog snorted and let out three little, nasally huffs. The kid edged closer. She put her hand on his snout and realized that, despite all the soft dogs she'd felt, this one was by far the softest. She gently rubbed the top of the dog's nose and, after just a few seconds, the huge creature opened sparkling, obsidian black eyes that stared at her with surprise.

"H-Hi!" she said, pulling back carefully.

The dog smacked his lips and his big, fluffy tail did one wag.

"Are you Greatest Dog? I'm Frisk," she said.

The dog's eyes brightened and his tail wagged twice. She laughed.

"It's good to meet you! I guess this is why you're _Greatest Dog_, huh? I've never seen a dog so big before!"

He seemed pleased. He woofed so loud it shuddered the world and then snuffled towards her. She couldn't help but laugh and she rubbed his big fuzzy cheek. Greatest Dog fully flopped onto his side and the tiny kid pet around his closest ear. He looked up at her with a nebulous expression. He was so soft, she could have stayed there for hours.

"This is nuts," she said softly.

He tilted his head slightly and let out a small _aroo_.

"Oh! Sorry, I don't wanna bother you with that," she said. "I just kinda got shot through time is all. And I met my grandma before my dad is even born."

Greatest Dog _aroo-ed_ again.

"I know, crazy, right?" Frisk said. "Now I'm here and I've never seen a place that looks even close to this. You live in here?"

The massive dog panted in reply, puffing out warm air that somehow smelled like toasted marshmallows. Frisk snickered.

"Yeah, it's nice!" She sighed. "Sorry to come in here just to ask a favour. Foredog sent me. Because I need help finding my brother."

Greatest Dog panted, his tongue lolling out to the side. Frisk smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. Dogs are kinda the best at finding stuff."

The gargantuan fluff ball rolled to his paws and shook his fur out, stirring a cooling breeze over the kid. He sneezed on the artefact, high-pitched and loud, and it turned reflective, shining bright with mirrored flame. He nosed it towards her. Hoping that it would not be slimy, Frisk picked it up. Thankfully, it was not.

"Thank you," she said. "Do, um…? Do you want me to throw it?"

The dog instantly leapt into a play-bow, butt in the air, tail wagging so fast it became a blur, but he quickly corrected himself before she could toss it, shaking his fur out and jumping to attention. He let out one loud, resounding _BORK, _and a spiral of white light opened before him. His eyes darted between Frisk and the light. Frisk turned to look, shielding her eyes with her hand for a moment and blinking hard.

"O-Okay. Okay. I got it," she said. She turned back to him with a smile. "Thank you so much, I really appreciate it."

Greatest Dog bent down to her and she gratefully petted his snout again. His eyes glistened with stars and he licked her, his tongue so big it knocked her over and her whole body glowed red for just a second. She spluttered and laughed, wiping her cheek.

"Ack! Th-Thanks?" She giggled as he shoved his nose up to her. She grabbed him and he lifted her to her feet. "I hope I'll see you again sometime."

The massive pooch barked and panted, tail wagging. She waved and, taking a deep breath, stepped into the light.

Just a moment later, Frisk stumbled out of the fire and was instantly pulled into the arms of a watery-eyed skeleton.

"Aaaaah, shortie, we were woooorrieed!" Vera whined, squeezing her tight.

"Ah! I'm o-okay! I'm okay!" Frisk said quickly. She hugged her regardless, only to receive an excessively crushing squish in reply.

A big hand settled on her head and she looked up to see Zapf smiling down at her and the little dog he still held wagging her tail.

"Alright, you three." Avenir gently moved them aside, knelt down, and cupped the girl's cheek with a fond smile. Then, her eyes narrowed. "Why are you damp?"

"Ahh… Um. Greatest Dog slobber," she said bashfully.

"…Ah."

"So!" Foredog drew their attention with the loud bark of a word. She looked at them with all four eyes beaming as she padded softly up to them. "Have you received something from Greatest Dog?"

The skeletons gave the kid the tiniest bit of space and Frisk turned to the not-quite-as-massive-but-still-incredibly-large dog.

"He gave me this back," she said, holding out the shining orb, "and he licked me."

The dogs all around the room bayed approvingly. Foredog smiled. She took the orb when Frisk offered and, just like the sun disk, consumed it. Red magic shimmered at the ends of her white fur and a light like fire glimmered in the dark of her eyes.

"Timechild, we will help you," Foredog asserted. "Or, more, I will help."

"Really?!" Frisk couldn't help but beam. She grabbed the massive dog and hugged her tight. "Th-Thank you so much!"

Foredog's tail wagged and she nuzzled her big white face against the tiny kid before straightening up. The other dogs gave them space as she leapt the fire pit once more and nodded for them to follow her into a dark opening that wasn't there before on the other side of the room.

"Walk with me," she said. "Take a moment, if you need it." She vanished.

Frisk was more excited than she had words for. She began to follow, but was held back gently by Avenir. The big skeleton pulled her into a gentle hug. The kid certainly wasn't going to reject that. Avenir patted her hair before drawing back to look her in the face.

"What did you see in there?" she asked.

"A lot of spiral fire and the biggest dog ever," Frisk said. "Super cute."

"I still can't believe y'just started callin' DBs _dogs_ and y'were totally right," Vera said, wide-eyed.

"But they're totally dogs," Frisk said with a laugh.

"Do you have them where you live?" Zapf asked as he finally put down his new little dog friend. "You do, don't you?"

"Yeah, a bunch," Frisk said, waving to the dog as she also waved and bounded away to join the other pooches. "But we don't have, like… any of this kinda stuff? Sun Temples with dogs and—"

The kid felt like her brain fizzed all of a sudden. Pieces slid into place and she realized she'd seen a lot of the same stuff with the dogs in the world Pidge and the sharp-toothed skeleton brothers lived in. That would explain all the dog statues. Even the Sun Priest, Soleil, had been a dog. They hadn't had the massive war with humans. Maybe this was another thing her world had lost when the monsters were forced underground.

"Oooh. I guess… I-I think… I dunno, maybe dogs just wanted to live like normal?" she suggested, her voice going shrill as she stumbled over the fib.

The skeletons looked confused. She smiled nervously. She knew they'd caught her, but to her relief, neither Zapf nor Avenir pressed. Vera tapped her teeth thoughtfully.

"Could be," she said. "Weird! But, hey, I'm real glad they're super nice." She tilted their head. "Y'think they want anything for helpin' out?"

"Pet them a lot," Frisk said. "They really love that."

Avenir cupped her chin. "It's really no wonder communication was so difficult," she mused. "We were doing exactly the opposite of what they liked." She sighed and laughed quietly, shaking her head. "Don't worry about the compensation, I'll discuss that with them later. Come."

When they entered the dark doorway, it lead into an orb of golden magic. Foredog was already sitting inside. The magic closed up behind them and, with a loud woof, it began to float upwards until it popped from the floor of a huge plane with a base of rock and grass. Smooth stone walls stood around it, but the roof was clear and full of warm light.

Other dogs were here, mostly around the edges and near a glinting, crystal pond, and there were stone benches scattered all over. Foredog lead the group into the centre, where a bright, gold gemstone sat imbedded in a circle of smooth, polished rock.

"Here is the best place to make preparations," Foredog said.

"Perfect." Avenir held her staff out to the dog. "Where might be best to place this?"

The huge dog took the staff from her in her mouth and then nonchalantly plunged it into the golden gem. It slid in and stuck as if the jewel were jelly. Avenir's eyes lit with curiosity. She pulled some chalk from her tunic and began to draw circles on the floor around it.

"Can we help?" Zapf asked.

"Prepare a healing station," she said. "We don't know what may happen. To us, or to the boy, if we find him."

"Right!" Vera saluted and grabbed her cousin's arm. "Got an idea!" She dragged him over to the nearest bench and pulled a large bag from her mallet space. "We'll be over here!"

"Perfect," Avenir assured them.

Frisk's fingers tapped over the holes on her ocarina as she watched the circles evolve into strange constellations and geometric shapes, decorated with runes and dots on lines that resembled music notes. Her heart began to pound. She hoped this would work. It had to, right?

"Does the crystal serve as enough of an earth connection?" Avenir asked.

Foredog smiled. "Clever! It does." She looked up, squinting into the light. "We have everything we need. I'm excited to see what you've created in action."

"I feel the same," the skeleton said with a laugh. She drew the moon in one of the final circles, and a star in another; the centre was reserved for a massive sun with the crystal and staff at is centre. She shot Frisk a curious look. "Are you ready, little demon?"

"Yeah," she answered instantly. "Whatever you need me to do."

Avenir looked thoughtful. She picked Frisk up and stood her in the circle marked with a star. Foredog licked her paw and put it down in the moon circle. It left a print lit with gold and silver magic.

"I believe we're ready," Avenir said.

"Good luck!" Zapf called.

"You got this!" Vera cheered.

With one more look at the spell book, Avenir's eyes lit up with blue and red. Her soul pulsed a low and moody melody. Drums beat from nowhere and the sky seemed to darken save for the bright dot of the sun. A deep, voiceless choir rose up from her soul and her bi-coloured magic began to draw lines on its own on the rock, merging with the chalk and dyeing it at its touch. The melody was higher, strong and solid, one clear voice starting a haunting path. Magic sparks glimmered in the air, swirling around her, and after a few pulses, Foredog lifted her head and howled along, the same tune but a few bars back. Avenir waved a hand in an invisible, flowing symbol, and the magic bent to her.

The energy drawing itself on the ground sped until all but the star circle was saturated in red, blue, and gold. Frisk gulped heavily. The magic tugged on her. She cautiously let her soul light up and red surged over the chalk. Foredog's eyes lit with searing crimson and Avenir's light overwhelmed the dark in her sockets, a blazing star shining in the air between her horns. In the middle of the group, the staff beamed rainbow light, its own star mirroring Avenir's.

"His notes. Quickly," she said, her voice strained.

Frisk snatched up her ocarina and played Asriel's hum, trying not to rush despite desperately wanting to. Her own song swirled out of her soul and spun red magic around her as if carried in the wind. Foredog howled Asriel's melody and Avenir waved a hand, conducting the energy into the song of the universe. The star dimmed into deep, impenetrable black, so dark it hurt the eyes. Frisk's leaned forward, scanning for red deep within it. Like an eye of its own, the star swept through space. She felt a pull in her chest. She played the song again the void raced up to meet her, showing her a vision in red of Asriel with wings of pitch magic, frozen in a falcon's dive. Shadowy hands clutched at his form. His time was almost static.

"Quickly," Avenir insisted again.

Frisk's soul pulsed against her brother's. She reached out into the blackness and could feel his shirt in her hands. She grabbed him as tight as she could and pulled, yanking him back into proper colour and onto the magic circles as they tumbled to the floor together. He grunted, wings melting into smoke as he collapsed on her, a small, panting heap of white fur. He rolled over and his pale, dizzy eyes tried to focus.

"Eeeey, it worked!" Vera cheered.

"Hurry. Close it." Avenir said.

Frisk staggered upright in a daze. She rested her hand against the rip and focussed as well as she could. Red flared in her eyes and the star-shaped hole into the void sealed itself off as if nothing had ever been there. She dropped to her knees as the cacophonous spell died down, just as Asriel shoved himself upright. They locked eyes and she felt herself turn to putty. She reached out for him with shaking hands and touched his fuzzy cheek.

"Y-You're…?" She gritted her teeth and knocked the wind out of him with a desperate hug.

He laughed quietly and gladly wrapped her in his arms. "Dude, what happened, what—?"

"It's okay. It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," she mumbled, more to herself than to anything, even as her throat snagged. Big, hot tears rolled down her cheeks and she buried her face against his neck. "I-I'm sorry, it's okay, I…! I-I…! Ohmigosh…"

Asriel sat back onto his tail. His head was reeling and his eyes hurt from the light, but his sister's soul was stuck so close to his he was afraid he might pull it from her little body if he even moved. It ached so deeply that, somehow, it felt good. He snuggled her and she gripped into his fur.

"…Sis, what…? How long…? How long've you been out?" he asked quietly.

"I-It's been a c-couple days a-and I didn't know if I'd even be able to find you and i-it's been so crazy and I missed you so much and I'm s-s-so sorry I couldn't hold on and that you fell and—"

"Shhhh, shh, it's okay," he said. "It's okay. What happened, you didn't get hurt, did you?"

Frisk wheezed. Everything hurt. "I fell and I woke up somewhere else and there were S-Sans and Paps but different and another time kid and they tried to help but I got arrested a bunch and I had to fight Undyne and it was scary 'cause I didn't know wh-what would h-happen if she killed me and I couldn't find you and they thought i-it might t-take months and th-then I got lost out here and these nice skeles tried to help but I a-almost got them all k-k-killed and I made some guys throw up all over and they hated monsters s-s-so much and I'm s-such a m-mess and I j-just…" Her words were lost to incoherent sobs and she clutched to him for dear life.

The goat boy's jaw dropped. He rubbed her head and glowed his soul against hers as warmly as he could as she became a limp, weeping mess. He gulped. Trying to channel their mother, he shushed her gently and rested his chin on her head, humming a quiet lullaby as well as he could.

Once she finally began to catch her breath a little, he eased up enough that he managed to look around. There was a large horned skeleton he didn't recognize trying to help up a massive dog who had collapsed onto the grass. Two more skeletons were to their right, both of them looking exceedingly worried as the shorter of the two rushed to the dog with her arms full of food. The taller of the skeletons had pink glowing in his eyes. He cautiously waved to Asriel and the kid raised a couple fingers in reply. Though he hesitated a moment longer, the skeleton was very brisk walking over to them. He squatted down.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Are you hurt at all?"

"N-No," he said quickly. "…Who're—?"

"Is Frisk hurt?"

Asriel had no idea. "Frisk? Hey. Friiiisk. Frisk. It's okay." He gently lifted her face.

She had deep, dark circles under her eyes and tears were still pouring down her face. He wiped her eyes with his thumbs and smooched her on the forehead.

"C'mon. You got this. Okay?"

"Noooo I donnn't," she whined.

"You totally do. It's okay. Love you."

"L-Love you s-so much," she squeaked.

He booped his nose hard against hers and she couldn't help a hoarse laugh. He grinned. "Deep breaths. Alright." He tilted his head towards Zapf. "This guy wants to know if you're hurt."

Frisk's face flushed darker and she looked up at Zapf with big eyes. "Zaaapf, oh n-no, no no, I'm o-okay, please don't worry!"

"You were crying very hard, though," he said gently.

She sniffled loudly and tried to choke back the lump in her throat. "I-I guess it was j-just a lot." She finally released her brother and wiped her eyes with her palms. "I'm sorry."

The skeleton shook his head and reached out to gently ruffle her hair. Asriel snickered.

"Lookit you, makin' friends all over the place, huh?" he said. He shot the skeleton a smile. "I'm Asriel, by the way."

"I know. I'm Zapf," the skeleton said. "I'm very happy to see you're alright. She was very worried about you."

"Yeah, I see." He squished Frisk's cheeks. "You're a mess."

"I knoooww." She held his hands and blew out a long, shaking sigh. She met his eyes and she cracked a smile. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Was it a long time out here?" he asked.

Frisk frowned in thought. She sniffled as she tried to count on her fingers. "Um. F…? Four…? Five days? I dunno. Something like that, it's hard to tell."

"Jeez." His eyes went wide and he put a hand to his head. "Wasn't even close to that on my end. Man. I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "I-I gotta tell you s-so much."

"I bet! I got a little myself, but let's just take a breather first, alright?" he said.

Frisk grimaced, but she nodded. She took another deep breath, sniffled, and then finally seemed to gain some sense of space again. She took one look at the dog across the room and squeaked with surprise. She got to her feet and stumbled over, just as the huge monster managed to heave herself up.

"A-Are you okay?!" Frisk demanded.

"Y-Yes, timechild, don't worry," Foredog said, though she sounded a little short of breath. "What an experience!"

"How about you?" Avenir asked the kid worriedly.

"F-Fine!" she said shrilly. She turned only to almost run straight into Asriel. She grabbed his hand tight. "Um! This is my brother, Asriel! A-And, um. Az." She pointed sheepishly at the monsters. "This is Foredog. And Avenir."

"Av…? Wait, Avenir?" he said loudly, eyes bugging out.

The skeleton smiled sideways. "Ah. I see my name is familiar to you, too, little Prince. It's good to meet you." She knelt as her eye flashed red and she gently held the boy's cheek. "Poor thing. Your soul is so heavy."

"Y… Yeah. Guess so. I'm alright," he said sheepishly. "Thanks for helping my sister."

She dipped her head and smiled warmly at him. "Very glad to." She rested her hand on Foredog's shoulder and pulled her staff out of the crystal. "I believe I can soften the blow a little. Shall we?"

"Thank you," the dog said, her tail wagging lethargically.

As they moved off towards one of the ponds, Asriel grabbed Frisk's shoulder and leaned in close.

"Dude, wait, don't tell me that's your grandma?!" he asked.

"Y-Yeah, pretty sure," Frisk said. "I told her a few hours ago."

"And?!"

Frisk smiled sheepishly. "She was really nice about it."

"Does weird psychic stuff actually run in your family?" he asked.

"Seems kinda like it," she said.

"How'd you get yourself into this?!" he said with a laugh.

"I saw that grey guy who looked like Sans again, it was a whole thing," she said, rubbing her head. "Th-This isn't even where I fell into, this is… somewhere else?"

"Hey!" Vera slid up to join them. Her eyes were instantly glittering when Asriel turned to look at her. "Woooww… Man, you're even cuter in person."

"Course I am!" He tossed his ears with immense sass and then burst out laughing, his cheeks flushing faintly. "Hah! Thanks." He put a hand to his chest. "I'm Asriel."

"Vera," she said. "Nice t'meet you, fluffstuff! Glad y'made it. Aw, shortie, y'alright now?" She bent and offered Frisk a hug, which she gladly took. "Had a good cry?"

"Y-Yeah." The kid blushed. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Great!" She pulled back, patting Frisk's head, and offered both kids a fried pastry, crimped around the outside to vaguely flower-shaped with a dark golden filling peeking from a hole in the middle. "Eat up, it's good for ya!"

Frisk tried it first as Asriel inspected it curiously. The pastry was crispy and buttery and only lightly sweet, and the filling was a little like cheesecake but softer, gooey and smooth, with sugary, nutty mixture caramelized on top.

"Wow, thanks, that's amazing," she said around a mouthful.

Asriel tilted his head and then took a big bite. His eyes bugged out. "Wow, that's good, where'd you get that?!"

"Picked 'em up at the last inn," she said.

"You got an extra?! I'll trade you," Asriel said, pulling out his phone and skimming his item list. "Whatcha want?"

"Uhh… Ooh. You got any peanut butter stuff? Zapf loves that."

"Deal." He held out a perfectly toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwich from nowhere.

Vera laughed and gladly traded him for another pastry, which he safely ferreted away. "Damn, kid, you're goin' a tathe a second! Was it cramped in there or something?"

"No, opposite," he said. He gave Frisk a gentle nudge. "I'm gonna give that to mom and see if we can make more."

"That's super smart," she said.

"Ooh, alright, question," Vera said. "Fluffstuff, what the heck are ya, exactly?"

"Uh." Asriel blinked. "Like… a dragon goat, sorta?"

"But what's your real name," she pressed. "Are y'luck dragons, or capripans, or what?"

Asriel stared at her blankly. After a few moments of silence, he burst out laughing, shaking his head quickly. "Y'know, I have no clue!"

"What?! Even you?!" she yelped. "No way!"

"It never really came up," he said apologetically. "We mostly make goat jokes at ourselves, though."

"Yeah, but, a real goaty goat monster doesn't usually have that kinda snout or big teeth like you, and they usually got hooveses, and don't breathe fire. Y'do breathe fire, yeah?"

Asriel blew out a soft flame in reply and Vera gestured to it with both hands.

"Yeah, like that!" She rubbed her head. "Y'really don't know, huh?"

"Sorry," he said with an apologetic smile.

"Guess it's gotta stay a mystery," Vera said with a sigh.

"So, uh…" Asriel took a look around. "Where are we?"

"A really big tower thing that's just full of dogs," Frisk said.

"Oh. Cool. Sounds cozy," he said. "That must've been nice for you at least, huh?"

"Listen. There's like, dozens and dozens of dogs," the kid said, eyes sparkling. "I saw the biggest dog ever and he was so cute."

"How big?"

Frisk held out her arms. "Like as big as our house or something!"

"That sounds pretty great," he said with a nod.

"So you both know what these dogs are?" Vera asked curiously.

"They are from the same place," Zapf said as he joined them.

"It's just nuts goin' from hardly even knowin' what they look like to pattin' 'em on their cute heads in like a day," she said with a laugh.

Asriel looked between the skeletons with a puzzled frown. "Sounds like I'm missing a lot."

"So much," Frisk said. "W-Wanna…?"

"Yeah," he said.

The gathered themselves up near the bench the skeletons had set up at and sat in the soft grass. Frisk explained everything she could, starting from the pond, with brief interjections from her new friends. Asriel was particularly impressed by Zapf's description of the fight with the humans, even though Frisk clung to his paw with tight, nervous fingers through the whole thing.

Once they were done, Asriel explained what had happened in their short time apart, from his perspective. How he'd been hit by some beam that had knocked him from himself into a confused, grey mess. How the creature they suspected was another Gaster had tried to pursue him back to their home; how he'd been trying to destroy the weapon that'd shot him before he'd been pulled from the void. Including the odd time as a scattered, wandering ghost, it probably hadn't been more than a few hours. Asriel was adamant now that this was not the Gaster they'd met in the last world, unless it'd been a hundred or so years over there. This new guy was far too powerful to be the same man.

Frisk couldn't figure out if it was before or after the skeleton had appeared to her in black ooze. Asriel also repeated Gaster's vague reply about how Sans was doing— Frisk supposed learning that he _had_ _been better _was better than hearing he was a pile of dust in a ketchup bottle or something. Besides all that, she really hoped that was the last they'd hear from this strange skeleton man out in the void. They'd keep an extra eye out, though. The last thing they needed was some guy with a weird time weapon going around messing stuff up, on top of everything else.

When Avenir returned, she looked spent but pleased. She plopped down behind Frisk and scooped her up, holding her not unlike one of the small dogs from earlier. "It's all settled."

"Nice one, Boss!" Vera said brightly as Zapf clapped quietly.

"I'm just glad you're okay after that," Frisk said. "Foredog is too, right?"

"She's fine. Tired. She'll have to sleep it off." Avenir smiled. "As will I, I expect." She grinned rather proudly. "Despite the circumstances, I have to thank you two little ones. That composition was strictly theoretical. I never expected to use it. It was amazing to hear it at work."

"Guess maybe y'could do other big ones with Foredog, huh?" Vera wondered. "Since she's gotta be a Lord t'be that tough, right?"

"Hopefully," Avenir agreed.

"Do you, um, need anything from me?" Frisk asked. "For the, um…? I mean, if they wanted something for doing such a big favour?"

The big skeleton shook her head. "All they asked for was to allow some of the dogs to come train as Knights. And to make an official introduction for them in Burgstede. Both things I am more than happy to do."

"Wait, so how long these guys been around and you didn't even know they were dogs?" Asriel asked curiously.

"Hey, I dunno if anyone even knows what dogs are right this second," Vera said. "But they been around… I dunno, feels like forever, yeah?"

"Oh, hundreds of years, probably." Avenir chuckled. "A massive miscommunication, it seems."

"We were staying at a respectful distance," Zapf said, "but they wished to be pet, I think."

Asriel snorted and laughed, grinning wide. "You'll like having them around as long as you don't mind one chompin' on your leg a bit every once in a while."

"Ooh, yeah, that cute little one back home does that to Paps a lot," Frisk said quietly. "They, um, don't really get personal space? But I don't mind too much."

"What monster gets personal space?" Asriel joked. "I don't know if I've met a single one!"

"Oh!" Avenir looked down at Frisk. "You don't mind, d—?"

"Definitely don't mind!" the kid said quickly.

"If Frisk could be in hugs like every second, she'd do that," Asriel teased.

"I mean you're not wrong," she said. She gestured to Vera and Zapf. "Oh. Um. They know the future stuff, too, by the way."

"I guessed as much," Avenir said. She patted her head with a cooling glimmer of blue. "What a fascinating little while, hm?"

"You look much better," Zapf told Frisk.

Vera nodded readily. The kid's face flushed, and Asriel grabbed her closest hand and smiled.

"We, uh… I was kinda in a bad place just a couple months ago and we finally just got things settled and… A-And, uh, y'know, our souls are kinda stuck together, so we both kinda end up in a dumb heap if we're apart too long, still."

"He gets grumpy and I cry a lot," Frisk said with a sigh.

"Then it's too early," Avenir said. "Souls can take along time to heal. Little Prince, I don't know your story, but I know the feel of your soul is far from usual. Take your time, alright? Both of you. Whatever happened, you shouldn't pressure yourself to feel normal too quickly if it causes you stress."

Asriel blinked. He was at a loss. He nodded sheepishly.

"Wait a sec, you're a Prince?" Vera asked, leaning forward. She gasped and looked at Frisk. "So you're a Princess?!"

"What?! No!" Frisk said with a laugh. "No no, it's from his dad. We have different dads."

"Oooh, right, right. Wait." She put her hands up. "So. If… we're like the past for you guys, does that mean fluffstuff's ancestors are…? Where do y'think, in Burgstede?"

Asriel shrugged widely. "Got a King Goreged or Queen Astrid Dreemurr?"

"Both of those," Zapf said.

"And how 'bout Duchesses Edifyr and Delmi?"

"Definitely heard of Edifyr, at least," Vera said.

"Then yep!" Asriel laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "That's… surreal. I mean. Not as much as…" He looked at Avenir and smiled wide. "Damn, just kinda hit me how nuts this is."

"I suppose it is," she agreed with a smile. "But I'm glad."

"Okay, so, I know we probably don't wanna say too much about the future," he said, "but your kid? He's great. That's it."

She laughed. "Well. I'm glad. I'm sure I'll think so, too. I quite enjoy his little one, if I do say so."

Frisk blushed. She felt like, somehow, it was a mistake. Like she'd somehow fooled these kind skeletons into liking her. Wouldn't it have been better if Avenir could have met her real skeleton decedents instead of this insecure, unnatural human? It wasn't logical. Wasn't even possible. Frisk's mind was running away with her. She tried to steady herself.

She cracked a tepid smile and the big skeleton gave her a warm shimmer of magic through her hands. The palpable affection surprised her. She slumped.

"Th-Thank you," she said quietly.

"Sorry to interrupt!" A big, puffball of a collie dog rolled up to them. He beckoned with a paw. "Before you go, you should come soak your bones in our moonwater! It should help." He pointed to one of the ponds, where Foredog now sat with a steaming towel on her head.

Asriel raised his brows. "That sounds pretty good."

The skeletons shared a look. Vera smiled hopefully. Avenir chuckled.

"Go on," she said. She gently put Frisk down and then got to her feet, stretching, as Vera grabbed her cousin's hand and dragged him after the collie. She followed along with a smooth, sleepy gait. "We're in no rush, are we?"

Frisk shook her head. She wasn't really in the mood to float in a pond again, but she'd be more than happy to laze around with a bunch of dogs for just a little longer.

Asriel grinned. He snuck in close to whisper in her ear. "And you can tell me all about that _other_ place, while we're waiting, huh?"

"Yeah," she said. "H-Hopefully without crying like a dumb baby this time."

He mussed up her hair and grinned fondly. "That's my line," he joked.

Frisk snickered. She grabbed him into a hug again, her soul lighting up warm against him. Their songs fused instantly and it felt snug and warm.

"Missed you."

"Hm." He squeezed her and lifted her just barely off her feet. "We're sticking together from now on. Promise."

"Promise," she agreed.


	46. Time to be a mess together

The warmth of the bright sun was more than welcome on Asriel's fur, and the cool moonwater in the pond was refreshing as it nourished the magic in his body. After the void and its numbing, impenetrable cold, everything solid felt great. Not to mention, having some strange dogs shampooing his ears with fruity suds was enough to almost put him to sleep. He was glad he'd let them convince him to try it out.

Every one in a while, though, when he closed his eyes a little too long, he saw those creeping hands and had to shake himself awake again. Wasn't real. Wasn't here. That guy could be anywhere in the infinite void, but whoever he was and whatever he wanted, Asriel didn't care much. If he found them again and pointed that weird blaster anywhere near his sister, he was going to headbutt him into the sun. This place seemed safe, though. No tears in the universe that he could see.

Frisk was resting. There were dogs all around her. Strangers. None of them seemed to care. They lay in the grass nearby while she lethargically pet them, every once in a while looking his way and smiling to herself. He felt bad every time she did. He didn't think anyone had been so happy to see him since his parents had found out he wasn't dead anymore.

He eyed over the skeletons sitting in the water nearby. The smallest one— though she wasn't really that small— was pretty loud, and she laughed a lot. The taller one with the stern and spiky face looked a bit bashful as dogs sudsed up his large horns. Avenir was asleep with just her elbows on the edge of the pond supporting her as she slumped. They said she hadn't slept in days. He wondered if that was where Papyrus got it.

When he heaved himself out of the pool and shook his fur out, the dogs presented him with replacement pants for his wet ones and a new, simple blue tunic with a large, darker paw print pattern on the front. He patted their ears as a thank you, which went over very well, and changed in a bush before slumping in a heap beside Frisk.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey." She folded her arms under her head and made a face as she held in a yawn.

Asriel smiled sideways. "You feelin' a bit better?"

"Yeah," she said. "I'm not dreaming, right?"

"Nah." He propped himself up on his elbow and shot finger guns her way, a little star of magic flicking from them and bouncing away. "I'm Dreemurr though."

"Ohmigosh." She snorted couldn't help a grin. She sat up and flicked her fingers in the same way he had. "I gotta learn that, that's so cool." Only a piddly sparking of red came from her fingertips. She sighed. "Show me again?"

"You sure? Remember last time?" He smiled sympathetically. "Hours of nothin but fffflp." He wiggled his fingers to mime the little sparks.

"Yeah, but I been using magic a lot now!" she said. "I feel better about it, I dunno! Please?"

"Okay okay." He touched on her soul, bringing out the hidden, iridescent white points. He tilted his head. "Oh. That does feel a lot better, now that you mention it. Just concentrate. Borrow this. It's easy as heck. It's not even a spell, it just kinda _is._"

"Umm… Oh!" Frisk's eyes lit right up and she crossed her index finger and thumb into a heart shape like the spiral-tailed Alphys had done. A glimmer of red and a little heart of magic shot out and sparkled off to nothing. She beamed.

Asriel barked out a loud laugh and gave her a congratulatory hug. "See?! Easy!"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, now just…" He shot finger guns with an iridescent star her way again. "Star!"

"Aaaand…" She copied him. "Star!" A red, four pointed star exaggerated her motion before vanishing as his had. "Aaaah! It worked!"

"There you go!" He winked. "See? Like I said, it's not even anything."

"Man, why don't people do that all the time, it's so fun," she said.

Asriel shrugged. "They didn't watch enough anime."

She snickered.

Asriel smiled fondly. He leaned back where he sat and she flopped into him. She pointed a finger up and a little star flowed from it.

"Pew," she said under her breath.

The boy snickered. He mimicked the gesture she'd done, too, to form a little heart in the air. She grinned and contentedly rested with him.

Frisk was so strange to him sometimes. He liked seeing her bounce back from being upset so quickly. They'd still only really been officially family for a couple months, but the layers of timelines compounded made him feel like they'd been stuck together for much longer. He still didn't fully remember that he'd shattered the barrier with her a few times before they'd figured out how to make him a soul. But, like Sans always said, feelings stuck. He hadn't understood then, but he did now. He was very grateful.

As the sun dried his fur, he caught his thoughts wandering off to Chara for a moment. They often did in the quiet, inserting a lonesome ache into the bit of relief that had reached him. He tried not to miss her, but that never worked. How long had they been stuck in that horrible dance together, he wondered? How long had Frisk been caught between them? How old was he even at this point? He sighed quietly and stomped that down as much as he could. Chara probably would have loved this place, though. She always got along with dogs way back then.

He grabbed Frisk's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Bit of privacy, I figure," he said, tilting his head towards a dog-free area a little ways away. "And you can tell me 'bout that other world, yeah?" He lifted her arm and tapped the red band around her wrist. "I guess these rings probably have something to do with it?"

"A-Ah. Yeah," she said. "There's a lot."

He smiled and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "They're still chilling out, I think we got time."

She nodded.

They sat off in a corner and Frisk told him everything she could about the world they'd be headed back to and what she'd been through already. She even had some pictures to go along with it, but most of them were too blurry to be of use, except ones that were of buildings or Papyrus. Deep down, Asriel was a bit excited. That dream connection was fascinating. The thought of another time kid came with an existential chill, though. Frisk assured him that she was really nice. She wasn't one of the ones who had infiltrated their world; she had a world all her own. And, as for being another _Frisk_, she looked a lot different by Frisk's description, and neither her voice nor her powers were the same. That was a relief.

He wondered if there was a ghost of him or of Chara there, since the place was so different than theirs. Frisk hadn't seen anything like that yet, though. He hoped they wouldn't at all. Seeing another version of their brothers, or Gaster, or his dad was weird but manageable. He wasn't sure if he could handle meeting another _Asriel_. Another _Chara _in any form at all would be more difficult than he could imagine. Another _Flowey _would be wise to stay far, far away from him.

"So. That's about it." Frisk raised her arm a little to look at the red band. "I think these just kinda stuck for now. But Paps… Papyrus, over there, he put a potion on them so whatever the warning sound on it is a lot quieter for normal monsters."

"Kinda lame, but I get it," Asriel said with a sigh. "Oh well, at least they match you."

"Pff, I guess." She hugged her knees. "You'll like it there. For… For being stuck so far from home, we couldda done a lot worse. It's thanks to Pidge, in a weird way."

He nodded. "I'm mostly into this magic book stuff. Think we can buy a bunch to bring home?"

"Ooh, yeah, we should definitely do that." She pulled out the spell book for little monsters she'd got. "Alphys there gave me this. A-And thanks to Avenir's little ocarina thing, I can maybe actually do some of them now!"

"An oca…?" Asriel tilted his head as he accepted the book. "Was that what it was?"

She nodded and lifted the little vessel flute from around her neck to show him. He carefully held it, then grinned.

"…Of course it'd be an ocarina." He laughed and rubbed his temples.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"You ever play a _Zelda_?"

She blinked blankly. "What's a Zelda?"

"Okay, we're doing that when we get home," he said. "It'll be nice to try with thumbs instead of dumb leaves this time." He grinned at her slyly. "And I like how I still know more about human culture than you do. And Sans, too, I guess; he never heard of it?!"

She shrugged widely. "Nope!"

"What a dork," he teased. "There's one where you can time travel by playing songs, is all."

"Oooh!" Frisk laughed. She rubbed her head and looked at him curiously. "They didn't have that stuff when you were really little, right?"

He shook his head. "Nah. But I had a lot of time after I came back. Sometimes, if some anomaly kid was looping for a really long time I'd just sneak into the lab or someone's house and play video games. I mean, resets sucked 'cause there goes my progress, but I got it so I could beat _Chameleon Twist 3 _in like twenty minutes. So there's that."

Frisk clapped. He snorted and nudged her in the rib with his elbow.

"It sucks, by the way, don't bother," he said.

"I won't!" she said.

Asriel took a moment to look at the spell book. It reminded him of one copy they'd had at his tutor's when he was tiny kid. She'd passed away, though, and he hadn't seen one like it again.

"So. That grey guy. He's… pickin' us up?"

"Guess so," Frisk said. "I still have no clue how this works. And if this… place? If it's the same world as home, then… I dunno. Sounded like he couldn't just send us back, but I'll ask again." Her face fell. "…But I promised Papyrus I'd go back and say bye, at least. I dunno. They did so much to help me, I wouldn't want them to just be left worrying if stuff worked out or not."

"We'll figure it out," Asriel said.

Frisk nodded. After a few moments of looking worried, she scooted closer to him and held his hand. "Hey. Um. You sure you're okay?"

"Hm?" He looked up with a puzzled frown. "Yeah. Sure. Why?"

"That stuff you said sounded really freaky," she said quietly. "Like, the getting shot outta yourself thing? That sounds like the worst."

"Got to see mom and G, though, so it wasn't all bad. Too bad my mind was melting." He smiled ruefully. "T'be honest, it was really freaky. But being back together, w-with, uh… With you, I just… I dunno. I'm doing good."

Frisk perked up. She offered a hug and he snickered and took it. He liked being his regular size again for this. He'd almost forgot how strong her skinny little arms could hold. He let his shoulders sag.

"Kinda feel like we're gonna have to deal with that eventually, though, right?" she said. "I mean, we can't just let some weird guy stay out there and blast people."

"…I think he'd only really be blasting us," he said apologetically. "Unless he… creeps in somewhere. Ugh. Good point." He folded his arms and frowned thoughtfully. "Hm. You pull him out and I deck 'im?"

"I d-dunno!" she squeaked. "Maybe we can talk him down?"

"That'd be nice," he said. "I just wanna know how he kept finding me. I am pretty sure he's some Gaster, though."

"Y-Yeah?" Frisk asked nervously.

"If it's void stuff and he looks kinda like he's got skeleton hands, and he definitely has skeleton blasters, it makes sense to me," Asriel said. "And now that we know there's really a big dumb multiverse or whatever… I dunno, it fits, right?"

"I guess," Frisk said reluctantly.

The kid pouted. Asriel sighed quietly.

"I know you probably don't wanna hear this. I'm really sorry. But I still think all this happened because of him coming back," he said. "Not on purpose! Just… it's too weird that he comes back into the world and suddenly all these other ones start clawing their way in, y'know?"

Frisk huddled up, grimacing. She looked so small. "I know. H-He warned me. About others. I just… I mean, it's not really his fault. I'm the one that brought him back. A-And I'd do it again. So. I guess it's just me—"

"Don't start," Asriel said, rolling his eyes. "If you wanna play it like that, it's his fault for making you and blowing up in the CORE. Besides! I'm not saying _fault_, really. Just cause and effect." He grabbed her around the shoulders. "It's okay. Neither of you did anything wrong, right? But… I mean, if this guy is another Gaster, and he's already that strong, it's gonna be trouble if he's really bad."

"R-Right," she said.

"And if it's true, he's definitely smarter than us. G's been the smartest guy ever since… Forever." He sighed. "He's probably tracking us with science or something. So."

"Like, I just dunno what to do, though," Frisk said glumly.

"Same. But." He held out his pinkie. "Whatever we do. Together, right?"

"Pfff, of course." She latched her finger onto his and smiled tepidly. "Thanks for putting up with me and all this."

"It's the least I can do," he said with a wink. He booped his snout against her head. "Nah, I'm glad to help. I'm glad about all this except the bad parts." He sighed. "Man. I do really hope that bonehead back home is okay, though. Hey, tell your dad to use less euphemisms next time you see 'im, okay?"

"Youf…? Oh! Yeah. For sure," Frisk said with a small laugh.

"Timechildren." Soggy Foredog had approached them on silent paws, taking them off-guard. She smiled at them warmly. "How are you feeling?"

"Not bad," Asriel said.

"And you?" She looked at Frisk. "The spell does not seem to have taken much out of you, thankfully."

"I don't think I did much, to be honest," Frisk said sheepishly.

"I was wondering. Would you play that tune for me once more?" she asked.

Frisk nodded. She grabbed her ocarina and carefully tooted the melody of Asriel's soul. The boy's fur stood up on the back of his neck. The giant dog nodded. Her forehead eyes lit up with red and she turned her gaze on him with a forlorn smile.

"Ah. Little Prince. Keep an open mind, alright? All your thorns are yours now, truly. Be careful where you point them."

"Uh. Okay?" he said.

"And yours?" she asked Frisk. "If you don't mind."

"Oh, um. Gimme just a…" Frisk blew a note with every hole covered and then took a second to calculate. With a little less confidence, she played her own song. Her soul lit up on its own despite her hesitance.

The red in the dog's eyes increased. "Ah, yes. I see. Timechild. Frisk. Be assured. There is a reason you are what you are. "

Frisk looked a little puzzled but she nodded regardless. Foredog smiled fondly.

"Greatest Dog found you worthy. Please trust in that," she said. "I wish you the best of luck."

"Guess it is pretty nice to know a bunch of big dogs believe in me," she said.

"That's the spirit. Now. I have… a small favour to ask. If you don't mind. Before you go."

"O-Of course we don't mind," Frisk said quickly, getting to her feet. "What d'you need?"

Foredog looked troubled for a moment. Her ears drooped. "You've seen us where you are from, haven't you?" Foredog asked. "Would you tell me? Dogs and humans; dogs and the rest of monsterkind…? Do we… get along?"

"Super yes to both," Frisk said.

"Yeah, just about everyone loves dogs. And if they don't," Asriel said with a wink, "I don't trust 'em."

Foredog chuckled. "You needn't go that far. But. Thank you so much. I see… Or. I saw. A great mountain. With molten rock and monsters. But not so many of us. So I wondered…"

"You saw…?" Asriel frowned. Then, his eyes got big. "Oh! You're red! You're doin' prophecy, right?"

"Yes," she said bashfully. "I… saw you were both red as well. I sensed your time looping around and around."

"Look for the snow instead," he said. "Or the big city. Plenty of dogs."

"What a relief," Foredog said with a laugh.

"If you're doing prophecy…" Frisk squeaked. "…C-Can I ask something?"

"Ask," the huge dog said with a nod.

"C-Could you tell me if my brother Sans is gonna be okay?" she asked.

"He will," she said with a nod. "When you can hear him. He will be."

"O-Okay, thank you," Frisk said.

Foredog smiled. "Thank you as well. It's nice to have a vision cross-checked. And! It was really such a pleasure to meet you both, even for such a short time. I was happy to be a part of such a grand casting."

"No, no no, thank you!" Frisk hugged the big dog tightly. "It really means everything to me. And I'm really glad to meet you."

The dog smiled warmly. She touched her nose down into Frisk's hair before perking up suddenly again. "Oh! One more thing. Did Greatest Dog say much to you?"

"Um. Mostly he seemed really proud about how good dogs are at finding stuff," the kid said.

"Hm! That is true, we are very good at that," Foredog agreed. She tilted her head back towards the moonwater, where the skeletons now stood in clean, paw print patterned clothing. "Home awaits."

Frisk perked up, especially as Vera waved excitedly at her. "Az, they got a small castle and a horse and everything, it's super cool."

"That does sound cool," he said. He reached up and patted the big dog's neck. "Thank you for everything."

She nodded, then gave each kid an affectionate lick on the head. "I hope to see you in the future."

\- - -

Refreshed and relaxed, the group left the dog's fortress with many woofs of goodbye following them. The grand structure zoomed away into the sky, leaving a paw print shaped sprouting of flowers in the meadow where it had stood. Nimbus was grazing outside as if nothing had happened.

Asriel was excited beyond words upon arriving back at the castle. He wanted to look at everything, and did, running around the outside, checking out the small stable; even saying hello to the ghost in the well. As he explained it, even though he didn't know if Asgore or Toriel were born yet, this outside era was where they were from, and so getting to see any of it was very exciting to him. It hadn't really occurred to Frisk that they were as old as that, but she guessed they had to be.

The inside was even more exciting for Asriel, and Avenir was happy to allow him to run all over, dragging Frisk with him. Even though Zapf had just cooked over the hearth, there was an entire kitchen. There were books in there, too, though. The tower was mostly storage, but the very top was an observatory. There was star charts and books scattered across tables and a big telescope pointing through a window up to the sky.

Asriel was very careful touching things in here. He lifted a journal of star information to peek inside. "So," he said, "she's a huge nerd, too, huh?"

"Well, I mean, look at dad," Frisk said.

"True." He grinned. "Hey, have you been taking pictures at all?"

"Oh yeah, tons," Frisk said.

"Good! You never know." He folded his arms. "We lost so much stuff in the war. So. Any of this is good to have a record of."

"It's kinda nuts to think about." She scoffed at herself. "I keep sayin' that."

"Can't blame you," he said. He carefully placed the book back exactly where it had been, but a scrap of parchment fluttered out. "Whoops." He bent to pick it up, but then stalled, his brow furrowing and mouth twisting to the side.

The image there was mostly in black ink: a long, straight line that then became a tangle near the end, where black consumed the entire rest of the sheet. A red line cut through the black ink, and there was a repeated character of skeleton script all over the page. Frisk stood on her toes and peeked over his shoulder. She patted herself down and had to grab her striped hoodie to pull her skeleton cipher from the pocket. The character was a question mark.

"That's you," Asriel said, gently tapping the red line. He slipped the page back into its journal and, after looking it up and down, took Frisk's hoodie from her hands and blew gentle flame over it until it wasn't damp anymore.

"Shouldda taken a dryer from the hotel," he joked as he passed it back to her.

"Thanks." She gladly pulled it on and revelled in the toasty warmth.

Asriel nodded, though he had a thoughtful frown on his face. "I wonder how many psychics saw this junk and just had no idea what to even think of it."

"I hope not too many," Frisk said. "It's kinda scary to think about. Y'know. The world getting erased and reset like a billion times. It's hard to understand how it even works and I'm right in there."

Asriel's thoughts shot away to Chara. He snorted and rubbed his head. "Same. I… used to want that. Crazy, huh?"

"Chara really thought the world was that bad, huh?" Frisk wondered glumly.

"I think, when we came back, we both did," he admitted quietly. "…I mean, we couldn't even die right, y'know?" He laughed quietly. "Did you…?" He paused and then shook his head quickly. "Never mind."

"What?" she said. "S'okay. You wanna talk about her?"

"I guess… I sometimes…" He sighed and rubbed his head. "N-Nah. It's okay."

"Whatever you need," she assured him.

"Just… d'you think… if she stayed? Maybe she'd forgive me?"

"Forgive you for what?" Frisk asked.

"Getting us killed. Not… just going along with…" He frowned and grumbled under his breath, "She was so stubborn. Just like mom."

"I dunno, to be honest," Frisk said. "But the way she was, when she left me, I think she would."

Asriel nodded. He frowned. He didn't realize that his eyes had welled up. "Maybe it doesn't matter. I guess… it wasn't really her, y'know? I'm not really me either. Not in the same way. But still, I sometimes wish she was still…" He sighed, and shot Frisk a forlorn smile. "Heh. Sorry. I know. We're what's left. A-And… And it's good. Don't mean to get all mopey like this, I just—"

Frisk hugged him. He wilted onto her and closed his eyes, hiding his snout against her neck.

"I dunno if it'll ever be okay," she said quietly. "It hasn't been that long. So… S-So don't feel too bad about it, okay? I wish I could've done something but—"

"She took that option away herself." He smiled fondly. "Always had to be in control. I'm…" He laughed. "I'm actually glad!" He pulled back and quickly wiped his eyes. "I… talked to Sans about human ghosts a bit, y'know? I know those other anomaly people could influence her. I'm just glad that whatever you did, she got… to be free. And she got to see the sun with you."

Frisk looked like he'd just speared her in the heart. Her cheeks flushed, eyes teared up, and she quickly wiped them with the heel of her hand. Asriel snickered quietly and booped his nose against hers. She sniffled and laughed.

"That m-means a lot to me. Ugh. N-Now you got me crying again," she squeaked.

"What doesn't get you crying again?" he teased.

"Sshhh, shshshsh." She batted his arm gently.

A soft clatter of bones drew their attention as a large, skeletal bird flapped up the stairs and perched on its railing. Frisk smiled and stuck her hand up, though Asriel frowned with confusion.

"H-Hey, Zapf? You need us?" she asked, hurriedly wiping her eyes.

Footsteps rushed from below them to the base of the stairs.

"Ah! Down here!" Zapf waved at Frisk all the way from the bottom when she peered down. "I was just checking for you. We were going to have breakfast, would you like to join us?"

"Heck yeah we would," Asriel said.

The big skeleton smiled bright. "I have made my first peanut butter, I would love for you to try it."

"That was fast." The goat grinned. "I'm starving, actually, let's go."

They followed the bird back down, where it vanished in a shimmer of pink once it entered the big library room. The large table had been cleared and was laid out with bread and fruit and a large bowl of the aforementioned peanut butter. The skeletons were all there already. Avenir still looked sleepy, but she smiled fondly and stuck her hand up.

"I trust you didn't get into any trouble," she joked.

"Trouble? Nah," Asriel said as he and Frisk joined them at the table.

Zapf was instantly offering them each a spoon of peanut butter. Frisk tried it. The texture was right, but it was more savoury, with sweetness coming from a mysterious fruitiness, and there was a hint of the char of toast in there. All in all, pretty good. Frisk stuck her thumb up and Zapf grinned brightly.

"Thank you! I will continue to refine it, but I think it is a very solid first attempt."

"You did great!" Vera said. "What d'you think, fluff—?" She turned to look at Asriel, only to stall when she saw he already had a bread piled high with the stuff and was cutting up one of the fruits with a small, iridescent magic blade. "…That looks good."

Asriel grinned. His knife vanished and he blew a gentle flame on the underside of the bread to toast it. He dumped the fruit on top and offered it to Vera.

"Whaaaaat, really?" she squeaked.

"Yeah." He winked. "I'm doin' free toastings, let's go."

The toasts were perfect. The two younger skeletons were ravenous. Avenir was a slow nibbler. She still looked exhausted. Frisk scooted closer to her to hold her large, clawed hand and injected red warmth through her bones. As she did, however, she noticed an off-colouration on the solid palm bones of her hand. It was shaped like a star. Before the kid could ask, Avenir drew her hand back and stared at it for a moment. She laughed tiredly.

"Of course."

"What's up, Boss?" Vera asked.

Avenir laid out her hand across the table and Vera gasped so loudly she almost choked on her food. Zapf hurriedly grasped her hand in both of his.

"Boss…!"

The kids looked at each other. Asriel shrugged.

"Did that just happen?" Frisk asked quietly.

"Must've been during the casting," Avenir said. She chuckled. "I suppose it would have been stranger not to receive it from that, actually?"

"Is it a scar?" Asriel asked.

"Well. In a sense, it is," she agreed.

"It's a Star Mark, fluffstuff! Don't they have those back where you're from?" Vera grinned sideways. "By that look, I guess not! It's a mark y'get when your soul kinda does its true big burst for the first time. Right, Boss?"

"Full attunement with its own nature," she said with a nod.

"So a… star?" Frisk asked curiously.

"There are ones of Sun, Star, and Moon," Zapf said as he counted on his fingers. "Vera and I are both Moons. So. If we ever receive one, it will be… moon shaped. Most people do not, but, it's nice to think about."

"Oh. Oh!" Asriel perked up. "I think I know what you're talking about, actually, my mom said dad used to have a sun on his back before… b-before…" He waved his hand dismissively. "Anyway! That's really cool, congrats!"

Avenir smiled and dipped her head slightly. “Would you like a short lesson? If this is something you do not know very much about?”

“I would,” Frisk said quickly. “…Could I record it?”

“Record?” Avenir asked. “I may talk a little quick for transcription, but I can try to slow down.”

“Oh! Um, the um… This,” Frisk said as she held up her phone, “can do it really easy.”

“Dude, is that okay?” Asriel asked quietly, leaning in close to Frisk. “I dunno if we invent that until another few hundred years from now.”

“I have seen the picto-device,” Avenir said, “but, I apologize, I’m not sure I understand.”

“It’s like…” Frisk frowned to herself. She pulled out her phone and took a quick video of the table, and then scooted up close to Avenir to play it. “Like the other thing but it moves and with sound.”

Avenir’s irises flared bright when she saw it, as did the star in her palm. “…Oh. I…! And…? It preserves these? Through replicas? Many pictos all in a line, very quickly? Hmm…” She smiled nonetheless. “Fascinating. Please. Record away.”

Blue magic flaring, Avenir quickly reshuffled the room so all the seats faced her and, somehow, the light around them dimmed. With her irises glowing, she quickly drew four symbols that lingered in the air: a circle at the top, a star and a crescent on either side, and a leaf at the bottom. Frisk propped her phone up on the table against a bowl to film.

"The current knowledge says that there are four soul states. All monster souls fall into these three." She set the sun, moon, and star glowing more brightly. "Called the Celestials. Humans, with few exceptions, belong to Natura." At her touch, the leaf shimmered as well, and lines, like spiralling vines, crept up and bound them all together in a circle. "These were all intended to coexist and balance our world. Natura is steadfast and solid; an anchoring force. The plants and natural animals. The energy connecting them. The humans. The Celestials— the monsters— are the magic essence. We channel it into all facets of the world; use it to repair when things go wrong. Magic from the Sun nourishes everything. Without it, everything begins to wither and die."

Asriel held Frisk's hand tightly. She gritted her teeth and held him in return.

"A monster with a Sun soul. Let's say, your father, little Prince…" Avenir erased her symbols and drew instead a great sun with a large goat monster below it, with a big golden mane. "These monsters draw directly from the Sun. They are more powerful in its light, and typically stronger compared one-to-one with a Moon soul. They often specialize in fast and powerful bursts of magic." Her drawing replaced itself with one of Vera and Zapf, under a crescent moon. "A Moon-souled monster is able to take the light bounced from the Moon and use that to their advantage. They are more proficient in darkness than their Sun-souled cousins, and have much more endurance." She put a hand to her chest. "I am a Star soul. We are… uncommon. We can draw equally in day or night."

"Which makes 'em super buff," Vera volunteered.

"Well… I suppose so," Avenir said with a chuckle. "As for humans. They do all possess the trait of Natura, as far as we know. But, red souls who are able to express magic will fall into one of the three Celestial categories for how they process the magic their souls receive as well."

"So Celestial, it's not a spell, it's about how we work," Asriel said quietly. "Interesting. Okay. But, this Natura stuff… That's…?" He folded his arms and tilted his head thoughtfully. "I don't think I've heard of that."

"Is that 'cause y'don't have wizards?" Vera asked. "Y'said that, right, shortie?"

"R-Right," Frisk said quietly.

"So, there aren't wizards in your future? That's… odd," Zapf said.

"No, it's good," she grumbled.

"Hm. In ages past, humans took up what was called a Druidic role. Meaning, they tended to the natural world. And we, the etherial. This has all but faded away," Avenir said. "And what magic they can use has turned back on us."

"But didn't monsters have to teach them that?" Asriel said. "You'd think they wouldn't be so ungrateful."

"It's… true," the skeleton said reluctantly. "It is thought that Divine Beasts taught them, eons ago. Back when things were in balance. They were known to be great healers and bulwarks against natural disasters."

The boy frowned. "So us and the humans, we were supposed to work together. But someone decided _nah_."

"Even I am not old enough to know what began our split," Avenir said. "I do know the animosity has increased rapidly over the last hundred years."

"H-How bad is it now?" Frisk asked quietly.

"It is… quite bad," Zapf said quietly.

"The balance is askew. The world is beset by more disasters that come deep within it, and from the oceans. They grow worse every few years." Avenir's brow furrowed. "The human King tries to claim our territory as his. He takes all red-souled humans with any propensity for magic and teaches them his ways from as young an age as he can. Raiding parties raze towns, aiming for Lords and slaying anyone in their way to gain more strength," Avenir said. "My territory here has a population that is more spread out. If I become a target, the people in Crios Cnàmh will be able to escape." She smiled. "Hopefully it will not come to that! I have some defensive measures about. Anyway…!"

Avenir went on a little longer, but Frisk's eyes had glazed and her ears were filled with heavy heartbeats. She folded her arms, her fingers gripping tight into her sleeves. She couldn't get the thoughts of the raiding party out of her head; the snarling face of that human man her grandmother had branded with her dying breath.

What could she do? Could she warn her? Would that change history? Would it even matter?

"Frisk?" Avenir asked.

All eyes were levelled on the little kid. She gulped hard and tried to unclench her fingers. She realized how loud she was breathing.

"S-Sorry," she squeaked.

"Little demon, what is it? Was it too much? I know you are a human, but none of this is your fault."

Frisk shook her head. "S'not that," she mumbled. "S-Sorry. Um. I'm okay."

"Hey." Vera loudly dragged her chair closer and put her hand on Frisk's shoulder. "You're good, yeah? We know y'are."

The kid nodded stiffly. "Sorry. I… I didn't mean to interrupt."

Avenir shook her head. "Don't worry."

"Maybe a little break," Asriel suggested, leaning back over the table behind them and grabbing Frisk's phone. He took the kid's hand and pulled her from the seat. "C'mon, fresh air?"

Frisk hardly had the energy to protest.

Asriel took Frisk out into the grassy courtyard and sat her on the ground with him, pulling her into a reassuring hug. She slumped.

"Keep breathing," he said. "Your eyes okay? Gettin' any dark spots?"

"N-No, no, it's not like that," she said. She took a few solid, long, deep breaths anyway. "I just…! Az, I…! I saw her die. From in her own head, I—! What do I do?!"

"Oh. Shit." His eyes got big and he was at a loss for a few seconds. "When you and Paps came here?"

"Y-Yeah! I…?! I dunno what to do, I can't just…! B-But how much would that change?! Would it change anything?! And Vera and Zapf, I…! I don't want them to die, too! W-What if they got killed before, or if—!"

"Frisk. Frriiiiisk. Breathe," Asriel said quietly. "Just breathe."

"What do I do?!" she demanded. "I-I have to tell her, right?!"

"I, uh… I dunno," he said quietly. "It… might just be one of those things, though, right? How if… she doesn't do what she did, a whole lot of other people might not make it. Ah… That doesn't really help too much, does it?" He shook his head. "Maybe she already knows. She's red, right? Before your dad and Alphys called it determination, red meant _foresight_. She might already know."

"She…!" Frisk ground to halt. "Oh, no, she totally already knows, she knows I never met her in the future, I… Ohh nooo. I know I didn't come here just to screw up the world, right?" Frisk asked shrilly. "If… If I was gonna do that, he wouldn't have brought me here, right?!"

"I sure hope not," he said, his ears drooping. "Sis, I don't know what to tell you. Sorry."

Frisk put her face in her hands and groaned. "…And those guys are such garbage. Ugh. W-Why'd I have to be this?"

"Anchoring's hard," he said, patting her on the back.

"N-Not that, why'd I have to be human?" she muttered glumly. "I don't wanna be a wizard. I don't wanna be like those guys that kill my own grandma, I d-don't…! I don't even get to be a skeleton or something, I have to be _this_." Her eyes started to water with hot tears. "I just don't g-get how you mix a skeleton and time and the CORE and you get… human."

"I dunno if anyone in the whole world gets it," he said gently. "But you're Frisk. Before anything else, alright?" He held her face in both hands and gently squished her cheeks. "And. I love you just how you are. Weird squishy face and all."

She snorted and couldn't help a weak laugh, and she leaned forward to gently bonk her brow against his.

"I'm just kiddin', you're pretty cute," he said.

"Buuhh… A-At least I got that goin' for me?" she said quietly. "…I dunno what to do. Sh-Should I warn her about what happens? Wh-What d'you think?"

"I feel like I'm the wrong goat to ask," he said, smiling wryly and rubbing his head. "I've been either overthinkin' or totally ignoring consequences for years, with kinda no middle ground? But. I do know you. Somehow." He winked. "And… Well. I do know that you won't be able to live with yourself if you don't say anything. But you also won't be able to live with yourself if you say something and something else screws up. So. I guess my answer is…" He could only shrug. "Sorry, sis. I got nothin'."

"Same." She pouted and wiped her eyes. "What would you do? If it was you?"

"…Well. I guess…" He folded his arms and _hmm_-ed quietly for a few moments. "I think I'd tell 'em. Let 'em decide what to do. I mean. Heck. It could be that all this was supposed to happen to begin with. Like… Us being here, maybe it already happened like that. And it won't change anything. I've seen time travel movies where that happened." He tapped his chin. "But I've also seen totally the opposite in one where a guy almost had himself not be born by accident."

Frisk groaned. Asriel patted her on the back.

"I wish I could talk to that other Sans," Frisk grumbled.

"Oh? Why?" Asriel asked.

"If you make a choice like you're super sure you're gonna do it and let him read your future, he can tell you if you make the world blow up or not," she said.

"That's useful," Asriel said with big eyes. "…Can we teach our Sans to do that?"

"He's got enough dumb junk in his head, dude," she said with a sigh.

"Maybe your grandma can do it. Or… Zapf? He's got some sorta sense, right?"

"I think he's doing more like a weird soul and feelings reading thing," she said.

"Hm. I mean. Wouldn't hurt to ask, then, right?" he said. "You could be vague. And maybe, since, y'know, you're related to Avenir, she could hook into your soul a bit and get a boost if she had to. Y'know, like how you said that other Sans did when you were trying to reach me that one time?"

Frisk's eyes brightened. "O-Oh! Yeah, maybe! I-If she can do that kinda thing, that might work. Thanks, Az."

"Hey, I'm more than just an adorable face and fur," he said with a wink, and he tapped the side of his head. "Sometimes I think of something not dumb and that doesn't involve me elbow droppin' whatever."

"Or head-butting it," Frisk added. "Or throwing it in the river."

"Or Chaos Sabre-ing it." He snickered; had an idea that might cheer her up. "It's fun, right? Hey. We should come up with some new ones sometime."

"New ones?" she repeated.

"Yeah! New super moves," he said, grinning. "I can do all kinds of flashy stuff with stars and lightning, and whatever, right? We could make up some new combos. And maybe you can do something, too, soon, if you get really casting." He stretched and flopped back in the grass, his arms folded behind his head, mostly to keep his horn tips out of the dirt. "Y'know, Chara and I came up with most of that stuff just playing around. Like Star Blazing and Chaos Buster, all that junk. Maybe that's dorky? But. We'd draw it and make up super moves for when we… For when w-we'd grow up, y'know?"

Frisk smiled fondly. She flopped down on the slope beside him. The sky was bright and dotted with puffy white clouds. They kind of looked like dogs.

"It's dorky. But it's super my kinda dorky," she said. "What'd Chara get?"

"Oh!" His eyes lit right up. "She had, like, a red sword called Crimson Claymore, and she made up this really cool move where she'd, like, paint a colour and have it do an element, right? She loved painting, by the way, did I ever tell you that? I don't think she ever named that one. She ran through like, twenty things but we… never quite got the right one." His smile faltered a moment but then quickly brightened again. "But she also had one that was like, the opposite of mine? Star Raising, shoots up instead of down. Get it?"

"Yeah! That's cool," Frisk said. She spied a bone bird come to settle on the horse statue across the courtyard and she raised her hand to wave at it. "I dunno if I do anything cool enough to get a name."

"Well. You will, I bet. And your reverse thing, you could give that a name," he said. "Like, uh… Time… Crusher. Or, uh, Red Reversal. Or something." His face flushed when he caught her grinning. "I dunno!"

"We could make a list," she said.

"Yeah, now you're talkin'."

Bafflingly, there was a knock on the castle door from the inside. Frisk sat up and looked at Asriel, who merely shrugged.

"Yeah?" she said.

The door opened a crack and Zapf stuck his head out.

"I'm sorry, I promise I don't mean to spy," he said quickly. "I was just wondering if you are alright? Do you need to be reminded to breathe so you don't die, again, Frisk?"

Frisk smiled and shook her head. "I'm okay. Thanks, Zapf, I appreciate it."

The skeleton nodded and began to close the door again.

"Hey," Asriel said, waving him over. "C'mere?"

A little puzzled, Zapf did as he asked and sat in the grass with them. Asriel rolled upright and shook his ears out.

"So, you saw Frisk's time magic, right? The big one," he said. "What would you name it?"

"Name it?" Zapf repeated.

"Az, nooo," the kid said sheepishly, her face flushing.

"No, c'mon, every special attack needs a cool name," Asriel said. "Like, I got Chaos Sabre and Star Blazing and stuff like that."

"Is it really a special attack if it's all I can really do?" Frisk wondered.

"Yes," Asriel said certainly.

"Um…" Zapf looked thoughtful. He tapped his chin. "Well. It is… time, right? How about… Chrono Shift?"

"Ooh," Frisk said.

"Damn, he's good," Asriel said under his breath. He looked at his sister with his brows raised. "Chrono Shift?"

"Chrono Shift," Frisk agreed. "Thanks, Zapf."

"You're welcome! Though. I'm still not entirely sure what you're doing," he admitted.

"Don't worry 'bout it," Asriel assured him.

The goat boy was about to continue on the same train of though, but he stalled and his ears perked to the sound of approaching hooves. The others noticed as well. Frisk pulled up her hood with the little horn points sticking up and nervously clung to Asriel's arm, and Zapf got to his feet. He walked to the wall as— to the kids' relief— a serpent monster road up on a big, shaggy brown horse. Zapf greeted him and gestured him to the doorway into the castle. The newcomer nodded and slipped inside.

Frisk got up and snuck over to Zapf. "Who was that?" she asked.

"A citizen of the Boss's territory," he said. "She gives advice. And help. And permits. And sometimes star readings. Oh, and fortune-telling. Among other things. During most days, I believe."

"Aaaand I kept her up all night," Frisk said, rubbing her head.

"Don't worry," he said. "Though. Monsters may be coming in and out all day. You never know."

"Fortune telling," Asriel said, raising his brows as he joined them. "I know she's your boss, but, uh, it's legit, right?"

"It is, definitely," Zapf said. "Her trait of Foresight is very strong. Strong enough to be overwhelming, a bit, actually. Hence the soup."

"She showed me some drawings she did," Frisk said. "She saw me coming a little while ago."

"Ooh, interesting," Asriel said.

"Really? That…" Zapf tapped his chin. "Actually. Doesn't surprise me at all."

A few more monsters appeared from the trees. A fluffy blue owl in a warm cloak, a round, green ooze, and a tallish skeleton in a frequently stitched-up traveller's garb and a brown mariner's cap, with the faintest of golden tints to his bones. Zapf paused to greet them and beckon them inside. Frisk looked up at the sun to check the time. Just about noon. She wondered how long they had travelled to get here.

"Maybe I… should ask, huh?" Frisk said quietly.

Asriel nodded. "Looks like there might be a line, though."

"That's okay," she said. She headed for the door and Asriel hurried to join her.

The throne room already seemed full. A couple of ghosts had slipped in as well, all gathered towards a the bone chair where Avenir sat, talking to the serpent. She had donned a regal-looking red cloak and a gold circlet, with glittering rings on her horns as well. Vera was up there, too, standing guard, but she grinned and waved at the kids when they came in. They waved back.

One of the ghosts, hanging back against the wall, was very deep, dark blue with long arms and sharp, pointy fingers, a stark contrast to their soft form and cute, big-eyed face and moondust freckles. Frisk slid up close to them and they twiddled their long fingers at her in a wave.

"Waterghost, right?" she asked.

They nodded. "I waited tooo loong. I was gooing to ask aboout sooup."

"Zapf put it in a big pot with a lid behind the fire in the library," she said.

"Ooooh, thank yoooou." The waterghost vanished as if they'd never been there to big with.

The kids waited. More monsters came in. They let them cut ahead. Avenir was very personable and the atmosphere in the room was relaxed, if not a little reserved. Seemed like she knew the serpent well: she left her seat when they were done and bumped brows with him before he went on his way. Others asked advice on where to put a new house, or help decoding a puzzle found in a treasure chest, or how to best convince natural trees to grow into archways. The skeleton asked nothing, but had brought Avenir a brass spyglass from the coast to add to her collection of trinkets, which she graciously accepted. He waited around a little on one of the seats as others passed through the line. Some, like him, stayed after their turn to rest as Avenir continued to address the others.

"Guess it's just that kinda day, huh?" Asriel said quietly. He nudged Frisk in the ribs. "Give ya some time to think of what to say, huh?"

"Guess so," said said. The thought of it still turned her stomach.

The boy took out his phone, tilting his head. He scanned the room and pointed to each remaining monster as he did. Zapf came in with a smile on his face, followed by a familiar family of rabbits.

"Plus five, okay, think I have enough," Asriel said under his breath.

Frisk perked up. The spotty baby waved frantically at her from her mother's arms and the kid gladly waved back. The mother rabbit took note, dark eyes wide, and she handed the spotty bun off to one of her sons and beelined across the room to Frisk. She bent and squashed the kid into a hug.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"Same to you," Frisk replied, patting her shoulder.

"I'm afraid we lost your bottle in the forest," she said.

The kid shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

The woman smiled. She was about to say something more, but she seemed to notice Asriel for the first time. She froze, but then dipped her head in a bow. "My Lord."

"Oh! Uh. Howdy." He bowed in return. "Hey, your kid drink tea?"

"…Pardon?" she asked blankly.

"I was gonna make some tea for everyone, does the smallest one drink it?"

"Ooh, that's a good idea," Frisk said quietly.

"I'm sure she would try it, m'Lord," she said.

"Only if she wants." He nudged Frisk and tilted his head towards the hall. "Comin'?"

"Yeah," she said. She waved to the rabbit as they slipped out, and shot Asriel a sly smile. "Lord, huh?"

He smiled and shrugged. "Just didn't wanna embarrass her when she was tryin' to be polite, y'know? Probably mistook me for some other goat."

The waterghost was at the library table, sipping from a bowl of soup. The kids went into the kitchen and raided it of mugs and cups, and then Asriel set a cauldron bubbling with an exhale of flame. He had a box, and more than enough floral tea within to make some for everyone sticking around. Frisk also found some honey stashed away in a pantry and stirred a generous spoonful into each. She added a little extra to the three for the bunny kids. The waterghost was given a mug, too, before they left.

The monsters were surprised, but pleasantly so, when the kids came out again and passed the hot tea to everyone. When Frisk came to her last mug, she handed it off to the skeleton who was sitting near the front. He took it with a grateful nod, but his dark eyes lingered on her a little longer than usual. She hurried back to Asriel, hoping that if he'd noticed she was human, he wouldn't say anything.

When everyone else was finally done and most of the monsters had left, Frisk approached the throne. Avenir tilted her head.

"Were you waiting all this time, little demon?" she asked, getting to her feet. "You could have come up to me."

"Oh! But. All those people probably had to walk like all day to see you," Frisk said.

Avenir smiled fondly. She bent down on one knee. "What do you need?"

"I was… just…" Frisk hadn't really taken Asriel's suggestion to prepare. "I-If I… tell you something. Something important?" She lowered her voice. "About the future? D-Do you know, will that screw things up? Like, change the future and stuff?"

The skeleton chuckled. Her eyes flared with bright red. "Of course it will change. Every action changes the course of the future, does it not? But. I think I understand what you mean. You want to know if it will alter your home?"

Frisk nodded sheepishly.

"It will not. Your past has already happened one way," she said. "It's a bit of a paradox. You are solid. With you, your world is solid. It happens as it has happened. The past does not change. If it's true that this time links to yours, you were always intended to come here. You've already done this in the past of your home."

"You're sure?" the kid asked.

"Very sure," Avenir said.

Frisk nodded to herself. She clasped her hands together tight. The heavy door clunked behind them and she winced. More monsters were coming in. The kid was embarrassed to feel as relieved as she did.

"One moment, please," Avenir said to them.

"I-It's okay, I can wait," Frisk said.

"It's alright, I…" Her eyes flickered. "I see. It's important to you. But you'd… rather in a moment of quiet, is that right?"

Frisk nodded. Avenir smiled. She held the kid's face and gently bumped her brow on hers.

"Go on, then. You don't need to wait in here, it must be terribly boring," she said with a smile.

Frisk gulped. She nodded, then quietly excused herself. When she turned to Asriel, he was grinning and had both thumbs stuck up. She smiled. She grabbed him and took him back into the library with her. The waterghost was gone.

"Okay. So. If she wants, I'm gonna tell her everything," she said.

"Good. Cool." His ears drooped. "Too bad she won't… You know."

Frisk's smile fell. "B-But… Maybe in an alternate time she will, right? …Even i-if it can't be ours. Right?"

"Yeah! Yeah, maybe," Asriel agreed, nodding quickly. "But… those other guys…"

"M-Maybe I could… warn them, or something," Frisk said.

Asriel nodded. "And if she's wrong, what does a few more skeletons really hurt, anyway?"

Frisk sighed. "I hope… I mean. I dunno. I just… really like them all, y'know? And I…" She flinched. "I just wish I could be sure."

"Yeah. I know that feel, too," he said. "But. Y'know. Almost nobody gets do-overs. We were lucky. Plus, uh…" He grinned sheepishly. "You never did it because someone made fun of you for sayin' the wrong thing, huh? That puts you one up on me. Er… Probably more than _one_ up, actually."

"Oh yeeeeah." She grinned sideways. "Sans thought that was so annoying."

"Hey. To be fair. I didn't know he felt it," he said.

Neither of them were sure that would have stopped him, even in the early days. He rubbed the back of his head bashfully.

"I'm glad it's you, now. You're actually, like, responsible. Well. Sort of. Minus the running headlong into stuff that blows you up, anyway."

Frisk smiled and shrugged. He booped his nose against hers and then leaned up on the side of one of the cushy chairs and stretched his arms high above his head.

"Tired?" she asked.

"Yeah. Whew. Big day," he said. "Two worlds and shot with a stupid laser beam. Kinda nuts. Gonna be weird to spend the night in another dimension, huh? "

"Two…?" Frisk's eyes went wide. "Wait, so. Waaait. It's… all the same day for you?! So this morning you were home?!"

"Yeah, guess so," he said. "Home, then bad-G-tiny-Papyrus world, then shot back home with my mind all melty, then here." He rubbed his head. "Right, you said… you've been out for a few days, huh?"

She nodded and sighed, drooping where she stood. "Man… Wish I couldda seen them this morning." She trudged over to him and flopped her arms around his shoulders and slumped. "Glad I got to see you this morning, though."

"Me too." He squeezed her. "I'm sorry I left you alone so long."

"No, no no, it's… It's okay," she said. "Why don't you take a nap? You only had a little back at the other Snowdin house, right?"

"Hm… Maybe. But…" He looked around. "We dunno how much time we have here, right?"

"Guess not," she said.

"…Might just start taking pictures of books," he admitted. "And some other stuff. Maps, maybe. Since. Y'know."

Frisk nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

Frisk took pictures of every wall of Avenir's study, and then the kids gathered up some books that sounded interesting from the shelves: spells, map tomes; historical records. Frisk was happy for the distraction. As they were taking pictures of pages, Vera wandered in.

"Howdy! Done over there?" Asriel asked.

"Yup! I'm on break!" she said, stretching. "Zapf took over. Think we're nearly done for the day." She patted Frisk's head as she got close and leaned over her shoulder. "Hey, shortie, whatcha up to?"

"Kinda… making book copies," she said.

"Ooooh, that's weird," she said, her eyes lighting up brightly. "With your little pictothingy? Man. Looks like that'll take forever."

"Remind me to ask Alphys to make some easier way to do this, huh?" Asriel said.

"Big magic book scan," Frisk said. "If she can do one for souls, I bet she could."

"You guys sure do a lot of work for tiny kids," Vera said.

"Yeah, kinda the nature of what we do," Asriel said. He nodded at Frisk. "Really hopin' we can at least get this dork a vacation at some point, though."

"Maybe after… I dunno," Frisk said sheepishly.

"One day, you're gonna learn the feeling of true relaxed, and it's gonna be great," he said. "Don't have to worry 'bout your family ditching you, or Sans passing out, or humans being dumb, or timelines exploding, or evil versions of your dad breakin' your fingies. Hey, how are they, anyway?"

Frisk blinked. She looked at her hand and Vera leaned in over her shoulder to follow her gaze. Tiny bit of crookedness in her middle finger still, but she had almost completely forgotten that had happened. "Oh. Fine, actually," she said.

"Good!" he said brightly. "Anyway. It's gonna be good. Has to be. I'll make sure."

Vera grinned big. "That's real good. You guys, y'should always look out for each other, y'know? It's a good way to be." She looked over what they were doing again and then snuck over to Asriel. "Why don't you, uhh…" She gently took his phone from him and then erected a little bone stand on the table to hold it up over top of the book he was working on. "How 'bout that, huh?"

"Oh. Yeah. That's smart. Thanks! Anything you think might be good? You know. For the future?"

Vera tilted her head and tapped her teeth. "Oh! Yeah! Hang on."

With some small books on riding and a couple novels added to the bunch, the kids clogged up their phone albums with all that they could until Avenir returned. She looked exhausted, but she smiled at them with curiosity in her eyes as she pulled he cloak off and tossed it haphazardly onto one of the cushy chairs.

"Having fun?" she asked.

"Not really," Asriel said with a laugh, sticking his tongue out. "But it'll be helpful."

"I'm sure," she said as she began to pluck the jewelry from her horns. She turned to Vera, who was sitting beside Asriel with her eyes locked on him, slumped on her elbow. "And, how did you enjoy your first guard session as a proper Knight? Not too boring, I hope."

"Nah, Boss, not boring at all!" she said brightly. "I kinda like listen' to what everyone's got going on out there. And seein'… everyone. Yeah."

"Feel free to contribute, if you ever have any thoughts," Avenir said. "You look a little distracted."

Vera grinned bashfully. "Man, sorry, right now all I can think of is I wanna pat this kid's fur."

"I'm surprised it took you so long to say something," Asriel said with a sly smile. "Don't think I didn't notice you getting closer every couple minutes."

Frisk snickered and Vera blushed.

"Listen. You can pet my ears. It's fine. Everyone wants to," Asriel said.

The skeleton's eyes glittered with stars. "Y'serious?! Aaah, thanks, fluffstuff!" She gently grabbed his ears and her sharp-toothed grin spread wide. "Man, who ever thought the King of Monsters would be so soft!"

Asriel laughed and Frisk took over finishing up their book as he let the skeleton scritch his ears.

"Ooh, s'cute… Hope you don't mind these ol' pointy digits, huh?" Vera said.

"Nah. Skeletons actually have some of the best fingers for it 'cause of that," he said. "Sometimes, our brother, he just kinda does it without noticing, I think? It's hard not to just fall the heck asleep."

Avenir smiled fondly. She got closer to examine their setup, and nodded to herself. She put a hand on Frisk's shoulder. "If you like, we can speak now?"

Frisk gulped. She nodded. She left Asriel to his ear massage and went with Avenir into the kitchen, just as Zapf came back to the library reading a scroll.

"So." Avenir fetched a loaf of bread and began to slice it as her magic shut the door behind them. "What's worrying you, little demon?"

"Um…" Frisk suddenly felt extra small. She gripped her hands together. She still hadn't really put her thoughts together. "It's… bad."

"About my death, right?" Avenir asked sympathetically as she buttered the bread.

Frisk's jaw dropped. The skeleton smiled.

"I'm sorry. It's singing right out of you," she said. "Please, don't concern yourself with that."

"It's just… Okay. I just…" She sighed. "Do you know how it happens?"

She chuckled and turned to offer the kid a slice of bread while nibbling the corner of one herself. "It doesn't matter, does it? My son survives."

"N-No thanks, I… But h-he… He's the only one left, though," Frisk squeaked. "The skeletons, th-they're all…!" Frisk winced, her eyes welling up. "They're gone. We're… My dad and brothers, they're the only ones. I c-could tell you, it's—"

"It's alright," she said. "I will see it if I'm meant to. Which. Knowing my luck. I am. Don't worry. My choice is made."

"But I-I don't want all you guys to d-die." Frisk said shrilly. "I…! I don't want all you guys to turn to dust and nobody e-even knows where or h-how or—"

Avenir gently shushed her, bending down to hold her shoulder and pat her hair gently. "It's alright. Don't cry, it will all be as it must be in the end. You and the Prince are proof of that, don't you think?"

"B-But it was so b-bad getting there!" she said. "There's… There's a war."

"I am not surprised."

"And we lose really, really bad," Frisk mumbled. "I-I mean… Monsters. Lose."

"But we endure." Avenir smiled. "Frisk. It's alright."

The kid grimaced. "I-I just… I just wish I could save you."

"Little one, I don't need saving," she said with a fond smile on her face. "Everything that lead to your future has already happened. "

"I g-guess, it's just… Isn't it scary?"

"Of course it is!" The skeleton's eyes were shimmering, but she was still smiling. "But that's alright! Little demon, I'm sure you know this, but we cannot erase every bad thing that has ever happened to us. Or we would not be _us_. Others would not be _them_. But you know this, don't you? In your time, in that future, we've already discussed this. I already made my choice. You being here— you haven't changed a thing. This has all happened already."

Frisk nodded stiffly. "It's just…" She grimaced, unable to help the tears that dripped down her cheeks. "I a-already love you. A-And… And it's not fair that I'm… the one who got to meet you."

Avenir looked taken aback. "_A stór_…" The skeleton wrapped her in her long arms and cuddled her close. "Why don't you think that's fair?"

"I-I'm not even a skeleton," she muttered. "And you're…! You're a skeleton Lord. You're so cool. Dad misses you, and Papyrus would love your magic, and Sans would love how smart you are."

"Oh, Frisk… I wish you didn't feel that way, because I am very glad to have met you," she said. "Is there… not something for you, here, as well?"

"O-Of course there is, I'm so h-happy to see you. I d-didn't even know I even h-had a dad until just a little while ago, so I never even thought about having anyone else," the kid said quietly.

"You didn't…? But from what you shared to me, you seemed so close," Avenir said, puzzled.

"We are, it's just… a big dumb complicated time thing where he was like a ghost and…" She heaved out a sigh. "I j-just…" She quickly wiped the tears that dribbled down her cheeks. "I wish I was one of you and I… I wish I wasn't the same kind of thing that hurts so many monsters."

Avenir stroked her hair. She smiled, her eyes twinkling. "Do not be ashamed of what you are, little one. You are not responsible for anyone's actions but your own. Just as every human and monster is."

"It just sucks," Frisk grumbled. "I… I wish they could have met you."

"Please don't worry about that, I… Hm. It's very important to you, right?" She perked up and grinned. "Actually! If you wouldn't mind. I have an idea. May I borrow your recording device?"

Frisk's eyes went wide. "Oh! Yeah, of course!" She wiped her eyes and quickly handed it over, and then pointed out buttons on the screen. "This one to start, this one to stop, and this little bit is the lens."

"Perfect. I won't take long. Hopefully." She straightened up and smiled warmly at Frisk. "I know there's something else you were considering." Her eyes darted towards the door. "Though… I know you've said there are no more skeletons but our family. Do not forget, whatever your choice, you've already made it." She drifted away, humming softly.

Frisk followed and peeked out into the library. Asriel was snickering with Vera, but she and Zapf were putting their armour and cloaks on. Heart sinking, she hurried out.

"Are you guys leaving right now?" she said.

"Ah! Shortie! There you are!" Vera said brightly. "Yeah. We gotta make tracks. Got a summons from the Temple back at Goblin Grotto. Big surprise, right? Seems like a DB rushed out there after we left and it's real important for some reason."

"Something about star alignment," Zapf added.

"But! You'll be safe here with the Boss, promise! Unless you wanna come trek with us." She turned towards the closed study and called, "BOSS, WE'RE GOIN' FOR A BIT, SEE Y'SOON, OKAY?!"

"Have a safe journey!" Avenir replied from inside.

"We understand if you would rather not make the trip. It is still long, though we are allowed to borrow Nimbus," Zapf said quietly to Frisk. "We don't want to put you in danger again. Don't worry. We will return."

"Yeah, we'll be back this way in a day or two, I figure," Vera said with a nod.

Frisk gulped. Zapf caught her look and his brows furrowed with worry.

"Guys, um. We're… gonna have to go home soon," she said.

"What?! Aww…" Vera said.

"A-Ah. Of course you do." Zapf's voice was soft and a little sad. "That's a shame. It was nice. To meet you. And you, Asriel."

"Yeah, it was good," he said.

Frisk bit her lip. She nodded. Before she could stop it, big, wet tears dribbled down her cheeks. She hurriedly wiped them, but it didn't help. The thought of these two being gone— it was nauseating. Vera snorted and her face crinkled up as faintly turquoise tears began to well up in her eye sockets. She ran to the kid and crushed her into a hug.

"Aaah, look what y'made me doooo," she whined. "Don't crryyy, shortie, now I'm cryiiin'."

Frisk snorted and laughed despite the hitch in her throat. She hugged Vera tight. "Sorry. I-I know."

"W-We monsters get attached very quickly," Zapf said. His voice was a little tight and his eye sockets were glimmering as well. "…In a way, I'm glad you are the same, Frisk."

As Vera clung to the kid, weeping in sympathy, squished up against her, she waved her cousin closer. He knelt down before them and gently patted Frisk's shoulder. She sniffled and rolled her eyes, then grabbed the huge skeleton into a hug. He froze for a moment before buckling around her. His soul was humming softly.

"We will miss you," he said.

She nodded. "I-I'm gonna miss you, too. It was so g-good to meet you."

Vera made an audible _wah_ and had to pull away, shoving her palms against her eye sockets. "Buuuhhuuuhhh I'm a messssss, cuz!"

Zapf let out a weak chuckle. He pulled back and then, cautiously, moved to gently bump his brow on Frisk's. She grabbed his big, spiky face and held him there for a moment. Pink shone in his eyes and he coughed when he drew back, but he smiled and gently ruffled her hair. Vera whinged.

"Waaait, wait, I wanna skull-bump, tooooo."

Frisk laughed through the tears. "C'mere, then!"

The short skeleton grabbed her and bonked her forehead against hers, muttering something hurriedly in Creatlach. Frisk was glad to hug her again.

"S'gonna be okay," she said quietly.

"H-Hah! Shortie! Don't tell me that! I should b-be tellin' _you_ that!" She drew in a deep sniff and pulled back to stand up steady, hands on her hips. "It's gonna be fine!" She pointed a finger squarely at Asriel. "You, keep her safe, y'hear?!"

"Do my best," he said.

"And you!" She put her hand on Frisk's head. "You keep bein' a good wi… You keep bein' our demon, okay? Just, whatever you do out there, be good. Okay?"

"Okay," Frisk said. "Promise. Um!" Her heart beat hard in her ears. "I, um… I have one thing. T-To tell you guys."

"Anything," Vera said.

"Um…" Frisk took a deep breath and tried to gather her thoughts. "If… If, sometime, in the future, something happens, um… With the humans. Like… Like a war? Please run."

"Wh…? What're you sayin', kid? We're Knights, there's no way we could—"

"Please," Frisk said. "Just… Just get away. Don't fight. Hide."

Vera blinked. Zapf couldn't conceal his surprise, but he put a strong hand on the kid's shoulder.

"We will do our best," he said.

"Wha…?" Vera looked between them. She rubbed the back of her skull. "Sheeh, you're really serious, huh? Alright. If somethin' crazy happens, we'll try."

"Thank you, guys," Frisk said.

With one last hug goodbye, the skeletons headed out into the sun-stained world, leaving Frisk and Asriel alone in the library. Frisk was still mopey and sniffling. Asriel grabbed her and she squished him so tight she almost knocked the wind from him.

"Alright, alright," he said gently. "…Hey. I know it… might not help, but… You never know, right?"

"Y-Yeah," she said. "It… probably won't. Avenir said, whatever choice I make, I already made it in the future. But, I guess, I couldn't let them go without saying anything." She couldn't help but think of the raid again: if they were Avenir's Knights, they probably were killed protecting the castle. She tried to take a deep breath, but it got caught in her throat and she had to do her best not to start weeping again. "…I hope they live a long time."

Asriel tilted his head with a thoughtful frown on his face. He slumped and closed his eyes. "I'm excited to rest a bit, is that weird?"

"Nooo. Same," she said. "Ugh, I already miss them."

"And that Vera's gonna be cryin' the whole way back to Goblino or whatever she said."

"Aaah, don't say that, I don't want her to," Frisk whined.

"Heh. Sorry." He smooched her head. "I just mean… I don't think they'll be forgetting a weird time kid any time soon."

"Especially 'cause I almost got them killed," she grumbled, sniffling.

"No, y'dope, 'cause they loved you!" he said with a laugh. "Honestly, sis, you're hopeless."

"S-Sorry." She sat down and slumped over the table. "…Is it bad I'd bring so many people home with us if I could? H-Heck, even those guys at that bar or whatever, I'd bring them too, and the dogs, and waterghost. And the bunnies. Probably all Goblin Grotto. And all the people that showed up today, and—"

"Sounds familiar." Asriel teased gently. "It's too much, okay?"

"I knooww…" She pouted. "…Crap. I… I just don't like the whole _never again _thing."

"Mhm. Hey." He thumped her shoulder. "Let's just rest, okay?"

"What about the books? What if we don't have much more time?"

Asriel shrugged. "You're tired. I'm tired. We did a bunch. Let's have some tea and chill out."

"I…" She flinched— he really did look exhausted. She nodded. "Yeah."

\- - -

By the time Avenir emerged to return Frisk's phone, tea was made. She didn't look well, but she was smiling nonetheless. The hot, floral drink removed some of the grey from around her eye sockets, but something was definitely off. She, on the other hand, definitely didn't need to be psychic to know Frisk was upset. She sat with the kids near the fire, blankets and pillows brought close, as they lounged and read and snacked on buttered toast. The chatted about the world, about their hopes for the town they were building; about a few things that had come undone that they could do better now.

As the moon rose high, they received a note on the back of a tiny messenger bat that said Vera and Zapf had arrived safely. It had a cute drawing of each of the skeleton's faces on it, and Vera had attached one of the regional coins for them to take as a souvenir. Frisk kept the letter, too, and wrote one back wishing them luck, signed _A + A + F_, with a few similar drawings in reply. They paid the bat in gold and toast to take the reply.

Avenir was trying to stay awake to play the good host, her back propped up on a pillow against one of the chairs, but it was getting to be a bit much for her. Asriel was slumping, too. Frisk was the only one whose nerves still wouldn't let her sleep properly.

"You can go to bed," Frisk said to the skeleton. She looked at Asriel, who was laying down, cheek propped up on his hand. "You, too."

"I'm alright," Avenir said, though her voice was getting drowsy. "Would you like me to read aloud? Or…" She yawned.

"No, you should rest," Frisk said. "I, um… I'm not too great at reading still, but I could try if you want?"

"Maybe…" Avenir's eyes glimmered. "Tell me. About my son. Just a little. What does he like?"

"Books. He's the smartest guy," Asriel said quietly. "So smart. And he's nice. And such a nerd."

"He likes to make goofy word jokes," Frisk said. "And I think he probably saved the world?"

"Probably a few times," he agreed with a quiet laugh.

Avenir smiled fondly. "And my… heh. Grandsons? That's still a little odd. The tall one. Papyrus?"

"Papyrrusss…" Frisk whined quietly. "So sweet. The sweetest."

"Great friend. Put up with my crap," Asriel said. "Resilient. Like, so stubbornly positive. But shrill though. Easy to make him shriek with a bad joke."

"Which we do all the time," Frisk said with a smile. "And so good at puzzles. And cooking, now, too! And healing magic. Really good. Ugh, I miss him."

"Hmm. How about Sans?"

"Science. Space," Frisk said. "The stars. He's always loved that, before he even saw them."

"Ketchup," Asriel joked. "Papyrus. Frisk."

"…Yeah, I think, being a big brother's something he really likes," Frisk said bashfully. "Oh. And really bad jokes."

"These little weird cushion things that make fart sounds," Asriel said drowsily.

Avenir chuckled. "They sound quite different." She turned her eyes on Frisk. "…And what about you, little one? What do you enjoy?"

Frisk blinked. "Um. I dunno, I… also like books? I like… my family a lot. I dunno. I-I'm not too interesting, I—"

"She likes practice battles and learning everyone's hums," Asriel said. "And reading with Sans. Cooking with Paps and our mom. She likes loud music and cool rivers and watching bad… plays. Bubbles. Also stars." He cracked a smile. "She seems to think hanging out with me isn't too bad, either."

Frisk snickered. "It's good."

Avenir smiled. She reached out and patted the kid's head, and then slowly pulled her over to hug her. After a few moments, her grip slackened. She had dozed off. Asriel snickered softly. He yawned and let his eyes droop closed.

"Get some sleep, sis," he said softly. He yawned again and then slumped with his head on his folded arms. "Oomf. G'night."

"Night," she whispered.

He dozed off, and yet Frisk still couldn't. She looked up at the sleeping skeleton who was leaning awkwardly to the side. She gently propped her up and then dragged one of the blankets around her shoulders. After a second's hesitation, she snuck into her lap and settled in. She hoped she wouldn't mind. She sat there for a while, listening to the faint hum of the old skeleton's soul. There was nothing familiar about it, but at the same time, she already liked it.

"A… Avenir?" she asked very quietly.

"Hm?" The skeleton's voice was soft and small. Nonetheless, she carefully put an arm around the kid.

Frisk's face flushed and she slumped comfortably. She held her hand. "Um. I… I don't know how any of this works, but if… i-if we're gone. When you wake up. We made it home, okay? A-And… And thank you, so much, for everything. Love you."

Avenir made a strange sound. Frisk looked up. The skeleton's eyes were blazing red and blue and tears were streaming down her face.

"Ah!" Frisk squeaked. "I-I'm sorry, did I—?"

The big skeleton cuddled her up and laughed softly. "I l-love you too, little demon. I'm sorry, I… I hoped I could k-keep it together until you left."

Frisk snorted a quiet laugh and clung to her tight. "E-Even if you just liked me a little bit, that would be okay with me."

Avenir chuckled. She wiped her eyes and bumped her brow against Frisk's. "Get some rest."

Her magic crept through the kid, warming her up. Frisk glowed red for her. It was cozy. They dozed off to the crackling of fire and the gentle thrum of their souls wrapping together and tinting the room red.

Then, cool mist. Frisk blinked. The world was calm, dim clouds. She looked around quickly. She was standing in endless grey. Asriel was there, his colours muted, tucked snugly into a cloud like a puffy sleeping bag. She rubbed her head with the heel of her hand and then checked herself over. She had all her stuff in her pockets and phone. The photos were still there. She gulped. They must've made it. Done what they had to. She reached out and grabbed Asriel's hand.

"Az?" she said quietly. "Bro, I… I think we're good? Are you…?"

A chill brushed her skin, giving her goosebumps. She turned quickly. There was the grey Sans way in the distance, beaming and clapping. She raised her hand to greet him and he was in front of her in the blink of an eye. He put a hand on her shoulder and, suddenly, he faltered and grimaced. He grabbed her into a gentle hug. She was a bit surprised, but, for some reason, he seemed a little upset. She held him.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"You're doin' great out here, sweetheart," he said quietly. He pulled back, his eyes glossy, and held her cheeks. "Dang, lookit you."

"D-Did I do something weird?" she asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm just fine," he said. "I just… uhh…" He shook his head at himself. "Heh. Sorry. Sometimes I forget just how young you are, y'know? And how much all this is."

"I-It wasn't so bad, I'm okay," she said quickly.

"Yeah, you're not, though." He gently ruffled her hair. "All of this, it's gonna help. I promise."

Frisk raised her eyebrows. He laughed and wiped under his eye sockets.

"I know. Promises, right?" He snickered. "I mean it. Thanks for trustin' me, kiddo. You ready to head back?"

"Um! Yeah, but… b-before that," she said quickly, "can you tell me who you are?"

"You know already," he said with an amused grin.

"Yeah, but…" She didn't know how to explain. "Why?"

He barked out a loud, boisterous laugh, and then smiled at her warmly. "I'm what you needed. Right?"

"But, like, sorry if this sounds rude, but what are you?" she pressed.

He grabbed her hands and tilted his head. "What does a time god need to function, exactly?"

Frisk's brow furrowed, but then her eyes went wide. "Wait, you're literally just t—?!"

"I'm a lot of things. That's one. I been around… welp. Forever, I guess," he said. He ran his thumb along his cheek and a faint scar was revealed in the bone. Exactly like hers. "But maybe I change a little every now and then."

Frisk stared back at him blankly. She touched her scar herself. "Oh my god."

He grinned. His form seamlessly shifted to a ball of light, then the shape of Frisk herself, an exact replica. Then, that massive bone dragon, grinning warmly down at her. He was Papyrus, sticking his thumb up with a wink, and then Toriel smiling at her with pride. He was Sans again in the blink of an eye, as if nothing had happened at all.

"Of all the voices in the whole universe, this the one you needed the most. Funny, huh? There's some level in him that still doesn't get it, but always wants to do his best to at least come close to what you think of him." He patted her head. "Now if only you could feel the same way about yourself, hm?" He winked. "Besides that, though. Big reason I'm here is so all this time junk doesn't go straight into your little head and make you go bonkers."

Frisk stared blankly back at him. Of course. Same way she was able to compartmentalize her brother's memories in her dreams. Except, this was a whole lot bigger than that. "Oh my god," she said.

"I know, right?" He grinned. "Sorry. Hope that's not too weird."

"No, no no, that's… You and me, we're…" She pointed between herself and him. Her eyes sparkled. "Oooh, that's why I could still find you even all the way over in that other timeline."

"Got it," he said.

"So, wait, that other world—?"

"Oh! Yeah. The one that needed the reset? That was real," he said. "It leaked in in a dream like a month ago, but your real bro got in so it kinda went under the radar."

"And what about this one?" she asked. "It's way in the past from ours, but—"

"It's a whole thing, don't worry about it," he said, waving a hand.

"Will they be okay?" she asked.

"As okay as they always were," he said. "Sorry to be vague. Kinda have to be. See, been around forever, right? But we're also pretty young. Doesn't really make sense. It'll get better the longer this goes. But for now, just gotta pick and choose from what I can find so your noggin doesn't burst. Alright?"

"Okay, but, like, I left a bunch of coins here?" she said. "Is that… bad?"

"Eh. Already did that. I'm sure it'll confuse a historian at some point. Small fry."

"This is a lot," she admitted.

He smiled sympathetically. "I know. Sorry. Ready to go back?"

"Sorry to ask. But, can you help us get home?" she asked.

"Ah. Don't think so, I'd be shootin' you right into some guy's laser beam, and I see you gettin' wrecked a hundred percent of the time," he said apologetically. "And, uh… Even if that worked, I can't send Az."

"No way, then," she said swiftly.

He pulled her into his arms again and squished her. "I dig how fast you said that. Don't worry. I know you'll get it." He grinned bright and a faint purple sheen flashed in his eye. "Alright. See you later, kiddo, and good luck out there." He winked. "And. Don't forget."


	47. SUPERSTAR SKELETON CAN FIX YOUR PROBLEMS

The Snowdin house was dim and listless, a lingering gloominess in the silent rooms when Papyrus threw the door back, a sprinkle of snow following him around his shoulders. He was on his own. He didn't remain that way for very long, though, as a small, white dog plopped out from inside his ribcage and made itself comfortable on the couch. The same thing had happened several times at Undyne's, too.

He had so many things to do. First of which was to start a big batch of pasta to bring to Asgore's for breakfast. As the pot bubbled away, something told him to take it slow. Take the noodles from their box. Salt the water. He thought he saw someone in the corner of his eye, but when he turned, nothing was there. He peeked into the living room. The dog was still on the couch. Had the cushions always been blue, though? He remembered it looking more green before. Or maybe it was brown?

Sauce was next. Chop and crush the veggies. Cook the onions down. Season and let it simmer. There was something itching the inside his skull. Something reminded him of snow. A battle. An assistant chef. He turned and half expected there to be a chair and a short someone at his side.

While the sauce simmered, filling the whole house with a tomatoey oregano scent, he went poking around in the other rooms and grabbed both his mom and dad a change of clothes. Before he knew it, he found himself at that glittering star up in the attic room again. The light drew him to it like a moth. He had to yank himself away. Even if it kept evolving his hum somehow, he didn't really understand it and he wasn't keen on starting to cry uncontrollably again.

He headed to his room to change, and the white dog followed him. He liked his new jacket. He would have kept the pink tank, but Sans had spilled tea on him at Undyne's, so a sensible orange one with a basketball and the faded word _BASKETBOI_ on it in white replaced it. And skinny jeans seemed pretty cool, too. With his scarf and red boots, of course. For some reason, just staring into his closet made him nostalgic. He did used to have someone who would help him, didn't he? His eyes settled on his battle body, hanging up in there. He rolled his fingers over his thumbs and rubbed the back of his hand absently before pulling on his red gloves.

He turned. The dog was on his bed now. Papyrus spread his arms wide.

"You could at least make yourself useful! What do you think?"

The dog flopped onto its side and stuck its tongue out. Papyrus sighed heavily. It just wasn't the same.

He sat down at his desk and turned his computer on to check his messages, just in case. He had more than none, which was unusual. A bunch of monsters were congratulating him. He wasn't sure what for, but it was very kind of them, so he thanked each one as the dog clambered up into his lap. He also had a message from _notsans_, who he was fully certain was, in fact, Sans. It said, "gfdnmdnmksnbsdddddd". He must've fallen asleep on his phone.

Once he was done with that and the food was finished, Papyrus packed up spaghetti into individual portion sizes and put what didn't fit into his phone into a messenger bag. With the white puff of a dog in tow, he headed out and back in the direction of New Home.

In Waterfall, he peeked in on Undyne and Sans, who were still right where he'd left them, asleep on the couch. He gave them each a container of pasta and tucked the small dog in snugly with his brother before heading on his way.

Asgore's house smelled of tea, even from the outside. He made his way in and found the King sitting at his dining table, eyes half-lidded, his golden mane of hair a little messier than usual. He clutched tight to a steaming mug with yesterday's newspaper spread out before him. He greeted Papyrus with a big, warm smile despite how tired he looked.

"Howdy, son, how are you this morning?"

"Good! Strange, also, but good. Here! Freshly boiled and sauced!" Papyrus handed over a plastic tub of pasta with a smile, which Asgore gratefully accepted. "We went to the bottom of the big black lake and a weird void tongue or something got me and made my bones glow, so that was fairly out of the ordinary. And I also got this." He put the red orb on the table. "It summons small and yet mildly annoying dogs on a fairly regular basis. Oh! Also, we found Undyne and she is doing alright."

"I'm very glad to hear it," he said, smiling fondly.

"You wouldn't happen to know much about mysterious dog orbs, would you?"

"I'm afraid not," Asgore said apologetically, "but I'm sure it's harmless."

"Harmless? Yes. Annoying? Also yes." He huffed. "Is my dad doing okay?"

Asgore hesitated for a moment. Papyrus frowned.

"Is something very wrong?"

"Not… _very_ wrong." The big King got to his feet and beckoned for Papyrus to follow. "Come see."

Papyrus eagerly trailed him to the room at the end of the hall, where he opened the door very slowly. The cozy, faintly green room was lit only with a small desk lamp. Toriel slept on a chair she'd dragged in from elsewhere, arms folded, chin dropped down onto her chest. Gaster was tucked snugly into the King's huge bed, nestled in blankets so large they made him look like a child. One of his hands dangled into a bucket that was on a stool by the bedside.

With a soft gasp, Papyrus rushed to his father's side. "Dad? Are you awake? How are you?"

Gaster didn't stir. That was unusual. There was still black ooze dripping from the hole in his hand, though the bucket was empty. That was also unusual. Papyrus froze up, watching the the tar-like liquid vanish before it had even splashed against the bottom of the pail. He was positive he had seen this before. It had been in Sans's eyes, hadn't it? They'd poured it out into the trash, hadn't they?

He gently lifted up Gaster's hand. He initially thought ooze was just darkening the bone, but when he looked closer, he realized that the fingertips and the area around the hole were dyed charcoal grey.

"Uuhh… King Uncle Asgore, you didn't happen to notice this, did you?" he asked.

"His hand? Yes, let me…" Asgore froze as he got close enough to see. "Oh my." He hurried to Toriel and gently shook her by the shoulder. "Tori?"

She opened one eye. "Hm? What is it?"

"I'm sorry to wake you, but it's spreading."

Toriel roused herself immediately. She stalled at the sight of Papyrus, but quickly gave him a warm hug and moved him aside, taking Gaster's hand in hers. The pitch liquid darkened her fur but didn't stain and vanished as it dribbled down her palm. They could all see the dark on his fingertips creep upwards towards his first knuckle.

"That's a bit alarming, isn't it?" Papyrus said. "Oh! Maybe if I try healing him?!"

"It's alright, hun, I'll take care of it." She pulled back the blankets and blew out a gentle, pink and green flame that hovered in a halo above Gaster's chest, drawing out the glow of his blackened soul, too. She put her hand to the spot and frowned thoughtfully. "Asgore. Something to write on. Just in case that spreads upwards."

"Ah! Good idea." Asgore fumbled in his desk and came away with a journal and pen, then leaned in close, copying what Gaster had written on the back of his hand down. He looked at Papyrus with a sympathetic smile. "Why don't you go have some tea, son?"

"Is he alright though? Is that normal? Because it does not really look very normal," the skeleton said shrilly.

"We aren't sure about _normal_, unfortunately," Asgore said. "But, it's not causing him any pain at all, so that's good news, I think."

"Go on, honey, I'll let you know when we're done, alright?" Toriel said.

Papyrus didn't want to go. He wanted to help. But, they looked like they had it more than handled. No use getting too fired up about it, right? He took a deep breath and nodded.

"Right! Okay! Here." He put more pasta on the desk. "To keep your strength up! And I will—"

"You can translate some of these notes in a moment, just in case," Asgore assured him.

"Right! Gladly! You can count on the great Papyrus!" he said, thumping his fist onto his chest.

Despite his words, as soon as he was outside, Papyrus paced the hallway on quick, quiet feet. He sent his brother a text about what he had seen, leaning in to listen at the doorway every few passes. He could hear Toriel cursing quietly. She never did that while she thought he was listening— only in front of Sans. She must've been a lot more worried than she let on.

He was forced back when the door opened and Asgore popped out with his notebook clutched tight.

"So?!" Papyrus asked.

"I've been kicked out," he said apologetically. "Don't worry. Tori's very good." He handed over the notebook with a smile. "I copied out what he'd written on his arms."

"Ah! Thank you! Alright." Papyrus looked at it and found it to mostly be single words or brief reminders, or strange math or musical note combinations. He bit off the cap of a pen from his pocket and translated the ones in Creatlach to English instead, though what it said didn't mean anything to him. "And there we go. You do think he's going to be okay, right?"

"I do." Asgore looked Papyrus up and down and tilted his head. "My boy, are you doing alright?"

"Yes, perfectly alright, why?" the skeleton asked.

"Well, it's just, you just went on such a large adventure, and then to the bottom of the lake, right? That's a lot to do. Have you had any sleep at all?"

"Nyeh, not really. I can usually go for a couple days," Papyrus said. "I don't feel tired at all!"

Asgore smiled fondly. He chuckled. "Some things never change, hm?" He put a hand on his shoulder and guided him back towards the dining table. "Come, let me try some of that pasta. You made that this morning?"

"Oh! Yes! You'll love it! It's my secret recipe," he said, and then conspiratorially whispered, "The secret is hard work!"

Papyrus made sure to grab his red orb before sitting down. He half expected a dog to pop out of his shirt again, but instead, he got a text from an unknown number that was a picture of a dog's nose and nothing else. He rolled his eyes. Asgore was already tucking into the pasta. He seemed pleased.

"It's very good," he said.

"Oh, you like it?! I mean, of course you do! Excellent! Thank you!" he said brightly.

Asgore smiled. He paused, twirling noodles slowly onto his fork. "Papyrus. May I ask you something a bit unusual?"

"I can't see why not," Papyrus said.

"Do you… remember me?"

Papyrus stared at him blankly for a few seconds. "Absolutely I do!"

"Forgive me, it's been on my mind for a while. I know it is definitely a strange question," Asgore said. "I mean… You've started calling me Uncle again." He smiled a little wider. "Which I very much appreciate, by the way! But it's just, in the back of my mind, I feel like we were strangers for too long. Even though we weren't, really. Does that ring any bells to you?"

It did. The skeleton frowned thoughtfully and tapped his teeth. He tried to reach back into his memories. It was strange, now that he thought about it. Like there were two sets of the same events, one that must've been real and one with his father removed. As he considered it, he distinctly recalled not remembering Alphys much either, and yet they'd spent a lot of time together when he was just a baby bones. Almost all of that had been facilitated by Gaster. Of course, some of that fading was completely natural, but a few months ago it'd been more like he'd just met her for the first time in his life, not like he was reconnecting with someone he'd known as a child. The same was true of the King. If nobody had mentioned it, Papyrus might not have noticed at all.

"Oh! Of course," Papyrus said quickly, eyes wide with understanding. "Sans told me all about that! That's sort of how we know what's happening in our heads about the missing kids, too! Dad was outside of time for ten years. So now that he's back, there's the real memories and then the wrong ones, too. Which…" He frowned sympathetically. "Wow. Nyeh. I'm sorry! I… didn't mean to forget you as much as I did. I didn't even realize!"

"It's the same for me. There's no need to apologize at all," Asgore said. "Though! I am sorry you missed out on a few years of tea and biscuits, my boy."

"Don't worry about that," Papyrus assured him quickly. "There's so much weird stuff going on right this minute! You don't need to worry about me at all for even a second of that minute! I just would really like to help. You. And dad. And Sans. And Undyne."

"I know you would. You are very right, though. There are many unusual things happening all at once."

"Ever since dad came back," Papyrus said. "All of this, it really is a puzzle, right? Including our two missing pieces as of right now. So, since puzzles are my speciality I will definitely figure out something."

"I'm sure you will," Asgore said fondly. "I actually may have a little piece of a piece, if you'd like."

"Yes, absolutely," he said.

"The child that… The one that looks like… us. Like Tori and I? He's our son. We think we know his name."

"You do?!" Papyrus beamed. "That's great!"

Asgore nodded. "We are certain it would be _Asriel_."

Papyrus blinked. _Asriel_. He rolled the name around in his skull. It slotted right into some fluffy white monster whose face he couldn't remember, that he'd…? What was it? Duelled? He recalled red flames. But he also remembered a pillow fort. And stars. He could have sworn the monster was a rabbit, but no. The boy had horns, right?

His eyes got big. He wrote the name down in the book and in his phone and texted it to Sans as well. A big grin spread across his face. "King Uncle Asgore, that's fantastic! I—"

Asgore bashfully lowered his hands a few times. "The humans are still sleeping."

"Sorry, but this is very exciting!" Papyrus was still loud, but he hunkered down and tried to force his tone down to a whisper. "I can feel a few of my memories dropping into place with that name, so it one hundred percent must be right!"

Asgore smiled brightly. "That's excellent news."

"You wouldn't happen to know what to call my sister, would you?"

"Ah. I'm sorry, we did not name her as far as I know," Asgore said.

"Right. Yes, right, dad must've… Ugh, but he'd name her what it says in her soul, and without her soul how can we know?"

"Does the name really hold so much weight?" Asgore asked curiously.

"Well, _Asriel_ did something, absolutely," Papyrus said. "I just… I'm not sure, to be honest, maybe just for peace of mind?" He sighed. "Are you sure I can't help in there, by the way?"

The King nodded. Papyrus sighed again, much more heavily.

Asgore stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Would you like a job to do? A very official, Royal job?"

"Yes, please," the skeleton said instantly.

Asgore wrote a small list in his notebook and then tore out the page, offering it along with a pouch filled with gold. "There is a shop called _Sweet Dreams_ in the city. Perhaps, if you'd like something to do—"

"I would love something to do!" Papyrus took both and put his hand over his chest. "Don't you worry one bit, your Highness, the great Papyrus is on the job!" He unloaded the rest of his spaghetti and rushed out of the house like a whirlwind.

\- - -

Asgore's request was a grocery list of sweets. Though Papyrus wasn't sure, he suspected it was to treat the little human kid that was staying over. Understandable. She'd been through a lot in a couple days. To have been missing a parent for so long, only to have them show up, and then adding a bunch of monsters into the mix— it must've been very emotional and exciting, he thought.

He made good time into New Home. So good, in fact, that the shop was not even open yet by the time he approached its antiquated, wooden storefront. The time on the door said it would open at 8:00am, but that wasn't for over an hour. He checked his phone. Sans still had not texted him back.

He worried for his brother. There was something going on here, much deeper than anyone was telling him. The wobbliness he felt in Sans's energy was far from usual. He was obviously not well, but it was more than that, wasn't it? Papyrus had this uncanny feeling of anxiety, like he was trapped watching the sand trickle down through an hourglass.

He paced the street, lost in thought, wandering a little farther every few passes. It wasn't until the sound of water splashing jarred him out of his head that he realized he'd completely left the block. He was at a small park meant for strolling, with shimmery grass and a big, round fountain spraying in its centre. Nobody was there, save for a spotted rabbit jogging way off across the other end of the small field. Papyrus sighed at himself, shaking his head. That was very much not like him. He needed to focus.

He took a seat on a nearby bench, knitting his fingers together, frowning at the grass beneath his boots. There had to be something he could do other than lake diving and emotional support, but all he could think about was Sans. He didn't get far in his musings, however, before the squeal of a familiar voice lifted his gaze from the ground.

Over his shoulder, he caught sight of two friends heading towards him: Catty, the round, purple cat and Bratty, the tall, pink-eyed alligator with blonde, corkscrew curls. Catty's dark, colour-streaked hair was a little askew, and she wore an oversized, cream and pink sweater and black leggings with loud, rainbow shapes all over them. Bratty was in a blue tank top with a pink plaid sweater tied around her waist, hanging over torn jeans with heart-shaped patches stitched into them. He was glad to see them, though a little surprised that they were up so early. They were usually the noon-or-later kind of monsters.

Catty was grinning wide and waving frantically, the sleeve of her sweater half-consuming her paw. Papyrus raised a hand to greet her.

"Heeeeey, Papyrus!" She bounced over to him but, taking one look at his face, she pouted and pushed in close to him on the bench. "Dude, you look, like, waaay outta it."

Bratty grabbed his shoulders from behind and leaned over him curiously. "You're all mopey and stuff. That's not very Papyrus of you."

"Siiiigh, I know. Hello, friends." He straightened up and shot them a smile. "What is up?"

"Eh, not a whole lot," Bratty said, though she winked. "Pff, as if."

"We went to the early MTT screening at the Archives last night! And then we totally fell asleep there," Catty said with a laugh. "Are you here for your big thing?! Oh, you should be totally psyched! And great work, by the way! It was like, WOW! "

"Oh! Uh. Thank you?" Papyrus said, hardly masking his confusion at all. "I'm just waiting for a store to open, to be honest."

"Man, you can't be looking so totally down about just that," Bratty said.

Papyrus smiled tepidly. "I guess it's been a bit of a week."

"You missed our cooking thing, so it must be," the alligator said. "What's going on?"

"Would you like the short version or the long one?" he asked.

"Long!" Catty said.

"Short." Bratty overran her words.

"Bratty!" the cat whined, holding the skeleton's arm. "Okay, fine, short." She grinned sheepishly. "I-I just like hearing him talk."

Papyrus laughed and rubbed his brow. "Well. I don't blame you. My brother got sick but when he woke up, it turned out he woke up because my little brother and sister— who I can't remember existing— left the world and time, too, I think? To fix him, because that was a whole entire mess, but then they also got lost out there so we have to find a way to find them and bring them home because things apparently keep changing in the world that are not supposed to change." He sighed. "I want to remember so badly, I feel like it's this itch inside my skull and it's really not very fun at all, to be honest."

"Whoa. Lame," Catty said, wide-eyed. "I mean, I'm glad he woke up, though. I guess it did look, like, pretty serious when we visited you, right?"

"Your brother isn't playing a totally shady prank on you, is he?" Bratty asked, her brow furrowing.

"Nnnno, no, he definitely isn't, basically everyone I know is fully in on this," he said. "Even the King, a little bit! And my mom. And my dad."

"Whaaaaat?!" The cat held her cheeks in dismay.

Bratty pouted. She gave the skeleton a light, reassuring hug. "Total bummer, dude. Do you know what's wrong with him?"

"It's hard to say. Do you think…?" He flinched. "Do you think a monster can die from a broken heart?"

"Oh yeah, for sure!" Catty said.

"Catty," Bratty chided.

"What? My aunt totally got dusted that way," the cat said, ears drooping. "I think it happens a lot."

"Okay, but like, you couldda said it softer."

"Sorry, Bratty."

Papyrus frowned. He clenched his hands together.

"I-I'm sure your brother will be fine!" Catty said swiftly.

"So am I, but this is all making him sick anyway," he said. "It's hard. Because my memories are wrong. But his are right. These missing kids, he must love them so much. So I must've loved them, too. Maybe if I could just remember, it would help him, somehow."

"You're, like, sure it's real, though, yeah?" Bratty asked.

"Yes, for sure! There's lots of little hints laying around back home," Papyrus said. "And other people who met them can remember little bits. It's all just… a little frustrating, I guess. I am the great Papyrus, after all! I should remember. Right?"

Catty shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry, Papy, it kinda all sounds bad to me, but I hope you, like, figure it out!"

"He'll totally figure it out," Bratty said, sticking her tongue out as she patted the skeleton's shoulders. "You're, like, really good at fixing stuff and finding stuff. Like that one time, remember? Or, uh, that other time?"

"So many times!" the cat agreed eagerly. "And, I mean, you definitely shouldn't let it ruin your big day!"

"Big day?" he repeated.

"Yeah, your billboard is up today, right?" she said.

"It's gonna be the biggest picture of your face since, uh, the movie I guess?" Bratty said with a sideways smile. "Pretty wicked."

"Movie?" He scratched his head. "You mean the play? That was then turned into a movie? WAIT." He held up both hands. "I'M ON A BILLBOARD?!"

"No offence, Papy, but you're like, totally outta it, huh?" Catty asked with a sympathetic smile. She took his hands and pulled him to his feet. "C'mon, let's go find it!"

"But I…" He checked the time. It was still a while until the shop opened. "Alright! Show me to this mysterious billboard!"

Catty eagerly lead the way. It was only once they'd covered a block that Papyrus realized he had not gone nearly as far as he had thought. The candy store, which they passed, was exactly where it should have been, but the park occupied a space where a block of more shops had been less than twenty minutes ago. Papyrus had to quell his surprise despite doing a very obvious double-take, and continued on with Bratty hanging off his arm. He wondered where those buildings ended up.

The district of shops was narrow and cozy and perpetually looked overcast. Emerging from it gave room to stretch, but little alleviation of the greyness. Again, Papyrus could've sworn this place looked a little more colourful the last time he'd been here. His eyes felt weird.

They passed by a few big, white, round-roofed buildings, but just beyond that, Papyrus was quickly confronted by a huge image of himself on a board rimmed with flashing bulbs positioned just off the side of a road. A tired-looking purple slime in a hat and overalls had presumably just finished putting it up, and he now puddled down a ladder to get back down to the sidewalk.

The massive image boldly announced the name _BLACKLETTER_ in huge, dramatic font. _Produced by MTT _was pretty big, too. Aside from that, Papyrus was front and centre. He stood, staring seriously off into a grey sky, in a sleeveless black tunic, dark scarf trailing behind him. He had fingerless gloves on and carried a bow made from bone and an arrow with a tip in blue magic and shaft and guiding feathers in orange. He also had what seemed to be a dark spiral tattoo wrapped like a snake around his upper humerus.

Papyrus's jaw dropped. "Wh…?! WHAT?!"

"Man, I should like, get that poster soon," Catty said. "You'd sign it for me, right? Promise I wouldn't sell it. Like, not for a couple months, at least."

"I mean, yes of course, but—!" He looked at the others with wide eyes. "Was this what you saw last night?!"

"No duh," Bratty said, sticking her tongue out at him. "It was pretty good."

"So good!" Catty agreed brightly. She pressed herself snug against Bratty and grabbed the skeleton around the shoulders to yank him over. She stuck out her tongue and put up her fingers in a peace-sign as she snapped a quick selfie of the three of them.

Papyrus put a hand to his head. "Wooould you excuse me for a few minutes, please?" He took out his phone and hurried away quickly, calling up Mettaton as quickly as his fingers would move.

"Helllooo, darling, you're up early," Mettaton answered.

"Ah! Hello, it is I, the great Papyrus—"

"I know, doll."

"Nyeh. Yes. Well. Did we…? Did we film a movie?!" he asked.

"Of course we did, the premiere's tonight!" Mettaton said brightly. "Though the pre-screening seemed to go off without a hitch! My… I mean, _our_ fans really are something else, hm?! Did your friends get those special tickets you asked for?"

"Wait, wait wait. Could you just do me a small tiny minuscule favour and explain to me when exactly we did this?!"

"Ummm… A few months ago, I suppose. I have so many projects going, you'll have to excuse not remembering the exact date," Mettaton said with a laugh. "Why?"

Papyrus was left speechless for the first time in a long while. He stared up at the poster of himself. His eyes glittered with stars. "I-I'm a famous actor?!"

Mettaton laughed heartily. "You're welcome!"

The skeleton bit back an excited laugh and had to take a deep breath. "Okay. Okaaaay, okay. That's fine. That's good, in fact! But. Okay. You know that whole, um, time thing? That. We. Discussed?"

"Mhmmm?"

"So, um, I don't think I remember making a movie at all and that time just changed last night?"

"Huh. Well, that's bizarre," he said. "It couldn't be just your memory being off, could it?"

"It is absolutely my memory being off, that is the whole point!" Papyrus insisted. "Or, maybe my memory is fine and it's the past that's wrong?! I'm not sure, exactly!"

"…Oh, wait, you mean like that sign up on the elevator outside? The one that you clearly made but fully denied making?"

"Yes! Yes, exactly, just like that," he said.

"Do…? Do you not remember the story, then?" Mettaton asked curiously.

"I have literally not one single memory of any of this."

"Ooh!" He sounded eminently pleased. "Actually! That's wonderful news!"

"Is it?!"

"Oh, what I wouldn't give to look at one of my projects with fresh eyes! Papyrus, darling, think of this as a blessing!"

"Well. Okay. I… guess I'll try?! I'm actually very busy with time shenanigans and chores from the King, though, so it may need to wait." He hoped it wouldn't erase itself from existence before he got a chance to watch it, though.

"I'll send you a screener," Mettaton said absently. "I have to go, my rosewater sparkle bath is all foaming up. Toodles, superstar!"

Mettaton hung up, leaving Papyrus in a bit of a daze. A weird slimy feeling smacked against his hand. He looked down to see the beleaguered slime.

"Sorry. Would you mind? Signing this?" He held up a poster of BLACKLETTER and a pen.

"I don't mind at all!" Papyrus hurriedly signed the picture for the short monster.

"Hey, thanks man, you're a good egg," he said, sliming away.

Papyrus took a deep breath. He stared at that bow and arrow. Could two kinds of magic even be cast in one attack like that? He held out a hand and formed a curved bow like what he saw as naturally as if he'd done it a thousand times. Then, as he drew a magic string, his soul sparked and a bicoloured arrow glimmered into existence in his hand. He yelped and let it go, shattering them both into sparkling dust.

"Papy, what you dooooing?" Catty asked. "Ooh! Was that the famous Blackletter Bow?!"

"Is it famous if the movie's, like, not technically out 'til tonight?" Bratty joked.

"I was just, uhhh… Calling my producer! To tell him that the billboard looks really fantastic!" Papyrus said. "Really, this is…! This is extremely cool, to be honest, but I…" He had a sudden, dramatic hit of nauseous worry. He looked down at his left arm. "Oooh. Nyooo, I wonder if I…?" Cringing, he rolled up his sleeve all the way to the shoulder. Though it was light grey instead of black, he found he did indeed have that spiral tattoo around his arm bone. "Oh shit." He put a hand to his mouth, then groaned loudly and slapped his palm against his brow. "Who even am I right this second?!"

"Heeey, are you okay?" Catty asked worriedly, rubbing his back.

"Sans is going to be so perturbed," he grumbled. "I am very sorry for the rude word, friends, I don't typically like to swear."

"Pff, don't worry about it, y'dork," Bratty assured him.

"I…!" His eyes lingered on the billboard for a minute, but he shook his head and tore himself away. "I should really get back to my errand!"

"Oh. Well. Can we, like, tag along?" Catty asked. "Or, I'd like to. Especially if we're getting snacks. We're getting snacks, right?"

"We're so getting snacks," the alligator said.

"Feel free. I'd be pretty happy to have company right now, to be honest," Papyrus said. He hoped the store was still even there.

The girls were extremely chatty on the way back, which he appreciated, but he was having a hard time focusing as he tried to recombobulate himself. To his relief, _Sweet Dreams_ was exactly where it was supposed to be, and it was open a few minutes early to boot.

Papyrus wasn't sure he'd ever been here, and though a candy shop didn't really appeal to him, the place was like a cozy wood cabin that had a nostalgic feeling seeping from its planks. It was packed full of shelves, the candy itself a welcome splash of colour in their displays. A bowl of bonbons acted as a greeting at the door, accompanied by a sign that implored guests to take one. Bratty and Catty eagerly obliged, though Papyrus did not and instead checked Asgore's list. It was mostly chocolate, and was very specific about what kinds, and asked for quite a lot of it. He gathered up what he could find as his friends ran amok. Together, the two of them bought much more than Papyrus had for a whole group of humans.

"Well, that was eventful!" Papyrus said as they headed out into the street. "It was good to see you both, but I should—"

"Heeyyy, hang on a second," Catty said hurriedly. "Can't you, like, hang out just a little bit longer?"

"You look like you need it," Bratty said.

"I appreciate the thought, but I really should go," he said apologetically.

"Well. If you gotta jet, can we walk with you partta the way at least?" Catty asked as she shoved a pawful of star-shaped candies into her mouth. "Ohmigod, so good."

"Welllll…" Papyrus rubbed his chin. "I guess I don't see the harm in—"

"Wicked," Bratty said, grabbing his arm with a grin as they went on their way. "And maybe you can tell us some behind the scenes stuff, right?"

"Uuumm, well I can definitely tell you about working with Mettaton, if you like," he volunteered.

"Yeeessss, yes please," Catty said.

"Catty, _we _worked with him," Bratty said with a laugh.

"Yeah, but like, only one time though," she protested. A bashful, sideways grin spread on her face. "Ummm… Why did we do that again?"

"Like, why wouldn't we, though?" the alligator said.

Papyrus's phone rang. He scrambled to grab it. It was Sans, finally.

"Oops, sorry, I have to take this," he said.

Bratty quickly dragged him off to the side of the street, to a small stone wall dividing the walkway from a small median and another shop's meagre yard. The two monsters instantly lazed on either side of him, eating their candy as Papyrus picked up his phone just shy of the third ring.

"Man, almost made it to three," Sans joked. "Drop your phone in the lake or somethin'?"

"Oh, hah hah," Papyrus said dryly. He sighed. "Are you okay? Did you sleep alright? Did you have breakfast?!"

"Relax," he said with a laugh. "I'm, uh… I'm okay. You?"

"I aaaaaam… fine? I think? Apparently I was in a movie?!"

"Pfff, okay? Any good?"

"I have no idea."

"It was totally rad!" Catty called. "Also, hi Sans, feel better!"

"Yeah, get well, funnybones," Bratty agreed.

Sans snickered. "Thanks."

"There's a few more things," Papyrus said. "One. Please don't be mad. I think I might have gotten a tattoo."

"Wh…?" Sans burst out laughing. "You what?!"

"I don't know what happened!" he protested, though his brother responded simply by laughing so hard he started to wheeze. "I-It's very light!" He started to snicker himself and he put his hand to his brow. "Nyeh heh heh, this is pretty crazy, isn't it?"

Sans heaved in a deep breath and let out a satisfied sound as he managed to get control of himself. "Ah, oh man, that's the best. What's it of?"

"Just a spiral, I guess." He lowered his voice. "I didn't know monsters who could do tattoos were even still a thing that's around?!"

"Hey, time's goin' nuts, who knows what could happen, huh?" Sans said. "You seen dad?"

"Didn't you get my texts?" Papyrus asked.

"Uhhh… No. Saw a pup and some pasta and thought, _I gotta call Paps_."

"Read my texts, you lazybones," he scolded.

"Okay okay."

Sans went quiet for a few seconds. Papyrus drummed his fingers on his knee. He heard Sans's voice, but couldn't quite make out what he'd said.

"Brother?" he asked.

"…Asriel, huh?"

"The King was a hundred percent positive," Papyrus said. "It… felt really right to me. I think I might have remembered just a moment or two of him. How about you, do you think that's useful?"

"Heh. Yeah." He chuckled quietly. "Not sure that technically helps much, but hell, makes me feel better. Anythin' on our other kiddo?"

"Unfortunately not," Papyrus said apologetically.

"And dad, he's…? Is it real bad?"

"I don't know. Maybe it just looks worse than it is? Mom's taking care of it right now, but it is a bit worrisome, still."

Sans sighed heavily. "Damn. I… I should go see him, huh?"

"You should rest and take your time! Eat first and sleep if you want, or even ask Undyne to do her magic attunment with you! In fact, I insist on that last bit!" Papyrus said shrilly. "You can't heal. You'll exhaust yourself for no reason."

"…Welp. You're not wrong." Sans sounded a little disappointed. "Think Alph could use some help at the lab?"

"Nooo, no no no, you stay right there," Papyrus said, and he raised his voice. "UNDYNE, CAN YOU HEAR ME? KEEP HIM THERE UNTIL I GET BACK, OKAY?!"

"Sheesh," Sans said with a quiet laugh.

"Why are you so insistent on working? This is incredibly O-O-C and I will not stand for it, especially when it potentially puts you in danger!"

"Paps, I…" He sighed. "Those kids already left 'cause of me. I can't just be dead weight on this."

"You can and you should," Papyrus said sternly. "At least for a few more hours. I heard what June said and she was right: how many times did you faint yesterday?! And stop making yourself responsible for the weight of whole entire world! Leave it up to me, alright? I'm much stronger than you and I can definitely carry it."

"Bro, I dunno—"

"Listen. You rest. You do an attunement. I will come get you," he said. "I'll go see Doctor Alphys in the meanwhile. Annnnd. Honestly? You've done really well. Much better than I thought. Okay? Of course, considering everything, the standards were quite low, but you've actually surpassed them already. So. Don't try so hard for a few hours."

"…Yeah?" There was a little intonation of hope in his voice. "You sure?"

"I'm the great Papyrus, of course I'm sure," he said.

His brother snickered. "…Okay, okay. Cap's glarin' at me, too."

"That's because she's very smart," Papyrus said. "And, actually, you are too, despite being so incredibly stubborn this week. So I know you know I'm extremely correct. I'm going now, don't do anything silly, okay?"

"Heh. I'll try not to, bro," he said, then hung up, leaving dead air in his wake.

Papyrus lowered his phone with a sigh. That wasn't exactly a confirmation, was it?

"He's gonna be okay, right?" Catty asked, pausing her nibbling on a chocolate bar. "Don't be, like, too hard on him though."

Papyrus blinked. "What do you mean?"

Her ears drooped "Well, like, when you say _actually_ like that, it's like, _actually_, you didn't really expect all that much, y'know?"

"Oh! I'm sorry! Let me explain," Papyrus said. "Do you know my brother?"

"Umm… Like, kinda?" the cat said. "I mean, who doesn't know him?"

"I figured everyone knows him, pretty much," Bratty agreed.

"Well, the thing about him is, he's very easygoing on the outside, but on the inside he's very hard on himself," Papyrus said. "Much too hard, if you ask me. And because of that, taking a sincere compliment is very difficult for him." He rolled his phone over in his long, careful fingers. "If I say he did something good, a lot of the time his mind won't accept it. It's what brothers are supposed to say, after all, and I am his very cool brother. He will just deflect and find some reason to still think he didn't do enough. But! If I say it as if I was expecting something and he has exceeded whatever it was I was expecting, he tends to actually take it to heart. It's not that he doesn't believe me, but he doesn't believe in himself."

He smiled bashfully, his gaze drifting off as if into a memory. "He's so strange. I heard him say, back when I was just a small Papyrus, that all he wants is to do right by me, and not much else matters. Which is very sweet, but also very wrong. Many other things matter. Including him! We've been through a lot together, even if a lot of that a lot I don't even remember right now. But! I do know. I'll do whatever I can to build him up, even if it's only little teeny fragments at a time. And even if it has to sound a tiny bit backhanded to sneak its way in."

When he looked up, he was startled to see both of his friends were teary-eyed. He put his hands up quickly.

"Ah! What happened?! Did I say something wrong?!" he asked.

"Dude, you're…! Waaaah!" Catty hid her eyes in her paws. "Wuhhh-why can't I have such a cool and sweet sibling like that who knows how to get through my insecurities?! You're totally raising my expectations way too hiiiighhh!"

Bratty gingerly wiped along her eyelashes with a claw. "Seriously."

"I'm glad it made sense," he said with a laugh. "Especially now, I really do need to watch out for him."

"I always figured your brother for like, being cool and smart and funny," Bratty mused, "but I guess even someone like that can be totally down on themself."

"Funny, absolutely not, but smart, definitely." Papyrus smiled to himself— and, he supposed, Sans had had a couple moments of being undeniably cool. "It's alright. As long as he has me, the great Papyrus, I can definitely help him."

"Hm. I guess, like, bein' the son of the smartest monster ever'd give anyone a complex," the alligator said.

"You think so?" Papyrus wondered.

"Oh! And wasn't he the first skeleton born, in like, _so_ long?" Catty said. "I bet it was totally a big deal! And a lot of pressure. Actually! You were probably a big deal, too!"

"Yeah." Bratty laughed. "I think I remember my mom mentioning the second skeleton being born. That must've been you, right?"

"Famous as a baby bones?! Huh! Interesting. I had no idea," Papyrus said. "But, being my dad's kid didn't give me a complex, I don't think? I mean. We worked a lot. But he was always very supportive of whatever I wanted to do! I know he supported Sans, as well." He tapped his fingertips together. "I honestly don't know. I mean, maybe? It could be." He huffed loudly. "I'll add it to my very long list."

"What else is on it?" Catty asked.

"Oh! All kinds of things." He counted on his fingers. "Time and space stuff, surface stuff, the time loops, not to mention all those things I mentioned before; weird stars that make me cry, being the best emotional support to Captain Undyne because her relationship got erased from the timeline… That kind of thing."

"That is a lot," Bratty said.

"Why do stars make you cry?" Catty wondered.

"I think there's some weird emotion energy in them when I touch them. I'm not sure," Papyrus said. "I… I feel like they're important. It's like they're calling me, but I'm not sure what to make of them."

"…Uh-huh," she said, clearly not understanding at all.

"What stars?" Bratty asked.

"You know, those yellow ones that are always in oddly convenient spots," he said.

They both stared at him blankly. He got to his feet and pulled them up with him.

"I'll show you!"

There was one off beside a mailbox on the way back to the King's, glimmering its strange light in the middle of the sidewalk. Papyrus gestured to it proudly. Bratty and Catty looked at each other in confusion.

"The mailbox?" Catty asked.

"What?! No! Right here!" he waved his hand in front of it. "See?"

"Bratty, is he okay?" the cat asked under her breath, nudging the alligator with her elbow.

Bratty shrugged widely.

"You don't see." Papyrus frowned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Iiiinterestinnng…"

The alligator gently grabbed his arm. "C'mon, let's… Eeeek!" She jumped back and rubbed her eyes, staring hard at the star.

Catty laughed. "Like, what was that for?"

"But it…" She grabbed Papyrus again. "Wait, like, you mean that thing right there?!"

"You see it?!" he asked.

Catty folded her arms. "Oh, c'mon, you can't just, like, prank me in the middle of this whole thing, Bratty."

Bratty rolled her eyes and seized the cat's paw and put it on Papyrus's arm. Catty instantly recoiled, fur standing on end, and let out a growly, high-pitched _me-yowl_.

"Could you see it, too?!" Papyrus demanded as Bratty burst out laughing.

"Heeey, not funny, Bratty," Catty said, pouting and giving her friend a gentle whack.

"Kinda was, though."

"…Yeah okay, like, kinda." Catty stuck out her tongue. "But, like… Papy, why… does it work like that, though?"

"I am not sure, it might have to do with red dog orbs and void nonsense," he said.

"Man, you, like, just keep saying more and more confusing things. But, like, don't stop, though."

"You should touch it," Bratty said.

"What?!" Papyrus yelped. "But I specifically did not touch one earlier."

"…Yeah but, like, we're here," she said. "If you start wailing or something, we can totally give you some tissues."

"Ooh, right, yeah," Catty agreed, eyes lighting up. "Plus, what if they're, like, totally important to this whole weird thing you mentioned?"

"I… I guess?" Papyrus looked between the two monsters.

Their eyes were shining and bright. Catty stuck two thumbs up. He put on a steady face and nodded. They were right. Crying or not, if they had a chance to get him something more about the missing kids, it was worth it for them. And it was worth it for Sans, too.

"Okay. I will give it another shot!" he said.

Without any hesitation, he stuck his hand straight into the starlight. At first, he felt little, but some notes of a melody he couldn't hear bounced into his skull. His soul stirred. He felt a little heat inside his pocket; his red orb was glowing in there. It flashed. His soul seared orange out through his shirt and between all his bones.

He was on the plateau. Wind rushed by his skull. The sun blazed as it beamed directly overhead in a clear, blue sky.

"Hey, Paps, sit down, you're making her anxious!" a cheerful boy's voice said, though the cadence was all wrong, as if it was over-compressed and echoed softly.

Papyrus quickly looked down to see there was a kid on either side of him. A white-furred boy in purple that looked like a goat and brown-haired, brown-skinned human girl in blue and pink. He couldn't make out their features, but he still knew when the girl smiled bashfully. She held an unbitten crabapple in her hands.

"I-It's okay," she said, but her voice was strange in the same way as the boy's.

Papyrus wanted to yelp out the name _Asriel_. He wanted to ask the other kid what her name was. Neither of those things occurred. Instead, he cackled and put his hand to his chest.

"Not to worry, little sister! What could possibly happen?" He grinned and sat down between them anyway. "But! Of course. Your worry is appreciated."

The kid snorted and she grabbed his arm. She was warm. The monster kid stretched and let out a satisfied sigh.

"We need to come out here more often."

"We will! It has only been a few days, after all," Papyrus teased gently.

The boy snickered and he grinned as he looked out over the horizon. He had big fangs for his size. "I thought I'd kinda be over the sun once the plant bit was finished. Nope!"

The other kid smiled and leaned into Papyrus. "…S'funny. I like the mountain, it's cozy."

"Humans, huh?" The boy winked. "Weirdos."

The girl blew a raspberry at him and replied in kind. Papyrus snickered and grabbed each of them under his arms.

"Don't worry, small siblings. I will come out here with you, or back in there with you, as much as you like! This view really is something, though, isn't it?!"

"Not gettin' sick of it any time soon," the boy said.

"Nope," their sister agreed.

Papyrus stumbled and abruptly toppled back onto sidewalk. He stared at the light and the grey world around him, head spinning. Between his bones still blazed orange, but dimmed swiftly. He let out a deep breath.

Bratty and Catty leaned into his view with relieved looks on their faces.

"Hey, you didn't blow up!" Catty said.

"You doing okay?" Bratty asked. She smiled. "You're not crying!"

They grabbed one of his arms each and pulled him to his feet. He rubbed his head.

"Wowie," he said.

"Did it help?" Catty pressed.

"I think it very well might have!" he said. He'd never felt anything like that before. And that vision— somehow, he knew it was a memory. He put his hand in his pocket and his fingers tapped against the still-warm dog orb. There had to be something to this.

\- - -

After stuffing their faces a little more, Bratty and Catty walked with Papyrus and saw him off to the castle before they parted ways with a hug and wishes of good luck. When he got back to Asgore's house, the big King was sitting with a cheerful and patient smile on his face as the little human, Ellie, perched on his knee and regaled him with stories of yesterday and her dreams from the night before. The uncommon scent of coffee was in the air. June was awake, too, and she greeted Papyrus with a warm, tired smile and a wave from her spot on the chair near the hearth.

"Welcome back, son," Asgore said when Ellie paused to take a swig of juice. "How'd it go?"

"Very well, of course!" He produced the huge bag of sweets from his phone and put them on the table. "I found everything you needed!"

"I knew you would," he said.

"I'm going to check on my dad now, is that alright?"

"Of course," Asgore assured him

Papyrus was off like his boots were on fire.

Gaster was still sound asleep in the huge bed. Papyrus hurried to his side to check his hand. He gulped when he saw the dark colour on his bones had spread significantly— up to his wrist, now. However, the hole was no longer oozing, so hopefully that was progress. Toriel had definitely made a good call to have Asgore copy out Gaster's notes, because most of the ones where the bone was darkened were illegible now.

Papyrus let out a worried _nyeh_ and moved the ooze-free bucket from the chair by the bedside and took its place, gently holding his father's hand. His bones were frosty to the touch.

"Dad? Can you hear me?" he asked.

This time, the older skeleton flinched. Papyrus perked up, grinning wide, especially as Gaster's eyes opened a crack.

"…H-Hey, kiddo," he said in a quiet, raspy voice. His lids drooped closed again but he reached up and patted Papyrus's face gently. "…You look like you're in a good mood, hm?"

"Of course I am, now that you're awake! Well. Half-awake, at least, right?"

"I am doing my best," he said with a soft chuckle. "…Maybe not for long."

"Are you feeling okay?" Papyrus asked.

"I feel as if I've been smashed with a boulder," he said, smiling faintly. "I'll get over it. How's Sans?"

"Well. Not toooo bad, I think. We went into the lake and found a weird rip down there."

"Did you? Was it dangerous?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't think so," Papyrus said. "I got a dog orb. But, Sans was very worried and very tired afterwards. I made him stay with Undyne for a while. I think it'll help! Probably."

"Mhm." Gaster's voice was getting weaker. His hand dropped lethargically back to the bed. "Ah…" He raised his other hand over it. Dark seemed to pool in the gap in his palm. "…Oh, that looks odd."

"Of course it does! Does it hurt?!"

"…It does not. Don't worry." Even so, he clenched his blackened fingers into the covers. "Papyrus. I… I saw your sister. I think I scared her pretty badly."

Papyrus's soul sped a beat. His eyes flickered. Crabapple Kid.

"Do you remember?" Gaster asked.

"Not yet! But…! But I will. I promise I will," he insisted. "Was she…? Was she safe?"

"I think she was." He began to droop. "…Sorry, Paps, I… I'm not sure that I can…"

"It's okay! It's just fine," Papyrus assured him swiftly. "Go back to sleep!"

"I… managed to warn her. I told her… we're veering off." He slumped. "That we'll… signal her, somehow. I… I n-need to…"

"Shhh, shush shush. I'll handle everything, okay?! It's going to be fine. You can tell me all about it once you're feeling better." He froze, eyes wide, as the darkness crept a little farther up Gaster's arm. "Nyeeeh. Can you tell me what happened with your arm, though?!"

"…s'posed t'help," the skeleton muttered into the pillow. He didn't stir again.

Papyrus frowned worriedly. He put a hand against his father's skull and let some healing magic gently seep into his bones before he tucked him in a little more snugly. He left having gained little, but he was still relieved to see him conscious at all.

He nearly bumped into June coming out the door. She was holding a small case of colourful paint. She backed off bashfully.

"Sorry, I just wanted to ask if you wanted some tea. Or coffee?" she said.

"I'm alright, thank you." He tilted his head and pointed at the case she had. "What's that for?"

"Hm? Oh! The King wanted to take us on a tour of the kingdom and suggested I should, um… paint some stripes on or something like that," she said. "Apparently that makes humans a bit less conspicuous. It's true that not everyone recognizes what we are right away?"

Papyrus tilted his head thoughtfully. That sounded familiar. "I guess, if we account for the whole time-being-a-strange-loopy-mess thing… I think so! I mean. Unless they watch some human movies. Which not everyone does? And even then, sometimes. Would you like some help?" He grinned and put a hand to his chest. "The great Papyrus is also a great makeup artist, every once in a while!"

"Oh! Well, if you wouldn't mind," she said.

There was a huge blanket hung up in the middle of the room the human's had borrowed as a divider, making a tiny room for each of the two beds. The one on the left was very clean and neat. The other was a little rumpled with a plush tiger sitting proudly on a pillow.

As they set up on the neater of the beds, Papyrus pulled a large pink and orange case of MTT makeup, along with the leftovers from the trip and powder from his phone. He added June's to the stack. As he got some brushes ready, she watched him curiously.

"You really come prepared, don't you?"

"Of course! The great Papyrus is always prepared for all kinds of situations! Though, I must admit, this has not got a whole lot of use, it's one of my frequent just-in-case cases!"

She nodded. "So, um. How was your father?"

"Still very tired, but not horrible," he said. "How are you doing, by the way?"

"…Good. Good, I think." She laughed and rubbed a hand through her hair. "This is still all so surreal, sometimes." She settled back and pulled her black tee with small, white, chubby dragons on it straight. "I'm wearing a shirt made of magic."

Papyrus snickered. He held up one hand before pulling off his glove, then gesturing to his jacket. "And my things are from the human world! Anyway! Do you have any idea what you would like?"

"Um… I haven't really given it a lot of thought."

Papyrus tapped his teeth thoughtfully. "Well. We have a lot of colours. Something bright would definitely not look human, so that might be good. Most of my blues and purples are from the dump so it might be better to pick maybe one of the MTT ones. Annnd… I wonder…" With a crackle of his magic, he focused and tried to replicate a shape a little like the bow he'd made earlier, but much smaller— it worked. His eyes glittered "Nyeh heh heh! Alright! I can also give you some horns to wear, then, if you want!"

"Oh?!" June put a hand on her head. "…Maybe a foresty deer or goat or something? That sounds pretty safe."

Papyrus beamed. "Now you've got it! How about some brown and green stripes?"

"Green?" she repeated.

"Yes! Since it's your colour, and all!"

June's cheeks flushed. "O-Oh, right. Y… Yes. Okay. Let's try."

Papyrus instantly went to work with an impeccably steady hand, using mostly the monster makeup, painting and blending some brown and green stripes around her forehead, cheeks, and neck. He used darker green and black around her eyes to give them a more cat-like shape, with perfectly precise winged liner, more exaggerated from the normal makeup she'd worn when they'd first met.

"You seem awfully confident for someone with no skin," she said, one eye closed as he painted her eyelid. "You did a really good job on, um, Mettaton, too."

"It's pretty easy," he said. "We used to do all kinds of things. My brother and I. Well, mostly him to me. But a bit of me painting myself. Or sometimes someone else. There used to be pretty frequent costume parties in the library in our town, so it was pretty exciting to come up with different things." He pulled back to look her over and she blinked at him, looking a bit like some sort of forest sprite. "Hmmm, I wonder if…? Ooh! I'm going to give you a beast nose, that'll definitely help."

"Whatever you think," she said with a laugh.

"Thank you for your trust!" He held her face stead and used some very dark brown to shade the whole underside of her nose in a subtle, rounded heart-shape.

Just a few minutes more, and he went to work on her arms, continuing some of the green stripes there and then a brown and green fade on her fingertips. When he switched, she looked over her hand curiously.

"It's not going to come off if I sweat, will it?" she asked cautiously.

"Umm… I've been using MTT brand mostly, so I think you are gooood," he said. "It's made of magic, I mean. It's not waterproof but we don't sweat the same way humans do, so I'm not sure if it'd make a big difference. I can touch it up for you, either way." He finished with her hand and then grinned. "Okay! Horns or no?"

"…Well. We've done this much. Why not?" she said with a laugh.

Papyrus beamed. He took the one horn he'd made earlier and duplicated it, and he held them up to her head curiously for a moment. "I am ninety-nine point nine percent positive I know what to do." He looked at them thoughtfully, squinted, and then made a band to attach the two together.

"Ooh, smart," she said.

"I know! Thank you. It's technically new," he said.

He grabbed the paint and coloured the band black with careful, quick strokes. June watched him curiously. She carefully rubbed her fingers over her arm. Neither the stripes nor the colours on her hand smudged.

"I hope I remember all this," she said quietly.

"Me too," Papyrus said. "If you don't, would you like me to tell you about it?"

June looked confused for a moment. She cracked a smile. "Yes, I think I would."

"Then I definitely will do my best!" The skeleton shook the band in the air to dry it, then dusted the tips of the white horns with green. "Here, try."

She looked them over and then slipped them onto her head. Papyrus moved a little of her hair to hide what little of the hairband could be seen and then sat back with his arms folded to observe. The human now looked a lot more like a mysterious deer than a human at all. He grinned.

"I think we got it!" He handed her his phone with the front facing camera on. "So?!"

June squeaked. She blinked quickly and turned her head to either side. "Oh, wow, that's…" She batted her eyelashes. "That's actually cute! I haven't done anything like this since I was a teenager!"

"So you like it?!" he asked.

"If I'm going to try to blend in, I think it's perfect." She laughed. "I can't believe you freehanded this. Thank you, Papyrus."

"I knew it!" Papyrus said brightly. "I am very glad to help. Do you think the other humans need it?"

"I doubt you could convince Boyd in a million years," she said.

"And I definitely don't have a million and one years," Papyrus said.

Asgore had spaghetti and other breakfast foods, and rows of chocolate out on the table when they returned. A groggy Boyd, sitting slumped in his chair, became instantly less groggy at the sight of June, almost snorting out his coffee.

"Ah!" Asgore's eyes lit right up. "June, if I did not know better, it would never even occur to me that you were not a monster!"

She smiled. "Thanks to Papyrus."

"Wow, Miss June?!" Ellie beamed. "That looks so cute!"

"Let me see these…" Asgore came in close and inspected her horns. He turned to Papyrus, wide-eyed. "Son, when did you learn bonecrafting like this?"

"Technically this morning? I mean, I could do slightly simpler things before but, ah, it just kind of came to me," Papyrus said. "Ooh! I should show mom!"

"Can you make me a costume, too?" Ellie asked, wide-eyed.

"Think about what you want, first, El," Boyd said.

The girl grinned. "Rainbows and also big wings and big horns and—!"

"Maybe something he can paint, sweetie," June said with a smile as she took a seat with them.

"I would glad to help in juuuuust a moment," Papyrus assured them.

The skeleton hurried into the kitchen, but was met only with disappointment when Toriel was not there. He backtracked into the dining room, rubbing his head. "Excuse me, has anyone seen my mom? She's about seven and a half feet tall and is a white goatish monster?"

"Is she not inside?" Asgore asked. "Ah. Maybe she stepped out for some air?"

"Oh! You might be right!" Papyrus gave her a call regardless, but she didn't pick up. He pouted for only a moment before straightening up. "Well! I'm sure she'll get back to me! Ellie! Let's get to work on you, then."

"Yes!" the kid cheered.

\- - -

Halfway through giving Ellie some pink and yellow stripes, Papyrus felt a shiver in his soul. He knew Sans must've fainted again, and Undyne texted him to confirm it just moment later. They hadn't even gotten out of the house yet. Perturbed but not surprised, Papyrus changed the order of his plans— Sans first, then Alphys and the lab. After he finished the human's makeup, of course.

He used his new ability to craft Ellie a diadem that, when hidden under her hair, made it appear that she had a horn on her forehead. She was very pleased by this. Boyd opted out of the makeup treatment, preferring instead to hide under a hoodie if he had to go out. Two out of three wasn't bad, though. Monsters weren't fully used to seeing many humans with no hair in much of their media, so that would probably work to his advantage.

Though Asgore invited him to stay, Papyrus excused himself. He made his way back to Waterfall as quickly as he could. There was a flashy, pink-haired cat girl lurking outside Undyne's house, and Papyrus greeted her pleasantly before rushing inside.

Sans was laying on Undyne's couch, half draped in a shark-patterned blanket, with his arm hiding his eyes. The fluffy white dog was still with him, flopped over his legs. Undyne was leaning up on her counter near her stove, and she raised a hand to greet him.

"Is he okay?" Papyrus asked.

"I'm awake," Sans said, cracking a smile. "Can't look at stuff though."

"Why, what happens if you look at stuff?" Papyrus asked worriedly.

Sans moved his arm and his left eye was already blazing with light so bright it stung to look at. The iris beamed all over, rolling in its socket like it was chaotically tracking a lightning-fast insect all over the room. He winced and covered it up again.

Papyrus flinched. He came in close and took off his scarf. He folded it over on itself a couple times and then carefully moved his brother's arm away from his face. He tied the cloth over Sans's eyes snugly.

"There. Until it stops," he said, putting a healing hand against the top of his brother's skull.

"Oh. Heh. Not the worst. Thanks, bro," Sans said.

"So, when it does that, do you see anything useful?" Undyne asked.

"Nah. When it's that bad, I can hardly tell what part I'm lookin' at is real," he said. He grinned. "The headache and the faintin' are just a bonus."

"Did anything make it start doing that?" Papyrus asked.

"Stood up too fast?" Sans shrugged. "No clue. Sorry."

Papyrus pouted. "Ugh. You're a mess."

"Tell me about it."

Undyne's kettle whistled faintly. She prepped some tea for Sans and slid it into his hand. He sipped it carefully.

"Thanks, Cap."

"This is gettin' nuts again," she grumbled.

"Has anything changed for you?" Papyrus asked worriedly.

"Thankfully naw." She cracked a toothy grin. "Sounded like you had a couple things shift, though, huh?"

"Yes! Surprisingly, a net gain!" he said. "Well. Except the tattoo. That's a bit odd."

"Lemme see."

He pulled off his jacket, and Undyne and the dog leaned in close to stare at his arm.

"Huh. You sure that's not a scar?" she asked, raising her brows.

"Yes absolutely, I scar a different colour than that," he assured her. "Mine's more… off-white but with a gold undertone, and this is more light grey with a blue undertone."

She snickered. "So. An alternate timeline. Where you're a movie star. And you got a tattoo."

"I guess so!" he said. "A slime man asked me for my autograph, so that was nice."

"Congrats," Sans said. He smiled sideways. "At least, uh, someone's gettin' somethin' outta this. You wanna go through it all?"

"Absolutely I will," Papyrus said.

In great detail, Papyrus told them everything he'd done and seen since they'd split up in the wee hours of the morning. Sans nodded every once in a while and sipped his tea. The dog crept into Papyrus's lap and fell asleep with distracting snores.

"Productive, huh?" Undyne said when he finished. "That vision sounded nice, to be honest."

"It was! Probably-Asriel and Crabapple Kid were both really fun and sweet and… And I'm even more determined to help get them home now. But I still have a lot more to do," he said. "Oh! Mom didn't happen to come by, did she?"

"Nope," Sans said.

"Hmmm…" Papyrus rubbed his chin. "Maybe she finally went home to sleep for a little and I just missed her. She looked exhausted when she was helping heal dad."

"Hope so, last thing we need is even more of you passing the hell out." Undyne shoved a cup of tea into his hands. "That means you, too, punk!"

"I'm fine! Really!" Papyrus tipped the entire, steaming hot drink into his mouth nonetheless. "I really, honestly feel okay! And besides. I need to go see Alphys."

"Man, I wanna go see Alphys," Undyne grumbled, folding her arms.

"You two could come, as long as Sans promises not to try to work," Papyrus said.

Sans shrugged. Undyne sighed and shook her head.

"No. We'll go do attunement once he can stand up on his own. It's more helpful," she said. She thumped Papyrus on the shoulder. "You go. Just, uh… Say _hi_ to her for me, okay?"

"Of course!" he assured her. "Okay! Unless you need anything from me, I guess I'll be on my way!"

"Wait," Sans said. He stuck a hand up and then began to fiddle with the scarf. "This's yours."

"Keep it for now," Papyrus assured him.

His brother paused. He waved him closer. Papyrus joined him and Sans pushed himself to sit up a little more.

"Let me just, uh…" He grabbed Papyrus's arm and pushed up the scarf off his left eye with his thumb. His iris was still frantic, but staring right at Papyrus, the movement settled a bit. He grinned tiredly. "Thanks."

"For what?" Papyrus asked.

"You stay pretty solid," Sans said. He tugged the scarf down again and then leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. "See you when I see you, huh?"

\- - -

When Papyrus burst into the lab, half the lights were dim and the ground floor seemed normal, from the faintly glowing security monitors to the empty noodle cups on the floor that had missed the trash near one of the main desks.

"Doctor Alphys?!" he called loudly. "Are you here?! Or are you not here and I am wasting my time shouting for you?!" He paused to listen.

No reply, but he did hear what might have been a snorting noise from upstairs.

Papyrus bounded up the wrong escalator and found that Alphys was, in fact, there on the second level. She slouched at a desk with big, bulky earphones on, clicking through a black screen marked with fragments of red.

With a grin, the skeleton leapt to her side and put a hand on her arm. She gasped shrilly and staggered back, scrambling to take her earphones off.

"P-Papyrus!" She smiled. "Hey, nice to see you! What, um…? What a-are you doing here?"

"Greetings, Doctor Alphys! Undyne also sends a _hello_. What are you working on?" he asked curiously. He leaned in, tilting his head, only to freeze up for an instant when he felt a dog crawling up his back. He sighed and patted it on the head as it poked up over his shoulder.

Alphys's dark eyes got big and her mouth hung open for a moment before quickly turning back to her computer. "W-Well, um, I was decoding any melody out of the red line from our o-old Dark Model experiments," she said. "The, um, stuff your dad and Sans and I w-were all working on back in the day. The theory i-is, these notes should m-match up with… with your missing s-sister, I think? Then we should be able to feed it into the NOCTURNE and h-have it try to follow her. It's almost done. Oh! W-Would you like to hear it?"

The skeleton perked right up and he nodded. Alphys unplugged her earphones and turned the volume up. She opened a little sub-window with the outline of a red heart in it and clicked on it. Simple, digital notes began to play. Papyrus memorized every one. Something about it was familiar. Maybe something he'd heard? He closed his eyes, folded his arms, and tapped his foot where the rhythm should have been. He saw red and a glimmer of light inside his head. His soul sparked with a memory of warm orange.

"Aah!" He grabbed Alphys's shoulders. "I know this!"

"Y-You do?!" she yelped.

"I do! But it's faint, it's…!" He grabbed her up off her seat and beamed into her face. "You're a genius!"

"I-I am?" she warbled.

"Yes, of course! Can we go put this in the NOCTURNE now, then?!"

Alphys looked him up and down skeptically. "Um, soon? Wh-Where's your dad?"

"Ah. Still sort of out of it, I'm afraid." He gently put her back in her seat. "Someone told you what happened, right?"

She nodded. "A-Asgore's been filling me in on everything." She nervously gripped one hand with the other, rubbing her fingertips. "I h-hope whatever's h-happening isn't painful."

"He seemed to be okay," Papyrus said. "Hey, are you busy?!"

"Uhh… Well, I was about to start fixing Sans's, um—"

"So you haven't started which means you technically have time for something else first?" he asked eagerly, eyes brightening.

"I… I guess?" she said cautiously.

"Excellent! Because if my memory doesn't fail me— which I very much hope it does not— my dad finished setting up his machine to analyze all that stuff Big Dog and I found, right? But he did not actually use it yet. Because he would have said otherwise. Right?!"

"…Wh…? Oh!" Alphys's eyes went wide. "You're d-definitely right! We g-got busy on the NOCTURNE and a few other things. A-And a weird, timeless g-grey ghost? I think your mom saw it, too?"

"Ah, right, the Probasriel," Papyrus said, nodding thoughtfully. "Anyway! I figured, you and I, we could do the science. What do you say?"

"Wh…? Uh…" She blinked. "I… I m-mean, I guess we c—!"

"Fantastic!" He'd already grabbed her and whisked her away down to the elevator.

Gaster's setup was down a level, behind heavy, protective doors. He'd moved some rooms and panels around, and formed a chamber with transparent walls. A huge, boney apparatus that resembled one of his blasters hung down from above, glaring over a hexagonal pedestal with a shiny, black circle flat against each side. The centre was a rough chunk of crystal that a strange bit of black, sparkling liquid magic floated up and down inside, like a lava lamp.

A small, grey control room looked inwards, with a large computer on a desk beside a panel of switches, levers, and blinking lights. Alphys knew the system well. She booted it up as Papyrus looked around for the objects he'd gathered. Thankfully, the size of the place was to his advantage. He found them in one of only three cabinets in there, each one carefully labeled: the strange, round dog plush, the cube with the red heart drawn in its panels; a small, glass vial glowing with red inside, labelled "_GWD - DT_". Papyrus tutted at the sight of the last one. He hoped his dad hadn't done anything dangerous to get it.

He gathered the stuff up and opened the door to the clear chamber. The huge, monstrous, skull-like apparatus let out a smooth, low, melodic hum.

"S-Seems pretty obvious, but his notes say to p-put each thing on a circle," Alphys said.

It was, indeed, pretty obvious. Papyrus stuck his thumb up.

When he put the cube in its place, the circle quickly lifted and encased it in a dark, translucent bubble. He did the same with the plush and the vial.

"Can you just p-pull the big machine there so the, um, _mouth_ bit lines up with the centre?" Alphys called.

Papyrus grabbed hold of it and did as she asked, then backed out into the control room, closing the door tightly.

"What do you think, Doctor, good to go?"

"Ummm…" She leaned into the monitor and adjusted her glasses. "Yep! Y-Yep, looks like it, it seems pretty s-simple, all things considering." She pressed a few buttons on a big, chunky keyboard, and then turned a dial slowly to the right and then pushed it in.

The holes resembling eye sockets glowed with white light. She pulled a lever and the whole console clunked. The skull-like apparatus began to whir loudly. A big, red countdown flashed across the screen, down from twenty.

When the number hit ten, Papyrus was jarred by the dog on his shoulder diving into his pocket. He cawed with surprise, but the little canine was already free from him, bounding across the room with the red artefact in its mouth. Somehow, it opened the chamber's door.

"Hey!" Papyrus gave chase and reached out with blue, but Alphys squeaked and dragged him back towards her. His magic connected to nothing.

"I-It might be dangerous!" she yelped.

The dog was already at the pedestal. It leapt like gravity meant nothing and tossed the red orb into one of the black circles. It was engulfed in a bubble and the dog leapt to the top of the skull machine just as it fired a blinding white beam into the crystal. Papyrus winced and Alphys covered her ears.

The crystal was overwhelmed with energy and sung out loudly. Beams shot out of it into each bubble. They surged over with searing red. The little dog woofed excitedly.

After five seconds, the laser shut off abruptly with a pleasant chime. The red on the bubbles drained away, as did they, leaving their contents on the pedestal, seemingly unharmed. Papyrus perked up. Alphys squeezed his hand. The dog log-rolled away, but somehow vanished when it passed behind the machine.

The hum in the air cracked like thunder, and the whole of both chambers was overwhelmed with fragments of red light and chunks of magic reflected off the crystal's facets. Star-like, glittering sparkles danced as if on a soft, whirling breeze. A magic hum played slowly with them, writing itself out on the computer as it went. Papyrus was positive now that he knew it, even if it was more like the memory of a dream than something he could grasp.

"Crabapple Kid," he said softly.

"It's…" Alphys turned to the computer. She brought up her work on the Dark Model and lined up the notes— they matched exactly.

The lizard's eyes misted and she smiled wide. "It's e-exactly right!" She grabbed Papyrus and pulled him close. "S-See?! This confirms a-all the work I've been d-doing! Which is, um, a h-huge relief honestly. I think w-we might actually be in big trouble if they d-didn't match."

"So…?! So that means we did it?!" Papyrus's eyes lit up. "We can find them?!"

"Soon! R-Really soon, once we g-get running in the NOCTURNE." She ran through the notes once again and nodded to herself. She carefully pointed out the analytics with her claw. "We're m-missing just a small chunk, st-still… Maybe it's the other kid?"

"I need to talk to mom about him," Papyrus said.

"Hm! Oh! Would you look at…" Alphys chuckled. "L-Looks like we might've been a bit overzealous, actually!"

She got up and went into the chamber. She picked up the cube and offered it back to him. "Y-You picked really well! A-And I guess, um, that dog did too? But this… It just has it. Clear as a b-bell." She pointed out the red heart glowing on its panels. "I g-guess, she probably did this herself! Where did you get it?"

Papyrus took the cube back gingerly. "It was on my desk." He stared at the red heart and cracked a smile. The same warm feeling Crabapple Kid had given him in that vision flickered in his ribcage again. He was soon beaming. He grabbed Alphys up in in his arms and squeezed her tight, making her squeak and laugh with surprise. "Doctor Alphys, we are on our way!"


	48. i literally can't find anything in my own house

Sans was getting pretty sick of water. He felt enough like he was sinking on solid land. But, the streams in Waterfall carried magic well, and having that charge of energy pass between his ribs and right over his soul was comforting, in a way.

He was slouched back, leaning on his hands, trying not to doze off again in a pool at the base of a few small waterfalls. He wasn't sure if attunement was really for him, but Undyne was still more than powerful enough to drag him along with it, even if he wasn't doing the moves. She was flexing under a swift downpour of water. Her magic dyed the liquid even more stark and bright than its normal glow.

It had taken a while, but the distortions in time had faded enough that Sans could handle seeing again. There were still some strange, angular fragments. Some seemed to stick in place in the real world, while others popped up here and there without warning. He saw his sister, for just a moment, the red of her soul glinting off the water. He saw Undyne's shadow marching through. Shimmers of swimming monsters passed for just a second. He saw Undyne as a rough-and-tumble child, little and skinny with short, scruffy hair and a big bandage over her damaged eye. She stood beside herself before the past flitted away.

"Hey, punk, you still with me?!" Undyne called.

He stuck his thumb up in the air. "Yup."

She dove into the water and surged out again much closer to him, splashing him pretty hard with her momentum. She pushed her hair from her face and plunked herself beside him, stretching her arms out in front of her. "You could at least try this, right?"

Sans laughed tiredly. He sat up straight and mimicked her as she interlocked her fingers and stretched forward, then upward. She shook out her arms. He let his drop limply back at his side. She looked him up and down thoughtfully.

"Want me to try a burst again?" she asked.

"Nah." He winked. "Ask me again when I'm down to a point-zero-something."

"Hm. Have you told your brother yet?" she asked.

"Nope."

Undyne glared at him and he smiled apologetically.

"I know. I'm trash," he said.

"You can't put it off 'til the last second, dude. That's not fair to him. He's not a baby."

"I know." He leaned back again lazily. "S'just… never had to before. It was, uh… Always me. Who was left. So."

Undyne's scowl softened. She huffed out a loud, rough sigh. "Shit."

"Hey, what can I say?" He shrugged one shoulder. "Time loop's crap. But, uh, it becomes kinda a crutch, too."

"…Yeah, I don't get it," she said.

"S'okay." He laughed. "Think there's maybe two people that do, and that's about it."

"But you're gonna tell him, right? You better."

He nodded. "Once our dad's up."

The big monster's ears drooped. She grimaced and got up, only to quickly plunk herself behind him and clap both hands against his skull, her fingertips glowing bright. Her healing magic was probably the only one in the kingdom that could be described as _rough_, but it was energizing, too. Sans wasn't about to complain.

"So, in all your weird timeline things, he ever got a tattoo before?" she asked.

"No." Sans snickered. "That's pretty new."

"How 'bout been in a movie? Because that's pretty awesome."

"Uh…" He cracked a smile. "Couple times actually. He can be quite the _skel-ebrity_. Heh. Mostly in the sideways ones. Couple times in the normal ones."

Undyne's brow furrowed. "What's that mean?"

"Like _skeleton_ and _celebrity_ but smushed. Since he's a—"

"No, not that!" She rolled her eye. "_Sideways_."

"Oh. It's what I call when a big shift happens outside of the normal loop. Usually happens when the world ends and then comes back too many times, it's a whole dumb thing."

"Uhhhh… Nope. Still don't get it," she said.

"Okay, so, normal is just… stuff changes 'cause the anomaly changes it by their actions. Or, I guess, I or A… _Asriel_ did." The name felt kind of weird, saying it aloud. "My sis counts as an anomaly, by the way, d'you remember me explainin' that?"

"Yeah, kinda," she said. "So sideways is something else changed, like, retroactively?"

"Yup. See, a normal one, that could go on for just a day or two, or for months." He winked. "Or, with our kid, indefinitely, when she gets back. Sideways is like what's happenin' to us now except, uh… The changes usually don't mix and match like this. Or just start happenin' right in front of us."

"Like… My eye, that's one of those?"

"Yeah."

"Man, that's stupid," she growled.

"I know."

"How many of those were sideways?" Undyne asked. "And how does it become, like, un-sideways? I gotta go punch the CORE or somethin'?"

"Oh, I wish," he said with a tired laugh. "Uh. Couldn't say how many, really. A lot. Less than normal, but still a lot."

"And if I wanna fix it?"

"Gotta get those kids," he said.

She sighed heavily, a growl in the back of her throat. "Sucks, dude."

"I know."

"I hate how it feels in my head! It's weird not knowin' what's right in a timeline or not!" She squeezed his skull. "Nnngh, it's just so frustrating!"

"I know," he said.

"I know you know!" She drooped. "Urgh. Normal would be real good about now."

"Sure would." He tilted his head back to look up at her. "Hey, uh. I get it's total garbage. Thanks. For stickin' with me."

"Told ya, y'punk, I'm your bodyguard until this crap is done," she said.

"Don't get me wrong, 'preciate it, but if you change your mind, I completely get it."

Undyne gently bonked him on the head with her fist. He snorted and grinned, settling into the water a bit more comfortably.

"So. What do we do now?" she said. "Got anything?"

"I, uh… Dunno. Check the lab, I guess," he said.

"Guh. Boring," she said, but she sighed plaintively anyway.

"Miss 'er?" Sans asked.

"Hell yeah I do," she said. "It's making me crazy. Like, I miss everything! I miss how her walk sounds. I miss the way she does a little tail slap and snorts when she's dreaming. I miss how she sneezes, for god's sake! It's so dumb."

"No it's not." Sans huffed out a tired laugh. "I got a ton of those."

Undyne grimaced. She growled to herself and shook her head. "Whatever. I'll deal. Won't be much longer, right?" She got up and stretched. "What d'ya think, wanna go to Flambé's?"

"Feel like hoppin' on that train to Nopesville might be kinda harsh, huh?" he asked with a sideways grin.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" she asked. Her face immediately fell into an incredulous glare. "The whole thing's wrong, huh?"

"Yup." He got up slowly and rubbed his head. "Ah well. What's a little existential crisis with a side of fries gonna hurt? They still serve fries?"

"Think so," Undyne said.

"Lessgo."

The two waterlogged monsters went to Undyne's to get cleaned up before heading towards the cold of Snowdin. There was a pink cat girl in a tutu outside the house, but she sprinted away, leapt across the river, and vanished before either of them could say anything to her. She looked oddly familiar to Sans— like some sort of anime character, or something.

Papyrus's scarf carried a little tingle of his magic with it. Sans always felt weird about having it, but it was very cozy. He put it on with his hoodie before they set out.

As she often did, Undyne let Sans set the pace as they walked. When they were about halfway, a small voice calling the skeleton's name from deep in a cavern made them pause. From out of the shadows, a little purple crocodino rushed to join them. She stumbled to a halt, holding her knees and panting for a moment before she straightened, pushing her dark mop of hair out of her face only for it to flop down over her eyes again like a sheepdog.

"Kid?" Sans grinned sideways. "Skippin' again, huh?"

"No, no no, I…! Ugh!" She huffed. "Ah…! C-Captain Undyne, I—!"

"Relax, squirt. What was your name again? Suzy?" Undyne said.

Suzy gulped and tried to stand up straight. "Y-Yeah! I…! I'm not skipping! I mean, not on purpose! I promise, and I—!"

"Deep breaths," Sans suggested.

Suzy took a moment to try to calm herself. "My school is gone!"

"Gone?" Undyne's brows rose high.

"Gone, like… _gone_ gone?" Sans asked.

The kid nodded hurriedly. "I was gonna go but it was moved and I couldn't find it so I figured it was that weird time stuff you told me about so I tried to call that number Doctor Gaster gave me but nobody picked up so I tried to go home but my house was gone too and nobody there is picking up either so I thought maybe if I could find one of you, m-maybe you could fix it but I didn't know where you lived or—"

"Whoa. Okay." Sans put up his hands to slow her. "New Home shifted around?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying!" Suzy insisted. "I can't even go to school 'cause I can't find it now and I can't go home either 'cause it's not there!" She put her hands to her face. "Oooh, no no no, is my sister just totally gone?! I don't get it, wh-what if something happens and I just vanish into nowhere, too?! I don't wanna vanish! That'd suck! I don't wanna—!"

"Hey." Sans lifted the kid in blue and grabbed her up under her arms. "Listen. You listenin'?"

"Y-Yeah?!" she said.

"You won't vanish. That black in your soul? Means you're safe. Okay?"

"Wha…?! But…" She slumped. "You're sure?"

"Yup."

"A-And it's all gonna go back to normal later?!"

"Yup."

The little monster gritted her big, sharp teeth. She heaved out a heavy sigh and flopped forward, gripping the skeleton in a tight, desperate hug. His eyes went wide. He looked at Undyne only to see her stifling a laugh. He carefully patted the kid's back.

"Alright, c'mere, y'little punk," Undyne said, lifting the kid up into her arms. "What kinda thing do you call yourself?"

"Uh. Crocodaur?" she said.

Undyne shifted Suzy to one arm and pulled out her phone. She pushed one button and then slapped it to the side of her head and tapped her foot. After a few seconds, a voice sounded and her ear lifted.

"Yo. It's me," she said. "You still work for me, yeah? …Great. I need, uh, a search of New Home. You know crocodaurs? See if any are missin' a kid named Suzy and get back to me. Alright? Thanks, man. Yeah, yeah, dismissed." She hung up and then looked at the little monster. "Guess you can stick with us for now, if you want? You hungry? We're gettin' lunch."

"Wh-Wha…? Uh! Yeah! I'm starving," she said. "That's really okay?! You guys don't mind having a… a weird kid hanging around?!"

Sans shrugged. "Nah, we're used to picking up strays." He winked and waved them on their way. "That's how I got my sister."

"What, really?!" Suzy leaned over Undyne's arm to look down at the short skeleton. "What, you just grabbed her outta nowhere?"

"Pretty much."

"Wow." Her yellow eyes got big. "Nice."

At the snowy edge of the caverns, it was Sans's turn to deal with a phone. Papyrus was calling. Sans gestured for Undyne to continue onwards with Suzy and plunked himself on the steps to their house.

"SANS!" Papyrus shouted the second his brother answered. "I have fantastic news! Really amazing! Guess what?! Actually, don't guess, that'll take too long! But first, how are your eyes?!"

"They're _eye_-lright. What's up?"

"I am choosing to ignore that. But, good. Doctor Alphys and I ran dad's DT program! And! We got a melody! One that matched with her work with that Dark Model thingy!"

Sans perked up right away. "Oh yeah? Can I hear it?"

"I'll get her to send it along," he said. "It's really very nice! It was actually right in that strange cube I can't remember getting. Not everything was a hit, obviously— that bizarre round dog plush and dad's weird vial of determination juice or whatever it was didn't have it, buuuut, that strange red orb thing from the lake sort of did as well! So! Overall, a great and very important success, if I do say so myself! Which I do! Nyeh heh heh heh!"

Sans caught himself with a hint of a genuine smile. "Hey, lookit you, a _bone_-afide science guy."

"NYEH. Sans! That was far too obvious. However! Yes! Just for a bit. Not without the help of Alphys, of course, I am just taller and faster at movement and grabbing so that was definitely handy getting the whole thing going," he said brightly. "Anyway! There is one thing. A small. But important. Thing. There is a chunk of it missing. But! I think I know what is. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully! The solution. And that solution is! Asriel."

Sans's brows raised. "Oh yeah?"

"Absolutely! Since he's missing, too, he must be the key to what else is missing in this song! I'm not entirely sure how to figure that part out, but I had a very clever thought! Which was: the King or mom might know. Now, I know all their memories are wrong, too, like mine are, but they also were able to figure out his name on their own," the said. "I asked Asgore, but unfortunately he had no clue. Aaaaand, I am not actually sure where mom is. Which is partially why I called! Are you anywhere near home?"

"Eh. Pretty close," Sans said, getting to his feet and heading inside.

"Excellent! I need you to check for mom. She may be asleep there. Which would explain why she would not answer my calls. Or texts. Or video chats."

"Gimme just a sec."

Sans trudged through the house. Obvious choice was her room, but she wasn't there. The attic was also devoid of Toriel, as was Papyrus's room. He headed down the passage under the sink, but was mildly surprised to not find his path to the basement there. Instead, a strange, underground chamber opened before him, leading to a red and white shrine with little golden dogs decorating a curved, crimson roof. There were some colourful festive lights strung up around it and a portrait of a white, fluffy dog placed in between white columns, above a golden box with a coin slot in it and beneath a glimmering crest of the Delta Rune. A boom box played a soft, barking melody from off in a corner.

"Uuuhh. Bro? You didn't happen to move my extra basement path, did ya?" Sans asked.

"Nnnno, I don't think so?" Papyrus said.

"And I guess you didn't happen to build a whole entire shrine to a dog down here, huh?"

"WHAT?! Sans, what the heck are you talking about?!"

Sans snickered tiredly to himself and snapped a photo of the room, sending it along to his brother. Papyrus was silent for an extra few seconds. Sans could already picture his wide-eyed expression.

"This is in our basement?!" Papyrus squawked.

"Welp. I dunno. Maybe we got two basements, now," he said. "Guess I'll check."

"This is ridiculous," Papyrus grumbled. "Doctor Alphys, look at this nons—! NYEEHH! WHERE DO YOU KEEP COMING FROM!? Did you build this under our house?!"

Someone woofed.

Sans laughed. He wandered back outside and around the back of the house to his basement workroom as his brother continued to argue with a pooch in the distance. Normally, teleporting meant where the path was wouldn't matter. Sans had done a little magic redecorating and linked it to their bizarre under-the-sink cupboard so his kid wouldn't have to do exactly what he was doing right now. However, when he peeked into the cool, tiled room, Toriel wasn't in there, either.

"Where are you now? And where is mom now, is she there?" Papyrus asked.

"Basement. The, uh, real one. No luck."

"Did you check the garage?" Papyrus pressed.

Sans sighed and headed back out into the snow. "On my way. You called her, right?"

"Of course I called her! I called her over a dozen times!" he said. "You didn't eat her phone, did you?!"

"Why would I eat her phone?" Sans asked with a laugh.

"Not you! This annoying dog!" Papyrus said. "Oh, whatever, it's alright. Hey, Sans? I have an odd question for you."

"Mhm?"

"In the future. I mean. In the normal timeline," he said. "You know how our garage is really just a shed but I enjoy calling it a garage because of my dreams for the future?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Did we… Or I? Did I ever have a car?"

"Uh. Not this time. Last time. Once we hit the surface, though."

"Ah! So that's why I remembered how to drive a car right away," he said. "Because I'd actually done it before. Right?"

"Guess so, bro," Sans said. He reached the shed garage and pulled the door open.

"Nyeh heh heh! That's good! It's not all completely a hundred percent gone from my mind, then."

"Yup. Pretty lucky," Sans said.

Inside the garage was completely vacant, without a single thing of interest within but his big clunker of a time machine, sitting in the middle of the floor.

"Nothin' here," Sans said.

"What?! Really?! Well, where else could she be?!" Papyrus demanded.

"Think I heard she was lookin' into the monsters with black in their souls. Maybe she's doin' that?" Sans suggested.

"Ugh. Well. She didn't mention anything about Asriel to you, did she? We need his hum. Maybe Big Dog can help again, but I just don't know."

Sans folded his arms and leaned up on the wall, straining his mind for anything of the sort. He tapped his foot and let out a quiet, ponderous sound. His soul ached. He remembered the huge monster humming a song to him when he'd broken down in the attic. He knew it was the boy's, but he couldn't for the life of him remember the notes. He knew his sister knew it, too, but it was enigmatic nonsense in both of their memories, just like hers was. The song was the same as the tune of an old music box Toriel had, but he wasn't sure where that was, either.

"…I think she knows," Sans said. "She hummed it, I think, but I didn't really catch it on account of sobbin' like a dumb baby at the time."

"Aw, Sans! That's okay, don't worry. I just need to find her," he said. "I just have this feeling… Like I'm missing her. Maybe I've just been walking back and forth from the King's and so has she but on different paths? She was there very early this morning."

"Maybe," Sans said. "Welp. I'll let you know?"

"Yes please and thank you very much! I'll probably be here, or maybe at Asgore's. Don't doze off anywhere dangerous or weird, brother! Okay love you bye!"

Sans smiled to himself as he pocketed his phone. He didn't usually end up wearing his brother's scarf and able to hear his voice at the same time. Wasn't so bad. He headed out feeling a little bit better.

When Sans peeked inside Flambé's, he was startled by the upscale, fancy, silver metallic aesthetic of the place. He'd seen different versions of Grillby's before— others colours of brick and fire, priority on savoury pie instead of burgers, even a western-style cowboy saloon— but never one that wasn't still _Grillby's. _It was packed with dogs and other monsters, though, so that was probably a good sign.

The short skeleton wandered in as if he'd done it a thousand times, grinningly greeting familiar faces until he joined Undyne and Suzy at a sleek, silvery booth. Food was already there. The purple crocodaur had her teeth sunk deep into a burger.

"How's Paps?" Undyne asked, shoving a plate piled high with fries and a ramekin of orange sauce towards him.

"Good." He flopped when he sat and rubbed the back of his skull. "Him and Alph did some science. Sounded like it went real well."

"Well, that's something, They're a good team, I guess." She took a swig of a big, bubbly soda. "So, uh, what do we do with this kid?"

"Yeah, what do you do with me?!" Suzy asked. "What if you can't find my house?!"

"Hm. Guess you could stay with one of us until this crap blows over or we find your sis," Undyne said. "That okay?"

"Is it?!" Suzy's face flushed. "I mean, that'd be pretty cool, I guess. I wouldn't mind."

Undyne nodded. "Sans, you got any room?"

"Uh." He blinked— he supposed they did have a place to rest and a TV, at least. "Guess so."

"Good. That'll be safer," she said. "Y'know, 'cause I keep…" She tapped the side of her head and rolled her eye. She downed the rest of her soda and burped loudly, slamming the cup onto the table. "Y'know. I think I don't even like soda."

"I was gonna say," Sans said.

"Wait, so you guys really don't mind me just… sittin' around in your houses and stuff?" Suzy asked.

"Nah," Sans said. "Unless you got somewhere else you'd rather hang out? A friend's, maybe?"

Her snout flushed and she shook her head quickly. Sans's brow tilted sympathetically.

"Ah. Sorry. That was rude." He grinned sideways. "It'll be alright. Hope you like spaghetti."

"I dunno what that is."

"You'll learn," he said.

He tried a fry. It was good, but it just wasn't the same. The hot oiliness and the salt were a little off. Crunch was fine, though. He dipped a fry in the sauce and was instantly intrigued. Not ketchup— something a bit fruitier and spicier that he'd never had before.

"You know what this is?" he asked Undyne, pointing down at it.

"Uhh… Chutney, I think?" she said.

"Chutney…" He added that to his long list of things he'd texted to his sister. "Nice." Since he had his phone out, he shot Toriel a message, too. He took his small ramekin and began to eat the chutney with the flat of a knife, much to Undyne's chagrin.

"So, uh…" Undyne shook the look of incredulous revulsion off her face. "What now? We just waitin' on Gaster?"

"Yup," Sans said. "Tori, too. Figure she might have the last piece we gotta feed into the NOCTURNE."

"Uh-huh." She put her cheek on her fist and drummed her fingers on the table. "Uh. Okay. Don't freak out. Who's Tori?"

Sans blinked. His soul stuttered and he could have sworn he'd just fallen off the train to Nopesville, dropped full-on off the top of Nope Mountain, and plummeted into somewhere far worse. "Wuh-oh."

"Not good?" she asked.

"_Toriel_ any better?" he said.

"Oh. You mean Asgore's ex?" She tilted her head. "…Uh, didn't she vanish like hundreds of years ago? You might be waiting a while."

Suzy looked between the two of them with confusion. "…Uh. Captain Undyne? She was on the mountain with us a few days ago, remember? She's like a huge white goat or something?"

Sans nodded when the kid looked at him for confirmation. Undyne's ear fins drooped.

"Aw, damn it, it happened again, didn't it?" she said, smacking her brow. "Sorry, guys. My bad. Ugh, hopefully if I see her again it'll come back so I don't seem like a huge jerk."

Sans nodded. He drummed his fingers on the table thoughtfully. Suzy's brow furrowed.

"This is really weird," she said. "So you guys don't remember right either?"

"He does," Undyne said, pointing at Sans. "It's just me." She sighed heavily. "Damn."

"Cap, s'okay, you're doing better than most," Sans assured her. "Chill out, alright?" He planted some coins down on the table and got up, stretching his arms above his head before making his way to the door.

"Whoa, where you going?" Undyne called.

"Not crazy, hopefully," he said, pushing it open with his back. "I'll catch up with you later."

"What about the kid?! What about you?!"

"Uh. House'll still be open when you're done. I'll be there, probably." He shot them a half-hearted finger gun. "Don't burn anything down."

"That was one time!" Undyne shouted.

"Up that by a hundred and you're a little closer." He winked and was gone before she could throw something at him.

Hoping he'd masked his dread, Sans rushed home, dialling Alphys on the way. His bones rattled as he nearly broke into a jog, slippers crunching in the snow.

"Moshi moshi!" the lizard said as she picked up.

"Hey, cameras workin'?" Sans asked, rushing up the steps.

"Wh…? Um… Y-Yeah? Why?" Alphys said.

"Oh. Uh. Congrats on the red line stuff, by the way," he said as he shouldered his way into the house. "Can you check around for Tori for me?"

"Tori?" she repeated.

Sans winced. His eye flared uncomfortably, the blue shining bright. "Toriel. The old Queen?"

"Wh…? Oh! Toriel! Sorry, I…! What does she look like? W-Wait, she's back?! Oh m-my god, does Asgore know?! H-He thought sh-she was dead!"

Sans rubbed his temples. Here came the headache again. "She's a big goat. Paps should have photos."

"Ooh, s-sorry," she said sheepishly, "he already left. B-But I can definitely look!"

"Thanks." He opened the door to his old room. His vision cracked, doubling the off-coloured fragments. Heaviness crept into his skull. "Mind stayin' on with me?"

"N-No, not at all." Her tone softened. "H-How are you feeling?"

"Eh. Been better."

"S-Sans, I… I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," he said.

Toriel's desk was still where it had been. There wasn't much in the drawers. Her chest was near the bed, but her clothes weren't in it. It was as if she'd moved out in a hurry.

"This ain't good," he muttered.

"What?" Alphys asked gently.

"Oh. Uh… So. Toriel, right? She's, uh, 'sposed to live in my house? Annnnd she's gone and no-one can find 'er."

"Uhhh… Wait, the old Queen l-lived in your h-house?!"

"Yeah, uh… Check…"

The droning of a hum started playing in his head again. He cringed.

"Sans?" Alphys asked.

"Check, uh… Asgore's. This morning. See if she left or… The Ruins, maybe…?" He put a hand against the side of his skull to try to steady himself, but all he saw was blue sparking along the walls. "Damn. Text me? Because, uh, I'm probably gonna faint."

"What?! Sans, what d-d-do you—?!"

He'd already lost her words behind a hum that flooded his skull, drowning out all else. He sighed and squinted through the changing colours of the room.

_whoops im deaf, _he texted her.

_whhhhyyyy?_ Alphys replied.

_weird hum in my head_ _2 loud 2 hear thru. _Sans finished with a shrugging emoji.

_EAT SOMETHING! X. X_

She was right. It had helped last time. He tapped over to his item box but didn't get a chance to take anything out as his vision failed him.

He was cold. He blinked. White and black and scattered fragments of unusual gold and red made up most of the world. He was cheek-down in the snow, but at least he could see. Blackened tree trunks penned him in. It was quiet here.

With a grunt, Sans heaved himself up, snow tumbling off his back and shoulders. He knocked some out of his head, too. There was more of it in there than he thought. He got to his feet, snapping a twig as he stood and looked down. Sneakers. His jacket was the heavier blue one he often liked, with the warm, fluffy hood. He patted his pockets— no phone. Had to be a dream, right? He felt Papyrus's scarf in his pocket. Puzzled, he put it back on.

Footsteps broke the still of the chilly air. He perked up and curiously wandered between the trees, following the sound. He saw a small shape passing along a path through the trunks. Blue and pink. His soul's hum sped and so did his pace.

He broke out past the trees and skidded onto the path behind a small, brown-haired human child.

"Kiddo?!" he called.

The kid didn't stop. He reached out only to have his hand pass through nothing. He drew back, puzzled, and looked at his fingers. They seemed okay. The scar was still there on the side of his hand. This was a dream, right? Or did the whole world just shift? Did his clothes shift on his bones?

His eyes focused back on the the snowy land around him. The kid was gone. Sans flinched. He put his hand against his skull.

"Okay. Fully losin' it. That's fine." He took a long, deep breath of the cold, sharp air. He figured that temperature alone was enough to say this wasn't a dream. He didn't have anything in his pockets to read.

Still heavy-headed and stiff, he turned to get his bearings. His soul's song sped— the dusky stone of the Ruins loomed above him as if it'd snuck up on him. The massive doors were shut tight. Left eye flickering with alarmed blue, Sans tried to pry the slabs apart. Nothing. Magic hummed through the rock beneath his fingertips. The doors were sealed.

"No way," he muttered. "Oh, no, Tori, don't tell me…" He knocked hard on the stone. "Knock knock."

Gentle snow blew around him. The wind was the only reply. He knocked again.

"Tori?" he called. "Hey, uh, Toriel? You over there? Can you hear me? It's Sans."

Silence.

He grimaced. Dread froze his bones. He tried to gather himself, but his mind was racing. She wasn't the first person to get shifted around, but he'd never expected it to snatch her, of all people, out from under them. He knocked again, the sound of his hard bones on rock echoing around him.

"Tori? You there?" His knuckles hurt. He pounded on the door with the side of his fist. "You hear me?" He rested the his head against the stone, reaching for any sound at all.

Nothing.

Sans rubbed his sore hands together as he drew back. If this was one of those times where some horror had stabbed her… The blue in his left eye blazed. He looked the doors up and down and took a deep breath. Would it be smarter to go home? Probably. Maybe wait for someone to find him? Alphys's cameras had to have seen him. He put a hand against the stone again, just to be sure. He could feel Toriel's magic seal woven just under the surface. He winced. Someone else showing up here wouldn't help him at all. There was only one way through this door without Toriel releasing her grip on it.

The skeleton closed his eyes. Focused. Pictured the other side of this door— the dark stone and the markings carved into it— as clearly as he could. His sister's memories filled in the space and the shadows in a place she'd seen a little more than he had. His soul hurt before he'd even shifted; screamed that this was a horrible idea. He should wait. He did not.

He vanished into frozen nothingness and stumbled back out on the other side of the door. His soul felt like it was seized out of his ribcage, gripped in a frozen, clawing hand. It pulsed so hard it became a boulder slamming into his spine, knocking the wind from him. He couldn't keep his legs under him and his vision was shot. Every inch of him hurt and void black goo began to drip down his face as he collapsed onto the stone and shadows overcame him.

\- - -

Feeling the dips in Sans's energy was second nature to Papyrus. No matter the distance, they were always in sync, and when his brother was feeling bad, _naturally,_ he was the first to know. So, when Papyrus got up from his father's bedside intending to make some tea and was almost knocked off his feet with a hit against his soul that felt like a sledgehammer, his brother's name was all that tumbled through his mind.

Staggering to his feet, he was already calling Sans with his phone in one hand and scribbling out a note to Gaster with the other, just in case. He slapped the paper onto the bedside table and sprinted out the door in a matter of seconds.

Sans wasn't answering. That could mean a number of things, but the most likely one was that he was unconscious. Papyrus reached the special elevator to the lab and pressed the button to make it open so many times it was if he was trying to hit a high score. When the door opened with a pleasant ding, he leapt inside and scrambled with the panel at the back. As soon he hit the right combo of numbered buttons, the whole elevator plummeted. He leaned back and pressed himself into the wall as hard as he could.

The elevator shuddered to a halt with a heavy thunk. It felt like an hour between the chime of its arrival and the doors sliding open. Papyrus set out running, only to almost trip over a sweaty and whimpering Alphys a few steps out.

"AAAaaaah! P-Papyrus?!" She looked up at him with huge, dark eyes and stammered nonsense for an instant before grabbing his hand tight. "O-Oh my god, I'm…! I'm s-sorry, I sh-should h-have called you, I—"

"Doctor, I'm so sorry but I definitely don't have time for anything right this second unless it's about Sans," he said.

"I-It is!" she squeaked.

"Do you know where he is?!" Papyrus demanded.

"Th-That's just i-it, I…! I…!" She gulped hard and hauled him across the lab to her monitors.

Alphys clicked around on her computer furiously, bringing up the feeds of several cameras on the big screen. She rewound the footage. The images jump-cut and distorted in big, awkward chunks.

"I…! I was on the phone with him, h-he said he was w-worried about fainting and then he couldn't hear and—!"

"Wait, he what?! Is that why he didn't answer me?!" Papyrus yelped.

"I d-don't know, I just…! I-I was checking Asgore's because h-he asked and then e-everything went weird, b-b-b-but I…!" She wheezed for breath, her short claws digging into her desk.

Papyrus grabbed the panicked little lizard up into his arms and squeezed her close. She squeaked with surprise and babbled, but he didn't even bother to try to sift through what she was saying and glowed bright for her instead. Her words trailed off into a sigh. She took a deep, shuddering breath.

"…Thank y-you, Papyrus," she said quietly.

"Mhm! No problem at all, Doctor. Do you feel a little better?"

"Y-Yeah." She nodded. "I j-just…!" She winced. "I-I'm so sorry. I… I panicked. I j-just wanted to f-find him b-before…" She sighed again. "I should have c-called you."

"Yes, you should have, but I, the great Papyrus, am here now! So." He gently plopped her back in her chair. "Let's just take a look at what's here. One thing at a time. Why were you checking Asgore's?"

Alphys gulped. "He s-said something about the old Queen," she said. "Um, T-Toriel? Going missing?"

"Missing?" Papyrus's eyes went wide. "Wait, you mean _missing_ missing and not _we-just-can't-find-her-at-the-moment_ missing?!"

"I g-guess?! But, um…! S-So, I…! I tried to find Sans, too, a-after he stopped replying t-to my texts, but I s-saw…" She huffed and rolled her eyes at herself. "Ugh, I'll j-just show you."

"Yes, please!" Papyrus said.

With a few clicks, she enlarged panels showing the Snowdin cameras. They were a mess. Distortion and corruption everywhere. It was as if the recording tech had no idea what it was looking at. A flutter of pixels for barely a fraction of a second flipped _Flambé's_ back to _Grillby's_. A big hunk of purple in the corrupted Ruins cam vanished.

"Is this now?" Papyrus asked worriedly.

"No, that's, um, f-from this morning," Alphys said.

"And now?"

The lizard gulped and fiddled with her computer again. The current footage was missing that purple stone, but was far more pixelated and smeared.

"So that means the door is closed, then, isn't it?" Papyrus mused, tapping his chin.

"W-Well, yeah, it's supposed t-to have been closed for hundreds of years, that's why it was w-weird!"

Papyrus's jaw dropped. "What?! No!" he barked. "Oh! Oh. My. God. Nyooo, oh no, that is very not good!"

"Huh?!" Alphys said.

"Sans and I, we talked about mom being missing," he explained. "I mean, I just thought she was on a walk or taking a very heavy nap or something, but if the Ruins are closed, that probably means she is back inside! Because the way you're talking, you don't remember her correctly at all, do you?"

"R-Remember…? Your mom? I'm confused," Alphys admitted.

"Yes. My mom— Toriel is my mom," he said. "Though I don't remember how exactly that happened. So it must involve Asriel and Crabapple Kid, because Asriel is a hundred percent her kid with the King." He shook his head quickly. "And thaaaat completely doesn't matter right this second. If we figured that out, I'm sure Sans did, too. Did you catch him on here?!"

"I… I noticed some blue, but look at all this."

She played the footage. It was a mess. There was a fleck of blue in there but whatever it was was unclear. Even so, Papyrus leaned towards it, eyes wide, soul flickering. He was entranced.

"It's… It's a-almost unusable, and… Papyrus, what're you…?" Alphys winced and held the side of her head. She took a long, deep breath, and muttered to herself, "_Yose, yose, t-tomeru_…"

Papyrus snapped out of it and turned to her with a worried frown. "Are you remembering something?!"

"N-No, I…" She grimaced. "Maybe, I'm… n-not… Oof." She looked up at him. "Whatever's g-going on, l-let's go f-find your brother."

Papyrus scooped her up under her arms. "Yes, let's!"

They raced out of the lab and took the riverperson's boat at full speed to Snowdin. The instant they passed solid, snowy ground with enough room to stand, Papyrus grabbed Alphys up in his arms and leapt for it.

Beelining down main street, they almost crashed right into Undyne and the little purple kid she was with on their way to the house.

"Yo, what's the rush?" Undyne asked worriedly, catching Papyrus by the shoulders.

"Sans," Papyrus said. "Fainted."

"Oh shit." Undyne barrelled ahead, leaving Papyrus to scoop Suzy up too and rush to follow her.

Undyne raced up the steps to the house, kicking in the front door so hard that it flew off its hinges and slammed into the kitchen wall. "SANS?!" she yelled.

"Aaah, Undyne, our door!" Papyrus protested shrilly.

"I'll get you a new door," she growled. "SANS?!" She stormed through the kitchen like an angry whirlwind, then stomped upstairs.

"H-He was here, right?" Alphys asked.

"What's going on?" Suzy asked.

"Ah! Sorry, little purple child, this is all just… Um." Papyrus blinked. "Oh! Suzy! From the mountain top! What are you doing here, don't you live in New Home?!"

"Everything moved around and your brother said I could, um, stay with you? Until the Guards find my sister," she said sheepishly.

"Oh!" Papyrus put both her and Alphys down on the couch. "Yes, okay, that makes sense, I will show you around just as soon as we find him."

"He left the restaurant when Captain Undyne couldn't remember who _Tori_ was, does that help?" she said..

Papyrus gawked. He stuck a finger up. "Yes, that helps tremendously. UNDYNE! DID YOU FORGET WHO MY MOM IS, TOO?!"

"WHAT?!" she shouted back.

He headed up the stairs. "DO YOU REMEMBER TORIEL?!"

"I DUNNO!" She poked her head out of his room and pointed back down the stairs. "Check your weird basement and stuff, wouldya?!"

"Okay I will! Don't forget to check in the closet!" Papyrus turned on his heel and ran right into the kitchen, only to squawk loudly.

A small, fluffy white dog ran out of the room behind him and jumped up onto the couch, flopping over Alphys's legs and licking Suzy's hand. The little monster gently patted its head despite the confusion all over her face.

Undyne headed into the other bedroom. There wasn't much there, but there was a phone on the floor. She cautiously picked it up.

"Sh-Should I try to track his phone?" Alphys called from downstairs.

Undyne frowned. She tapped the screen. The background was a photo of space and stars, and notifications from Alphys and Papyrus were pinging all over it.

"No, I got it!" she shouted back. She hoped he wouldn't mind her giving it a quick look, but he was part of a missing monster investigation now.

His camera and recent texts contained nothing of interest, except for when he nonchalantly told Alphys he went deaf and she spammed him with texts trying to get an answer that wasn't going to come. Undyne suddenly had a horrendous thought. She dropped to her knees and sifted through the carpet carefully with her fingers, peering down at it with an intense glare.

"I'm gonna kill you, dude," she snarled. Sweat beaded at the edge of her forehead. She cursed herself— she should never have let him go on his own. However, she didn't feel anything like dust or see anything glittering in the fibres.

Her ears perked and she sat up quickly as Papyrus filled the threshold. He tilted his head.

"Did you find a clue?" he asked.

"Uh! Just this." She got up quickly and passed him his brother's phone. "You?"

"Well, he was right about a bizarre dog shrine under our house, I think, but otherwise nothing interesting," he said. He slipped past her into the room and lifted the bed up with one hand to peek under it. "Hm. He's not here anywhere? If he can't hear, he might just be sleeping, which would explain him not answering us…" He stared at the phone. "And it's very possible he dropped this because he is so sloppy, but…" He turned and jumped the railing in the hallway to get back to the ground floor.

Undyne followed him.

Papyrus frowned thoughtfully as he lifted up the couch with little regard to its occupants and peeked underneath. He scratched the back of his skull after setting them down again.

"H-How can I help?" Alphys asked.

"What's a pasghetti, is that important?" Suzy wondered.

"The answer to both of those things is, unfortunately, I have no idea," Papyrus said. His soul flickered and he cupped his hand over it. "Nyeh, what on earth is going on?"

"Okay. Calm down," Undyne said. "Let's sort this out. Alph, you heard him faint, right?"

"Y-Yes, Captain," Alphys said quickly.

"Dude, you don't gotta…" Undyne shook her head. "Okay, that. Anything else weird?"

"I felt him faint," Papyrus volunteered. "I think! I mean, it's never hit that hard before."

"R-Right! He has a s-soulbond with his brother," Alphys volunteered, sticking her hand up like she was in class. "I-It's because they're both artificially made from Gaster."

"Whoa, you're a weird science experiment?" Suzy asked.

"Yes, for sure," Papyrus said.

Undyne's eye narrowed. She rubbed her chin. "Okay, uh. Paps. Don't freak out. This is just a hypothetical question, okay?"

"Okay," he said with the tiniest lilt of suspicion.

"If… Ugh, this sounds bad already in my head," she said. "Okay, if Sans died, you'd know, though, right?"

"DIED?!" He squawked, putting his hand to his soul spot. "I…! I'm pretty certain I'd know! I'd definitely feel it, right?!" He looked back at Alphys for help.

The lizard's face was flushed, her eyes wide, and she looked extremely sweaty. "We…" Her voice croaked. "Th-That's n-n-not something w-we could t-t-test, obviously! Eheh… I…! I'm s-sure you'd know, but, um, I'm positive he's f-f-fine! Wherever he is…"

"Right! I'm sure! And it's not like he can just fall down out of nowhere without me knowing," Papyrus said.

Alphys bit her lip and gripped her hands together tightly, catching Undyne's faint grimace. "R-Right!" she said.

"What?" Papyrus asked. "What's that look for?"

Alphys made a long wheezing sound while her face fought to keep an awkward smile. Undyne clapped a heavy hand onto his boney shoulder.

"Ah… Look. Papyrus. Here's the thing," she said. "Sans is… uh… Weirdly determined, right? But we all know he's been feeling extra outta it since he woke up. And the thing is, the state he's in, it's… Well, you know how secretive he is about junk, yeah? Once we find him, I kinda think maybe it'd be a good idea to sit down with him and, uh…" She caught Alphys looking absolutely mortified and she smiled sideways, her scales flushing a little darker. "Aaaaand get somethin' nice at, uh, that café in New Home you like, right? We could all go! And chill out for a bit. And… talk about stuff, y'know, that kinda thing."

Alphys looked like she was going to become a puddle on the couch. The dog licked her face.

"Oh! Sure! That does sound nice, I'm sure he will appreciate that," Papyrus said, heading for the empty front door frame. He grinned. "Aaand I completely believe that was what you intended to say originally and not something else a bit more dire about my brother's health, which I certainly have no reason to be suspicious about, nyeh heh…! I'm going to check the Ruins now! Since Sans is not here and he's looking for mom, I figure that's the most logical next place to look. Anybody coming?"

The dog woofed and ran outside around his ankles. Suzy got up, too.

"Is it okay?" she asked.

"Perfectly okay!" he assured her. He smilingly beckoned her out and looked back at Alphys and Undyne.

"Yeah, uh, just gimme a minute," Undyne said.

Papyrus stuck his thumbs up and strode away in a hurry.

Undyne wilted and rubbed her hand through her hair with a big, huffing sigh. "Damn."

"Um… C-Cap… Um. Undyne?" Alphys snuck up to her with big, worried eyes. "You… know about Sans, right? A… About what's happening to him?"

"Yeah," she grumbled.

"I… I f-feel so bad about it," the lizard said quietly. "I've known them b-both since… Well, f-forever, it feels like. I just c-can't… I can't imagine wh-what's they're going through, it's h-horrible."

"Yeah. It's rough," Undyne said. "That bonehead better not've gone and dusted before he told Paps anything about it, I swear…"

"Well, h-he's going to figure it out pretty soon," she muttered.

"I hope not. Paps said he wasn't suspicious, so—"

Alphys snorted out a small laugh.

"What?" Undyne said.

"S-Sorry! Sorry!" Alphys stuck her hands up and waved them back and forth. "B-But he was d-definitely suspicious, for sure."

"What?! But he said he wasn't; he doesn't lie!"

Alphys smiled. "No, he's a t-terrible liar. Trust me, I've known him s-since he was three."

"Oh, damn it!" Undyne growled. She rushed outside, leaping the steps, and Alphys squeaked and followed as quickly as she could.

"C-Captain, wait up!" she called, sticking her hand up as if to grab her.

Undyne reluctantly slowed her pace and Alphys shuffled to catch up. She sneezed quietly into her hands. Undyne felt a blush creep over her. She swiftly took her large jacket out from her phone and wrapped it around Alphys's shoulders. The lizard's cheeks flushed and she sheepishly pulled it close.

"Th-Th-Thank you!" she stammered.

Undyne nodded, but she couldn't help but pout and kicked snow as they went.

"What?" Alphys asked.

"Man, I gave Sans a hard time for babyin' him and now I'm doing it," she grumbled.

"Well… Well! You're the Captain of the G-Guard, though!" Alphys said, clenching her fists. "O-Of course your f-first instinct is to want to protect him!"

Undyne shrugged half-heartedly.

"Anyway," Alphys said. "Um. I know this is y-your job and everything, b-but I'm glad you're on the case, Captain. It m-makes me feel a lot better."

"Eh, they're good pals," she said. "Plus, I owe Sans. So he better not be in a pile somewhere or I'm gonna be pissed."

"I… I think he still has a few d-days," she said quietly. "I hope… I h-hope whatever's going on i-is fixed before…" She sighed. "His father seems c-convinced that everything'll be fine when these… kids? When they c-come back. And I-I'm sure Papyrus would feel if… I-If something that bad that did happen to Sans, anyway."

"So what was that? Soulbond, right?" Undyne said.

"It's what w-we called… I mean, it can h-happen outside of being made in a lab, but it's really rare," she said. "I-It was sort of hard to do tests on, though, b-because Papyrus never really got sick as a kid. But they do both, um… It goes b-both ways." She gulped and smiled sideways. "My dad worked at the lab. Before he, um, passed away. A-And then I did, after, s-so Sans and I spent… a lot of time together since then. I… I d-don't want him to be gone. S-So you'll let me know if there's anything m-more I can do to help, right?"

Undyne nodded. "Yeah. Of course. Thanks, Alph."

Alphys blushed. She smiled bashfully and then cleared her throat. "L-Let's hurry and c-catch up with Papyrus." She tried to walk ahead but instantly slipped in the snow.

Undyne scoffed and caught her, whisking her up into her arms. The little lizard's face flushed entirely and Undyne couldn't help a grin.

"This is faster!" she said, booking it down main street and kicking up a blizzard in her wake.

When they caught up with Papyrus, Suzy, and the dog, the three were already in front of the massive, sealed doors to the Ruins. Papyrus was pacing the road ahead of them. He wasn't wearing his windbreaker— it was now on Suzy like a robe, the sleeves hanging low over her hands and the hood eclipsing most of her face. She looked like a tiny mage.

"Ah! Good news!" Papyrus announced, skidding to a halt. He gestured to the small, purple monster. "This clever Suzy already found some tiny footprints, which means they must be Sans."

"You sure?" Undyne asked.

"I am! Look!" He bent down to one of the tracks in the snow. "This zig-zag pattern is one I recognize, plus it's very pristine, mostly! They were new out of a box when we found the shoes, and since he usually teleports, the wear is actually very minimal! Except the lazy scuffs near the toe area. See?"

"Wow… Th-That's kind of amazing," Alphys said, eyes wide. "You noticed all that?"

"Of course! I am the great detective Papyrus, after all," he said with a grin.

"So, uh, where is he?" Undyne asked.

"The tracks just stop here," Suzy said, pointing at the ground in front of the doors, directly beside where she stood. "Papyrus, can I move now?"

"Ah! Yes! Thank you, my great assistant," he said brightly.

"No prob," the kid said. She looked pretty proud.

"So he…? W-Wait, I thought t-teleporting was making him sick," Alphys said worriedly.

"It was. But. I think… maybe he decided to anyway?" Papyrus looked up at the door. "If it was for mom— if he really thought something was wrong— I think he would try it anyway."

"But how did he get here?" Undyne pointed along the ground. "Unless I'm seein' this wrong, looks like he came from the woods, right? That's pretty weird."

"Um." Suzy stuck her hand up for just a moment before shoving her sleeved hands into her large pockets. "Maybe it's like how I met 'im? He just showed up wandering all weird in Waterfall and he didn't know how he got there. Maybe that happened here, too?"

"This is why this kid is a very good assistant," Papyrus said.

"So," Undyne said. "He fainted on the phone with Alph. Then somehow wandered here. Un-fainted. And then teleported into the Ruins. And that was, for some reason, the worst." She rubbed her head. "Damn, okay, so we gotta get in there, then."

Gesturing for the others to move behind her, Undyne summoned a bright, cyan spear and slammed it into the crevice between the two doors. She growled and shoved as hard as she could, but it wouldn't budge. She took a few steps back and then did it again, throwing her weight against it, trying to get leverage to pry it open. Nothing. Her aura of energy pulsed around her shoulders and she clenched her fists as the magic crackled and arced in huge spikes.

"NNGAAAAAH, OPEN UP, YOU DAMN ROCKS!" She hurled spear after spear at the stone: they stuck in, but did nothing.

"Ooh! Are we trying to smash it?!" Papyrus asked.

"YEEAH!" Undyne hollered.

Papyrus carefully picked up Suzy and Alphys and moved them a few steps back. The dog jumped up and flopped across his head. He ignored it and summoned bones as tall as the doors themselves and crashed them into both sides. They shattered to little effect. As Undyne continued her barrage, he drew up four more bones and spun them so quickly they seemed to form disks before shooting them forward. Still nothing. He hopped back a few feet and pulled a bone bow out of sparkling magic, then drew out a huge arrow, glowing white.

"No way," Suzy said.

"P-Papyrus, when did you learn that?!" Alphys stammered.

"This morning!"

He closed one eye while the other flared amber-gold, and drew an invisible string, pulling the arrow back as far as he could. He aimed right under the Delta Rune symbol over the closed passage. It felt second nature, even though he'd never done it before. He let the arrow fly and it plunged in between the doors and burst in a scattering of white and icy blue magic.

"HOLY CRAP!" Undyne yelled. She shielded her eye with her arm and squinted as the blast blew her hair back.

The snow-like magic faded. The rock hadn't shed even a shard.

Papyrus drooped and Undyne groaned loudly.

"Maaaan… How strong is this rock?!" She grabbed onto it with her bare hands and tried to pull it. "NnnnNNNNGAAAAHHH! How strong is this Toriel?!"

"Pretty strong, I think, she's over a thousand years old," Papyrus said.

"So we just gotta hit it HARDER!" Undyne yelled, another spear coming to her hand.

"C-Captain, wait a second!" Alphys said. She hurried to the door, holding up one hand before layer her palms against the stone. She closed her eyes, her tail swishing back and forth.

Papyrus and the dog draped over his head leaned closer to watch her.

"Hm…" She drew back, shivering, and folded her hands into her sleeves again. "There's a v-very powerful seal here. W-We'd…? I feel like, to open it, we'd need a b-boss monster stronger than h-her who knows a dispel-spell. Which, umm… There's only the King. Annnnnd he d-doesn't know one."

"Can we teach him one?" Papyrus asked.

"Uhhhh… W-We'd have to find one. O-Or invent one," Alphys said. "And then he'd h-have to learn to do a v-violet soul state? Aaaand then he'd have to learn the spell. So. Um. N-No. I don't think so."

"Damn," Undyne said, rubbing her head. "D'you think it runs through the whole Ruins?"

"I have no i-idea, I'd need to drag a big scanner out here," Alphys said. "Do…? Do you want me to?"

Undyne folded her arms tight, frowning at nothing, and tapped her foot in the snow. "Alph, you got any big buster blasters or something?"

"Oh! Should I use my special attack?!" Papyrus asked. "They are blasters."

"Maybe?!"

"I, um… I installed a lot of w-weaponry into Mettaton," Alphys said, "but it's m-mostly for, um… use against a human, n-not against a mountain." She looked down with a shameful blush on her face. "And… my battle magic is, um… nothing to really write h-home about."

Undyne growled and slammed her hands onto the doors. "Damn! Maybe there's a weak spot somewhere! There's gonna be, right?! Everything has a weak spot. If we just hit…" She held up her arms. "As much of this wall as we can! We gotta be able to get a crit somewhere, right?!"

"I'm willing to try!" Papyrus said. "Come on, Doctor, even if you can just hit it a little, that's still covering space!"

Alphys sighed. She nodded and pulled out her phone. With a glimmer of yellow across her fingers, a bright, lemon-coloured heart appeared on her screen. Metal bits moved and shifted, turning the phone into a still mostly phone-shaped, sci-fi pistol. Papyrus beamed, eyes glittering. He raised a hand and a massive, draconic skull dropped from thin air. It was much like Sans's blaster skulls, though it was a little vulpine in appearance. It had a more angular snout tip, and longer, straighter horns on either side of its head that resembled ears at a glance. The narrow, cat-like eyes shone with bright white rings in each socket, but it also wore a pair of extremely cool sunglasses tinted gold.

"Dude, you actually put shades on it?" Undyne said.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" Papyrus said brightly. He grinned and thumped it proudly on the top of the snout. "This baby's only good for a feeewww shots, but I think with all of us working together—!"

"Me too?" Suzy asked.

"Yes, please, feel free!" Papyrus said. "Everyone ready?"

Undyne flexed. Her magic sparked like lightning around her shoulders in a burst. Alphys gulped and, though her hand shook a little, she aimed her phone-pistol at the wall. Undyne stuck a hand in the air and lowered each finger in a countdown. When her closed fist was left, they all struck the rocky mountain wall with everything they had. Magic seared the stone, scorching across the surface and the resonance of the energy in the air was electric and chaotic. Papyrus's blaster did its best with an intensely white beam before it seemingly got dizzy and tumbled away into sparkles, only to be replaced with another wearing a cool eyepatch.

Suzy rolled her sleeve up. Her claws glowed with a warm purple, shifting with an unusual black. She snuck close to the door and gave it a swipe. The dog on Papyrus's head stood up and barked furiously, jumping down to the ground and running in a circle around Suzy's feet. The others stopped their attack.

"Huh?! Did I mess up?" Suzy asked.

The dog gently shoved her out of the way and stood up on his hind paws, yipping. Suzy's little claws had left a mark.

"W-W-Wait, WHAT?!" Alphys yelped.

"Aaaah! Purple kid!" Papyrus lifted Suzy up under her arms. "Great job! What did you do?!"

"Iunno," she said.

"Wait, I thought…? Yo, you a tiny boss monster?" Undyne asked, squinting at her.

"N-No!" Suzy protested.

Alphys beckoned for Papyrus to bring Suzy to her, so he let the kid down on the ground beside her. Alphys gently took Suzy's hand and put it against the stone near her claw marks. She rested her own palm against rock and closed her eyes, concentrating. The others— the blaster mirroring Papyrus's posture and expression as well— leaned in curiously.

"…U-Use a little magic, i-if you don't mind, sweetie," Alphys said.

"Oh! Right." Suzy set her claws aglow again.

Alphys shivered. She pulled back with wide eyes. "Th-That… That makes n-no sense…"

"I did mess it up, huh?" Suzy asked, drooping. "I'm a freak. You want me to leave?"

"No! N-No no!" Alphys said quickly.

"Great assistant Suzy, you are not a freak!" Papyrus assured her, pulling her up into his arms. "Relax! Deep breaths."

"Yeah, squirt, chill out," Undyne said. She turned to Alphys. "So?"

"It's… Okay. She has this wei… Um. Unusual. Silent energy. It… It s-seemed to negate the n-no-damage portion of the seal, b-but only where she touched. A-And only as long as she t-touched it."

"Ooooh, so…! Wait. But we can't just expect her to dig through the whole wall, she's tiny! That'd take forever!" Papyrus said.

The dog began to bark and spin again. It ran back and forth up the path before sprinting off and into the trees near the cliff's edge.

"Hey, wait!" Undyne shouted. "Ugh. Follow 'im, right?"

Papyrus shrugged, but he did anyway.

The monsters trailed the dog as it gracefully swan-dived off the cliff and landed in deep snow far below. It heaved itself out, barking and twirling, and took a stand near a tiny, dark crevice in the dusky wall. Papyrus and Undyne shared a look. She hefted Alphys into her arms and they jumped from the cliff, too.

The dog brought them to a tiny hole, no bigger than a golfball. It barked and then flattened itself to the ground and, impossibly, slipped in, fluff and all. It came back a second later and yipped, staring up at Suzy with intensely glimmering black eyes.

"Huh?! I can't fit in there!" she protested.

"Man, if you had a way in, why didn't you say so?!" Undyne asked crossly.

The dog looked back up where they'd come from and stretched out longer than seemed possible. Then, it looked at the hole and squished itself inwards strangely.

"…It's…? Th-The wall h-here is thinner?" Alphys asked.

The dog rolled over in the snow and then woofed insistently at Suzy again. Papyrus cautiously put her on the ground and the dog grabbed her sleeve and dragged her to the wall.

"I-I still can't dig this out on my own!" she insisted.

The dog tilted its head. It bounced over to Papyrus and spun in a circle so quickly it rolled up into a ball and tumbled away into the nearby forest.

"Great," Undyne said.

"As much as I hate to admit it, he might be right," Papyrus said.

"Huh? R-Right about what?" Alphys asked.

"I believe I can blast the wall while our new little friend touches it and blow through, but it will still be a very small hole," Papyrus said.

"Y-You got all that from spinning?" Alphys asked.

"Of course! So, if Suzy agrees—"

"W-Wait, won't that mean you blast me?!" Suzy yelped.

"Umm…" Papyrus rubbed his chin. "Let me feel your soul for a moment?"

Suzy put a hand to her soul spot and let it glow quietly. Papyrus knelt down and, after a nod from her, touched the light carefully. He tilted his head and then grinned.

"Yes! I can do it! It'll mean a very very very very fast frequency shift, but I believe fully I can do it!" He winked. "Don't worry, little friend, the part that passes through you will do no damage whatsoever regardless."

"You think you can pull that off?" Undyne said.

"Of course!" He frowned slightly. "Though… It would mean, Suzy, you would have to be the one to go in to look for Sans first. Is that alright with you?"

The crocodaur looked nervous for just a moment, then clenched her fists and nodded. "Y-Yeah! I can rescue him again."

"Excellent!" He grabbed his friends and moved them backwards, and then brought his eyepatch blaster down to line up with the small kid. "Now, I think all you have to do is touch the wall as much as you can and start glowing!"

"Sure." Suzy carefully put herself against the wall and scrunched her eyes shut as she set her soul aglow. Her shadowy purple energy seeped in an aura out around her. "Ready."

"A-Are we sure?!" Alphys asked shrilly.

"I am," Suzy said. "I can take it! Let's go!"

"If I shift right, which I certainly will, it'll be after my magic's already gone through her, Doctor," Papyrus assured the lizard gently. "Like I said! Even if by some impossible accident I goof it up, there's no situation where she will be hurt."

"R-Right. Right! Okay!" Alphys said shrilly.

"Okay!" Papyrus's eyes flared bright, as did the uncovered one of his blaster. "Three! Two! One!"

The blaster shot a beam right at the kid, washing out the world in white for a split second before it looked dizzy and glittered away. Suzy was left standing, completely unbothered, in front of a Suzy-shaped hole.

"Eeey, nice job, Paps!" Undyne said, thumping him on the shoulder as Alphys bent forward, letting out a loud, long breath and holding her knees. "And great job, squirt! Real brave!"

"Didn't feel a thing!" Suzy said proudly.

"Perfect! You did great!" Papyrus said, sticking his thumbs up.

"Th-That's… That's amazing, P-Papyrus," Alphys said.

"I know!" He bounded over to Suzy. "Okay, let's trade phone numbers just in case."

Just as they'd finished, that white dog bounded up and pranced into the small hole. He doubled back out of the darkness and grabbed Suzy's sleeve.

"Guess I'm goin'," she said.

"We'll try to find another way in," Undyne said.

"Good luck in there!" Papyrus said. "Watch out for some simple puzzles! And thank you so much! We will try to meet up with you as soon as we can."

"Y-Yeah!" Suzy clenched her fists. "Yeah, I got this."

With the dog leading the way, the little purple monster disappeared into the shadows of the Ruins. Undyne sighed. She looked Papyrus up and down and folded her arms.

"What?" he asked.

"Man, you're just gonna zoom right past me," she said with a sly grin.

"Pfff, I may be very cool, but so are you," he said. "I like to think we will be an even match!"

"Hah! Yeah, okay! Anyway…" She looked the tiny hole over, then bent down to examine it with her hands. "Think if we put, like, some gel on your skull we could slip you in there?"

"WHAT?!" he yelped.

"You're super super skinny!" Undyne insisted.

"Am I?!"

"I might have some MTT mechanical grease," Alphys volunteered.

"Nyehhhh…"


	49. im dizzy just seeing chapter 49

Despite being touted as the thinner wall, Suzy had to have been walking through the claustrophobic, her-shaped hole for at least five minutes before she emerged on the other side. The passage opened onto shadowy, eggplant-coloured cavern with a few wooden crates stacked in it. The small dog was there already, sleeping on its back and snoring loudly. When she turned to back to the bright, white world, the path behind her looked to be only a couple feet long. She rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I made it!" she called. The echo of her voice vanished deep down the hole.

There was no reply at first. She sat down. Just when she was starting to think she'd been ditched, she heard Papyrus cackle.

"Excellent! Great job, Suzy! What's over there?" he called.

Her scales flushed. "Uhh… It's like a purple cave, I guess?! Also, the tunnel is kinda a freak and takes way longer to walk down than it looks like it does!"

Once again, there was a long pause. She guessed it was just the nature of this weird hole. She rested her cheek on her sleeve-covered fist.

"I-I think m-maybe the Queen r-really didn't want to be found!" Alphys said. "A-Are you okay to wait there? We're going to try to fit Papyrus in after you!"

Suzy was taken aback and her heart sunk. "But I said I would…" She stood up and shook her head. "I-I can go! It's not even scary! I'll just start looking! He has long legs, he can catch up, right?"

"Nyeh heh! I certainly can! If, um, I can fit. But! If you're sure, absolutely go ahead! I believe in you, my purple assistant!"

The kid snorted out a quiet laugh. Papyrus seemed like kind of a strange dude, but hearing a big monster like him say he believed in her— something about that filled her with warmth. She balled her fists under his jacket's long sleeves.

"Yeah, I'll be fine! I'm not a weak little wimp!" she shouted back. "I'm going!"

She turned to look over her surroundings again. The dog was gone.

"Hey! Dog?" She pushed back the hood on the jacket and peeked around near the crates.

They were empty. Behind them, however, was a short set of steps. They lead up to a cellar door. She shoved on it, but it was locked. She winced.

"Good luck, kid!" Captain Undyne shouted to her.

The others also wished her luck, but they were farther away and less coherent. Baring her sharp teeth and growling, she shook her head. She couldn't get stopped by some dumb planks of wood.

Suzy had never been great at magic. It was all noise and no melody— at least, that's what her teacher had said when he finally gave any thought to her being in his class. But, there was something to it, wasn't there? Suzy rolled up her sleeves and looked at her hands; at her sharp little claws. She'd cut stone, at least. Maybe that's what _noise_ was good for.

With a huff, she brought her glow into her hands. She growled and punched the planks as hard as she could. The tiniest burst of violet energy combined with her strike busted through the wood. She perked up and grinned, and quickly shoved her way through.

The kid came out behind the dark counter of a shop. She shook debris out of her hair and took a look around. The place was an awful lot like a convenience store that used to be around the corner from her house, back when she knew where her house was. Unlike that one, though, this place looked like nobody had actually been there in ages. The shelves still had some junk on them, but not much.

She scrambled up onto a stool to an old mechanical till box sitting on the counter. There was still three gold coins left inside, but nothing else. She fished them out. Two of them had a sun and moon on either side. The third had a crown on one face and a flower on the other. She didn't really make a habit of looking at coins, but the difference from what she recognized was interesting for about half a second. Then, she wondered, if that Sans guy was sick and she found him, would he need some snacks? She didn't have much cash in her phone. Was there even anywhere to buy stuff down here?

She fumbled as she dropped back to the floor. One of the shiny gold coins bounced away and fell right back down into the cellar.

"Aw, crap," she grumbled. She didn't want to waste time chasing it, though. She rubbed her head and peeked out the vacant spot where the front door should have been and onto the street.

All around her, massive buildings in dim purple towered over dark cobblestone streets. If it weren't so empty, she would have sworn it was New Home.

"Weird," she said under her breath. She crept outside and looked down the road in either direction.

Everything was so stagnant and boring. The buildings in the distance blended together as if they were lost in smoke.

Movement around the corner caught her eye. She whirled just in time to see some chunky, pale monster vanishing around the side of the shop.

"Hey!" she called. She sprinted after them, only to find a wide-eyed froggit standing, startled, pressed up against the wall beside the building as if hoping it would somehow disguise him. "Whoa. I thought this place was empty."

The froggit blinked one eye and then the other and said nothing. Suzy quickly cleared her throat.

"Uh. That shop, it anybody's?"

He shook his head.

"Okay. Have you seen a short skeleton? He's missing."

The froggit shrugged sheepishly. Suzy frowned. She tapped her foot, growling to herself. The frog monster started to sweat.

"Wait here," she said.

She ran back into the shop and scoured the shelves for a pen and paper. Most of what was left here was junk. She found someone's old, hand-written receipt book left alongside some garbage, and she grabbed that. She snatched a box of coloured chalk as a snack and found a pack of glittery markers nearby. She did a quick drawing of the grinning skeleton in blue ink and rushed back out to the street. The froggit was gone.

"Ugh! Dumb frog," she grumbled, and then cupped her hands in front of her snout to shout,"Hey! Where'd you go?!"

Nobody answered. Suzy muttered darkly to herself and stomped down the road. It wasn't until she'd stormed down a few blocks before she remembered she had no idea where she was going. She stopped in the street and knocked a hand against her head.

"Think, Suzy, think!" she whispered harshly.

The Captain and all the big monsters wanted to get through a door to begin with. So she had to find a huge door. But, maybe she had to find Toriel. If Sans was looking for her, maybe that's where he ended up. Maybe if Suzy could find a school? But, the others, they said Toriel was the old Queen, right? Maybe that meant she should look for a castle. Or, at least, a building that was really, really big.

Suzy snorted. It was a lot. Was it crazy? She doubled back, wondering if she really should just wait for Papyrus. But then again, what if he couldn't fit through the hole? What if it really was all up to her? Her soul stirred in her chest. She wasn't a dumb baby, she told herself. She could do this.

She pulled out her coloured chalk. Red was one of her favourite flavours so she kept that one aside. The brightest and easiest to see on the dark stone would be yellow. Sticking to the left side of the street, she stuck her arm out and drew a line on the buildings she passed to mark a trail.

She kept going until she saw a building raised up on steps on the other side of the street. It had a tall tower built into the roof. She wrote _CROSSED _in big letters on the wall before scampering over. As she did, though, her soul suddenly pinged and the hum of an assailant crashed into her as something jumped at her from the top of the steps. She yelled out and punched whatever came at her. With a loud, shrill _oomf_, a round, rust red monster with horns rolled away from her, both hands held over the one, giant eye that made up most of his body.

"Ooooooh don't pick on meeeee," he whined.

"Don't pick on you?! You jumped me!" Suzy yelled.

"Ooooh ow my eye." He rolled around, magic orbs appearing around him and bouncing lamely towards the purple monster's feet.

"What's your deal?!" She stepped over what could only loosely be called an attack and peered down into the eyeball monster's face, jabbing her chalk at him. "Can you knock it off?!"

The monster waved his arms at her. "Don't point that thing at me!"

"Stop attacking, then!"

"Only if you don't pick on me!"

Suzy sighed heavily. "Okay, I won't!" She huffed as what little battle resonance was there died off, and she rubbed the hair out of her eyes, which did nothing as usual. "Why'd you jump me though?!"

The eyeball monsters whinged and rolled onto his stubby legs. His massive eye darted up and down the crocodaur with confusion. "You were purple and different and maybe a human, I don't know!"

Suzy gestured to herself incredulously, baring her huge, pointed teeth. "Do I LOOK like a human to you?!"

"AAaah, don't be rude to me." He cowered. "I don't know! I guess not."

The crocodaur shook her head. "Look—"

"Loox."

"What? Okay. Whatever." She let out a deep sigh. "Sorry I punched you. But you scared me, alright?!"

"Oh." He twiddled his fingers. "…Sorry, I guess. But. Uh. What're you doing here if you're new here, 'cause that doesn't really make any sense. Nobody comes in here."

Suzy perked up. She quickly pulled out her drawing of Sans and shoved it at him. "You seen this guy? I mean, if anyone would have…"

"Heh. That's true, but…" He shook his whole body back and forth. "Never seen him before in my life."

"Dang," she muttered. "Okay. What about the Queen? You seen her around?"

"Ummm…" He squinted. "Well. I've seen her. Definitely."

"Any clue where she lives?"

"The castle, maybe?" He shrugged his little arms. "She's a Queen, right? So she probably lives in a castle."

"I guess," Suzy said. "So, uh, what's going on here? Why're all the stores empty?"

The monster blinked blankly at her. "You serious? I don't think there's even fifty monsters left in Home. It's been like this hundreds of years."

"It has?" She rubbed her head. "Dang. So where is everybody?"

"Um. Dunno. All over I guess?" He shrugged again. He grabbed her hand and shoved some coins into it before rolling away unceremoniously, calling back, "See ya around!"

"Hey!" Suzy pouted as the eyeball monster zoomed away, and yelped with surprise when a carrot-shaped creature frantically wobbled after him from its hiding spot near the top of the steps.

The two of them disappeared down an alleyway across the street.

The kid was left befuddled. She rubbed her head. People were really weird down here.

After marking the building with yellow, she went inside. It was dim and dark, like all the rest of the city. The wide room before her was filled with tall shelves. Most of them were empty, but the ones that were not held a small selection of books. A library, Suzy thought. Eyeball guy and that veggie must've been huge nerds.

She found the stairs to the tower easily— they were marked with a sign and some pictures. She hurried up to where a door opened onto a merloned roof. Standing on her toes, she could see over the purplish buildings to finally get her bearings. A whole city sprawled out before her, gloomy and vacant— except wherever those weird monsters had slipped off to, she supposed. She could see only a few small balconies that cut out of the cavern far away. The space didn't seem to make sense. That wasn't usual for monster places, but if this cave even remotely lined up with the outside, those huge stone doors would be floating in the air. Suzy frowned to herself and munched on the purple stick of chalk from her pack. She wondered where that dog had gone.

There was a large structure with lots of towers far off in the distance. Maybe that was the castle.

With a slightly better understanding of where she was, Suzy set out again, back across the street and drawing out lines in chalk as she made her way through vacant streets. She tried to keep going as straight as she could towards the maybe-castle.

Suzy felt like she'd been walking for hours. As her yellow chalk wore down to a nub, she tossed it into her mouth and munched it, switching over to orange instead. The quiet was getting to her. She hummed to herself to break through it. The streets were wider now, and planters of spindly dead trees with black bark framed the walkways.

Before long, a towering set of stairs filled the view at the end of the road. Suzy picked up the pace. The steps lead to a huge fortress with a domed roof and lofty battlements that easily surveyed all the blocks around it.

She clambered up to the building and was met by a pair of massive doors emblazoned with a massive, fancy Delta Rune emblem above a spiral-patterned sun and a crescent moon, framed on each side by a four-pointed star. She put her hands on her hips and leaned back.

"Well. Crap," she said. She cautiously knocked on the door.

The sound echoed off to nowhere. Nobody came. She put both hands on the door and shoved as hard as she could, bracing her feet solidly against the ground. Nothing budged. She grunted, her magic bristling around her, but that did nothing to the doors either.

When she stepped back, the sound of grinding rock made her jump. She whirled around to see five square pillars raising up behind her. They were taller than she was. She doubled back and, when she touched the closest one, all of them lowered to her eye level. There was a flat button on top of each and different symbols that meant little to her flashed in faint, white magic across them. Suzy frowned and pouted. A puzzle.

She tried hitting each button. The symbols froze at her touch, but after they were all pressed, they flashed and then began to shift again. The door remained firmly shut. She tried two more times but got the same result. The little crocodaur heaved out a heavy sigh and plopped herself down onto the steps for a rest. She pouted and munched on her red chalk to make herself feel better. She'd always sucked at puzzles. Maybe there was another way in? Maybe she could scale the wall or something.

"Suuuuuzyyyyy?" a distant skeleton's voice called.

Suzy perked up instantly. "Over here!" she called.

"Yes, I know! I'm glad you're still close!" Papyrus jogged up the street, sticking his hand up high to wave at her. He had a few specks of glitter on his skull.

She waved in return and he was at her side quickly, shooting her a big, proud smile.

"You made a lot of distance!" he said. "Sorry I didn't call. The reception is very odd down here. I didn't remember it being so bad. Anyway! Those markings were a great idea!"

"Oh. Um. Thanks," she said. "I got stuck, though."

"Oh?! Where?!" Papyrus looked around.

She pointed to the pedestals behind her.

The tall skeleton leaned over them, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. His eyes glittered. "My excellent assistant! Do you know what you've found?!"

"Uh. A puzzle?" she said.

"Yes! But not just any puzzle!" He beamed. "A very ancient puzzle! One that no monster has solved in a very long time! So! Naturally!" He put a hand to his chest. "I, the great Papyrus, and you, my great assistant Suzy, will be the first!"

"I dunno," she said. "I don't really do puzzles."

"Oh?!" Papyrus looked genuinely shocked. "Why the heck not?!"

She shrugged. "I'm not good at 'em. I end up breaking 'em, mostly."

"That's definitely a shame," Papyrus said. "Well! How about you just watch me?" He winked. "Maybe you'll learn something! Nyeh heh heh! Now! Let's take a look."

Papyrus circled the pedestals, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Suzy tried to follow what he was looking at. He stopped mid-step and turned to her with bright eyes.

"Oh, right! Why are we solving this? That's probably a good first question. I mean, aside from the satisfaction, of course," he said.

"I dunno, I thought maybe this is the castle?" Suzy said. "And Toriel was the Queen, right? So I thought…"

"Ooh! I see, I see. That is good thinking! I'm not sure if I remember a castle, but my memory is all over the place, and that logic is sound." He turned his attention on the puzzle again. "So did you try this?"

Suzy nodded. "Yeah, the markings stop changing when you touch it but I dunno how to get the right ones."

"Okay! The very first thing we do, then, is inspect our symbols." He brought a notepad and pen from his phone and began to draw in a hurry. "It seems like each one goes through six ones that are the same, see?" He showed her his immaculate sketches: a blank circle, one tilted crescent each facing opposite ways, a leaf, a star, and another circle he'd filled in. "But, did you notice anything else?"

Suzy squinted at the changing patterns. She wasn't sure, but the middle one, closest to her, looked as though it had a seventh symbol: a sun with a spiral in it. "Uh. This one has a special one?"

"Yes!" Papyrus said, grinning. "Each one has one unique symbol! So. A logical attempt might be…" He beckoned to Suzy.

"Uh. Try…? Try the weird ones."

The skeleton stuck his thumb up. "Very good guess! Now, I suspect it might actually be misdirection, but let's give it a shot."

He pressed each symbol to get a lineup of a downwards-facing crescent, a triangle, the spiral sun, a bitten leaf, and a dog's face. The symbols flickered. They began to shift again as if nothing had changed. Suzy drooped.

"Crap…"

"Don't worry! It's not as if big giant spikes are going to drop on us if we get it wrong," he said.

Cautiously, Suzy looked up, just to be sure. "Man, don't say that, what if they do now?"

Papyrus cackled. He patted her reassuringly on the head. "If they do, I am very quick and I will definitely block them." He winked and he gestured widely to the steps and the door. "Now! Another key element to unlocking a puzzle like this is to look for context clues! For example!" He hopped over to the door and pointed up at the symbols. "What do you think?"

Suzy squinted up at the door through her mop of hair. "But… we don't have any wings."

"That… is true." He rubbed his chin. "Or do we?"

"We don't, though."

Papyrus lifted the kid up under her arms to give her an overview. "Or dooooo we?" He gently pressed the filled circle button right at the centre. "Take a look. Maybe squint a tiny bit."

Suzy couldn't keep the confusion from clouding her face, but she did as he suggested. Even from above, she wasn't sure of what to do. She looked up at Papyrus. "Can I get one more hint?"

"One single more!" he said. He twirled a finger over the button left of centre and poked it right on the crescent facing away from the circle. "Does that help?"

Suzy squinted. It did kind of look like part of a wing like that, didn't it? She reached out and quickly pressed on the opposite moon. There were two stars on the door, so she figured maybe those were the last ones. She reached out and Papyrus moved her to each one. When both stars were in place, the markings flashed green. All pedestals but the centre one sunk back into the ground.

Suzy looked up at Papyrus for approval with a sheepish grin, only to find him beaming. He squeezed her into a hug. She hadn't expected that but it felt pretty nice.

"You've made me a very proud Papyrus once again," he said. He pressed the spiral sun on the remaining pedestal. It flashed green again and, this time the doors opened with a groan and the grinding of stone.

"H-Hey, we did it!" Suzy said shrilly.

"We did! Nyeh heh heh!" Papyrus's soul glowed golden and warm. "Excellent job, my assistant! Now let's…" He paused and his face fell into an incredulous scowl.

The small white dog stood before them between the splitting doors, tongue out, tail wagging.

"Don't tell me you got this open on your own and then locked us out?!" Papyrus squawked.

The dog yipped brightly and spun in place. Papyrus rolled his eyes.

"You are too mysterious for your own good, it's no wonder you get along with my brother."

"Do you guys know each other?" Suzy asked.

The dog barked.

"It was a general _you_, as in _you_ _dogs_," Papyrus explained. "Especially small white fluffy ones like this that break into our house at least once a month and steal my attack bones." He carried Suzy over the threshold and past the dog.

Inside was a wide, polished stone chamber in white, accented with dim violet and gold. It was framed on either side by large, curving staircases, and lit by only small, flickering white flames in sparse sconces. Right ahead, on the edge of an empty stone planter was a pile of parchment. The dog bounded over to them and rummaged through them.

"I can walk," Suzy said.

Papyrus quickly plunked the kid onto the floor. If she were honest, though, his warm soul was reassuring in this strange place. She looked around cautiously. It smelled like cold dirt. Papyrus paced the floor, peeking around into every shadow.

"Mom?" he called. "HelllooOOO?! MOM?! IT'S YOUR TALL AND COOL SON PAPYRUS! I'M LOOKING FOR YOU AND SANS, ARE EITHER OF YOU HERE?!" He cupped a hand around his ear hole to listen, but there was no reply but the echo of his own voice. "Hmm… I'll check upstairs. Wait here."

"Um. Sure," Suzy said as the skeleton was already halfway up the nearest flight of steps.

As Papyrus vanished beyond the banisters, Suzy looked around nervously. It was kind of spooky here. The dog was still digging in parchment. She joined him as he flung the notes around and she fumblingly grabbed one out of the air. It was a handwritten brochure of parks in the area, signed at the bottom with King Asgore's name and a small drawing of a flower. Perking up, the kid grabbed another one as the dog stopped digging and rolled into the dirt of the empty planter. It began to dig there instead. Suzy gave the second flyer a look. This one was of taverns that were undoubtedly not there anymore.

The little crocodaur quickly sorted through the other pieces of parchment. Many were repeats, but in the middle she found exactly what she hoped to find: a map. It was even nice enough to include a big blotch of green ink marking the exact building they were in. It also had a flower in the legend and a note that read:

_If neither the King or Queen are here, please feel free to visit at our home!_

The flower mark on the map itself was a beyond the main cavern, but definitely walkable. Suzy grinned. She turned and opened her mouth to call for Papyrus, only to find the dog right in her face. It booped its cold nose against her snout and dropped something into her hand. A chocolate bar. Suzy stared at it and then at the hole it came out of. She had no idea what to make of that, and so shoved it into her pocket and patted the dog approvingly on the head.

"Papyrus?!" she shouted.

"Nyeeeees?" he called back from what sounded like very far away.

"Me and the dog found a map!"

"WHAT?!"

Somewhere up there, there was a crash and the clatter of bones, and the faintest sound of a scale on a xylophone. Then, Papyrus's boots clunked above her and he sailed over the banister to land on the floor nearby. He turned to her, nursing his spine for a moment, and then dropped to one knee and held out his hand. She passed it over, and the skeleton's eyes lit up the second he read it.

"Suuuuzyyyy!" He beamed. "Puzzles may not be your thing, but you are certainly a great finder of things! I'm very proud of you."

"Oh!" Her snout flushed faintly and her soul sped a beat. "R-Really?"

"Of course!"

"So, um, can we get outta this weird place?"

"Yes, we definitely can! And as long as time has not become a mess and moved things around here, too, this is a solid lead!" He hopped to his feet and beckoned to the dog as well. "We're well on our way!"

"Do you think we could, um, take a small break?" Suzy asked quietly. "I kinda had to walk a while on my own and stuff."

Papyrus froze in his tracks. His brow furrowed with a sympathetic frown. "Of course. You are doing us— especially me— a massive favour." He looked around quickly and then gestured to the outside. "How about we sit and you can have a whole container of spaghetti all for yourself!"

Suzy blinked. The mysterious pasghetti.

"That's food?" she asked

"Of course it's food! GASP!" Papyrus gasped. "Have you never even heard of…?! It's one of the nutritious and delicious dishes in the whole underground, if I do say so myself! Very good for you. You'll love it, I'm sure!"

Suzy wasn't sure. But, she was pretty hungry, now that she thought about it. And she definitely wasn't about to turn down free food. "Y-Yeah, okay."

Papyrus beamed and stuck his thumb up. His eyes shimmered and his bones seemed to glitter. "You're about to experience the cooking of master chef Papyrus for the first time! I'm almost envious!"

\- - -

It was so dark. Cold. There was that song again. Like a soft whirlwind, passing in and out of San's skull; wrapping his soul in a starlight cocoon. Why couldn't he remember the notes when he could hear it so clearly?

That lake of darkness washed over him again. Did he really have to stay here? Did he have a choice? He was so used to gold or red coming to fetch him. Now, he just sank farther and farther, crushed to nothing under endless shadow. Useless.

Then, a different song. One Sans knew very well. Violet flickered softly in the dark. His bones were stiff and sore, but around him was soft and warm. He opened one eye a crack but couldn't see except the magic that swirled in it.

"Ah… You're awake, are you?" Toriel's voice was quiet and calm.

Sans had rarely felt such relief; it practically oozed out of his soul. "You're oka—?"

"Shhh. Shh. Rest," she said. "Your skull is fractured. As is your shoulder. I just need a little more time. You will be alright."

He winced. He must've hit the ground pretty hard. He stuck one thumb up and settled in. Toriel chuckled quietly.

"What a strange little thing you are," she said softly. "Well. Thank you for being patient."

"Thanks for lettin' me be your patient," he said.

Toriel snorted and snickered. He could hear her stifle a louder laugh under her hand and then she cleared her throat. Her big paw moved from its place on his shoulder to carefully hold his chin. Her magic seeped through where her fingers touched. He could feel the ridge of a missing chuck under her palm.

"Shh," she said again. "Stay still. This won't take much longer."

Sans let himself go slack and flecks of light green joined the purple in his head. He closed his blinded eye and tried to piece together what happened. He supposed it was good that he could still teleport even if it fit snugly into the top five worst ideas he'd ever had. Papyrus was probably worried sick. He raised a hand and pressed it to his forehead. He was such an idiot.

"Are you in pain, little one?" Toriel asked.

"Nah," he said quietly.

"Good. The hole is nearly closed now. Patience."

He almost laughed. He wished he had more time for that than he did. Sure was nice to think about, though.

Sans blinked. Felt like it'd only been a moment, but when he opened his eye, he could see clearly again. It was the first time in days he'd seen anything without some small fragment of broken time. He breathed a sigh of relief, and Toriel leaned over to fill his field of view.

"Welcome back," she said. "I was worried you'd fainted for a moment."

"Nah." He sat up slowly, his back stiff. His eyes shifted past her to take in the dimly lit, warm-toned bedroom that was clearly meant for a child. His sister's memories instantly recognized this place— she'd spent a lot of time here. "Dozed off."

"That is preferable," she said. "You had me very concerned, young man." She shook her head. "I can't even recall the last time I saw a skeleton in a state like that. You're lucky I happened upon you."

"Sure am," he agreed. "'Preciate it."

"If you don't mind. That is, if you're feeling well enough, I have some questions," she said. "The first of which is, how did you get through the doors? They were closed when I found you. And they are sealed as well."

He knew the second she'd finished talking— with a deep, cold sinking feeling in his bones— that this wasn't the Toriel he'd hoped to find. His eyes darkened. The heartache struck his soul with force and his voice snagged before he could answer. The huge monster tilted her head slightly.

"Ah. I apologize, my child, I am not accusing you of anything," she said. "It just… shouldn't be possible that you were there."

"Got it," he said, lowering his voice with a quiet cough to try to hide the crack in it. "I, uh… Teleport. Kinda sick now so I shouldn't or I get all smashed up, apparently. Guess I ended up in the Ruins, huh?"

"Yes, you did. So my seal did not falter." She sighed with relief, but her expression crinkled and she hesitated. Her shoulders drooped. "Ah. I suppose I have given myself away, have I not? Do you know who I am?"

"Yeah," he said. "It's, uh… It's good to see you— that you're okay. We didn't know."

She smiled sideways. "That may have been a good thing. But, I appreciate the sentiment. I am so sorry about your injuries. And relieved you are feeling better. That is a phenomenal power, though, little one. I have never heard of a monster able to do such a thing."

"Yeah, I'm uh, pretty Sans-sational," he joked weakly.

Toriel stared at him with a bemused smile. Swing and a miss.

"You, uh… don't remember me, huh?" he said.

Toriel merely looked back at him, cracking a puzzled, apologetic smile. "Little one, I'm not sure what you mean. Unless you are much older than you look."

He shrugged. "S'okay. Sorry. That was weird."

"That's alright," she said. "You've been through quite a time. Just rest a while longer." She stood up from the bed. "I'll get you some cocoa. Please don't move." She slipped out of the room and closed the door quietly.

Sans sighed and leaned back against the pillows, putting a hand to his brow. His red scar stung faintly. His soul ached but at least whatever had shifted her around hadn't placed her in front of an undone time's blade. If he had to just be satisfied she was alive, he'd take it. It wasn't the first time they'd lost months worth of their relationship to incoherent timelines. Still, it set a darker cloud than usual roiling in his mind.

He checked his pockets before recalling that his phone was missing. He wondered if Toriel had one he could borrow. He also wondered what year it was for her, or if she was sent sideways or not. Actually, what about him? He checked down the front of his shirt and along his arms, and then patted his skull over for any marks. He didn't feel anything out of place.

He carefully peeled back the blankets and swung his legs out of bed, but the second he tried to stand, he was in a heap on the carpet. He laughed at himself and rolled over onto his back, folding his arms behind his head.

"Welp. That's about right," he said. He took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling. "Ah, shit."

Even if he could have stood, guilt was the weight of an anvil on his chest. The more he tried to settle, the farther into the deep it sunk him.

Toriel returned shortly, but froze in her tracks upon seeing him spread out on the floor. She hurriedly put down the mug she carried and dropped down to lift him.

"Oh dear, what happened?" she asked.

"Eh, legs ain't cooperatin'," he said with a shrug. He lifted a foot and pointed at it. "_Fall_anges not so great either."

Toriel snickered despite the worry weighing on her brow. "I am glad you are in good _humerus _despite it, little one. Though I did suggest moving might not be for the best."

He grinned. "Yeah, wasn't my brightest moment."

She placed him back on the bed and passed over the mug of steamy cocoa.

"Thanks," he said. He gave it a sip; it warmed his bones. "S'good."

She nodded. "I'm glad." She tilted her head, her ears flopping over her shoulders. "Little one, may I ask you another question? A strange one, perhaps?"

"Shoot," he said.

"Something about you is… familiar to me," she said.

Sans kept his hope subdued. "Oh yeah?"

"You… Ah. This might be nonsense. But. You wouldn't happen to be related to skeleton named Gaster, would you?"

Despite the mild strike of disappointment, Sans nodded. "Yup. That's my dad."

"Wh…?!" Toriel's eyes went as wide and bright as the moon and she leaned forward, holding his face in one massive, soft paw. "You're his son?! He has a son?!"

"Two, and a daughter," Sans said.

"Oh my god," she said under her breath. A bright smile spread upon her snout. "I almost can't believe…! I am very glad to hear that, my child!" She smiled fondly. "We were old friends, your father and I. Before…" She stopped herself and her eyes took on a sad sheen. She patted his shoulder gently. "Ah, never mind the ramblings of an old woman, dear. Drink up. You will feel better."

Sans hesitated, but he took another swig. "Hm. Nice to meet an old friend, though. He talked about you a lot."

"Oh? I… I'm sure I didn't leave a very good impression when I abdicated," she said quietly.

"He understood. It, uh, has been a while though. Few hundred years, probably," he ventured.

She nodded and frowned thoughtfully, counting silently on the fingers of one hand. "I suppose it's… perhaps been four hundred and something? Goodness, do the years blur after a while."

Sans nodded. That was a good measure. But, he knew she'd been in that cavern longer than that when he'd met her. This Toriel was displaced by over a hundred years. He hid a grimace behind the mug.

Toriel got to her feet and brushed out her robe. "I will let you rest," she said. "We can speak more on this later. I will prepare something to eat. Oh. Do you you prefer butterscotch, or cinnamon?"

"Uh. Either, but you don't need to go to the trouble," he said. "I should get goin' soon. Hey. You should come with me."

The woman froze. "What?"

"I'm sure my dad'd love to see you," Sans said.

"I…" She winced. "I cannot." She hurried to the door. "We will speak later. Rest, child." She left quietly but a wobble in her hand had her shut the door a little too hard this time.

Sans frowned thoughtfully. This was a lot more complicated than he'd hoped. He chugged the rest of the cocoa and then tested his feet on the floor again. Much better.

He gave the room a once-over. He figured there might be something here that was incongruous with Toriel's current mindset. Maybe a way to help jog her memory. He stalled in front of a drawing of a golden flower posted up on the wall. Somehow, it felt a little morbid.

Next, the skeleton peeked in the chest of drawers. There was a small, wooden box marked with the Delta Rune inside the topmost compartment. His soul sped a beat. He could've sworn he'd seen one like that before. He cautiously pulled it out and flipped the lid up. He was rewarded with the tinking of a music box's gentle tune. The second the song made him dizzy, he knew it had to be the one they'd been missing. Asriel's hum. He grinned despite himself.

He carefully placed the music box on top of the dresser and began to search through the drawers for something to write with. Nothing useful was in there, though, so he gave the whole room another pass. He rummaged through a box of old toys near the foot of the bed. A box of crayons beneath the butt of a plush dinosaur was the best he was going to find. He grabbed the red and, listening closely and carefully, wrote each note on the bones of his forearm, just in case.

That was one thing taken care of. Now for Toriel. He wasn't sure how to help her, or even if he could. Was it even fair to try? Maybe she was better off without all this stress in the short term, until the kids came back. Sans frowned at himself. That was a stupid idea, he thought. She'd be pissed to know he'd even humoured it for a second. He apologized to her in his head. But this whole thing was his mess. He hated all these people getting caught up in it.

As he closed the music box, some of the fog lifted from his memory. He still couldn't focus on Asriel's face, but he felt the cadence of his voice coming in clearer. He was sure those pale eyes were green-tinted. He let out a quiet sigh of relief. Something, at last.

Sans put the crayons back and left the music box where it was for now before heading out into the rest of the house. He scuffed his heels on a plush, golden carpet and wandered down the hall of the home that mirrored Asgore's until he came upon the dining room.

Toriel was at the table, fingers knitted, glaring down at the wood. Her soul was bothered and bristling— Sans could hear a fragment of it from across the room.

"Hey, uh, you okay?" he asked.

Toriel jolted up and out of her seat, her surprise palpable, but she quickly put on a smile. "Oh! Little one, you're up! I'm glad to see it. How are your legs?"

"Better. Thanks," he said. "You okay?"

"Don't concern yourself with me," she said hurriedly.

Sans raised his brows and shot her a sideways smile. "You sound like my dad."

"…Pff. Still like that, is he? Of course he is." Toriel sighed. "I…" She shook her head. "It's alright. Come. Sit if you like."

He joined her at the table. "Think I gotta head out soon," he said. "My brother'll worry. You wanna come?"

"Ah. I… My child, I cannot," she said.

"Wish you would," he said.

She shook her head again. Her brow was heavy with worry and she opened her mouth as if to speak but then reconsidered and sighed softly instead.

"You got a question 'bout the outside?" he asked. "It's been a while."

"That is a good guess. I suppose…" She drooped. "Maybe this is foolish. But… You wouldn't happen to have any news of a human out there, would you?"

"A human?" he repeated curiously. "…Uh. Kinda need a little more than that."

"I… I don't expect she is still alive, but… There was a girl," she said. "Young. Early teens, I believe. Or, she was when she left. Clever little thing. Loved making notes about everything she saw here." Her expression lightened in her reminiscence. "Her eyes were a lovely hazel colour and she had brown skin and dark hair— she wore it tied back, much of the time. And she wore rather thick spectacles. You haven't happened to see anyone like that, have you?"

"You cared a lot about this kid, huh?" Sans said.

Toriel nodded. "Fool that I was, she convinced me to let her leave the Ruins," she said quietly. "She wished so badly to study magic. More than what one could find here. She made me a promise to stay safe and… And she never returned."

Sans tapped his teeth thoughtfully. "…You don't mean Minerva, do you?"

"You know her?" Toriel asked sharply. "How?"

"…Welp. She did her research," Sans said. "She, uh… Far as we know, spent years bunkered down in Waterfall. Wrote a lotta books. Until—"

"Asgore," Toriel said bitterly.

"Nah," Sans said, catching the woman's attention fully. "My dad knew 'er. Said she had some human sickness that lingered a long time. Couldn't travel much. Whatever made her sick eventually got 'er. Sorry to tell you like this. She gave her soul to, uh, Gerson, I think."

Toriel's eyes went wide with shock. "So she… survived that long, and…" She put a hand to her mouth. "Oh, that brave girl. I can't believe she…" She shook her head. "No, of course she wouldn't…" She wilted under Sans's questioning gaze. "She made a promise to never reveal I was here. That didn't mean she couldn't return, but I… I suppose she… felt that was best." She sighed heavily.

"Hey, uh. Sorry if this is too much," Sans said hesitantly. "I know you gotta have your reasons, but, you never came outta here, right?"

"No," she said softly. "It… It is not something I am… No. I could not."

"And the door back's sealed," he said.

"Yes," she said.

"Agoraphobia?" he asked.

"Hah. Not exactly," she said. "If I'm honest, it's… The feeling of being among everyone is almost unbearable." She sat down again and gripped her hands together tightly. "Do you… know why I left?"

"Yeah," he said. "Sorry."

"When I came here, it was sorrow and betrayal. After a little human boy came and went, and Asgore took his soul… My rage was such that I lived in a flaming house for over a decade. I feared that… I still fear that if I stray outside, I may not be able to resist confronting him. I worry that I may try to destroy him. Imagine such an abomination of a monster, to attack another with that intent. To even consider it…" She shook her head. "It is disgusting."

Sans hadn't expected that. "Well, uh… Damn." He slumped his cheek onto his fist. "That's heavy."

"It is a despicable thought, is it not?" she said quietly.

"Listen, Tori, you feel how you feel," he said. "…It'll get better, though. For sure."

She cracked a tepid smile. "You are very much like your father, you know that?"

"Oh yeah?" A tiny ping of a headache crept into his cranium.

She chuckled wryly. "I cannot believe I told you all that. I don't think I've ever uttered that to a soul." She shook her head. "I suppose you've always brought that out of me, haven't you, Sans?"

Sans's brows shot up. "What?"

"Hm?" She looked confused. "Is something the matter?"

"You, uh…?" His soul sped a beat. "What'd you just call me?"

"…Sans? That's right, isn't it? I didn't mishear, did I?"

He smiled sideways. "Funny. About bringin' stuff outta you. Thought we just met."

"Pardon? Did I say that? I could've sworn…" She cupped her chin. "Wait a moment, didn't we…?"

A small fraction of Sans's vision fragmented into the wrong colours, but he couldn't help but grin.

"Think that's progress," he said.

"Sorry, hun, I'm not sure I follow," she said.

Sans forced himself to his feet and faced her. "Look, uh. Dunno how to say this. But I, uh… Things are kinda screwed up right now. You already did a ton for me, but I, uh, need your help one more time. Think you could gimme a hand?"

"How so?" Toriel asked.

He held his hand out and blue glimmered between his fingers and up their tips. He had no clue if this would even do anything, but if something was coming back on its own, maybe he had a shot. "Lemme just touch your head. Sorry that sounds dumb. I'll explain in a sec."

"I'm sorry, little one, I still don't understand." Even so, she lowered her head a little. "But, if you feel somehow this will help you, feel free."

Sans's eye lit with blue. He rubbed his fingers together and the magic shone brighter and he gently touched his fingers to her temples. Instantly, his vision shifted to nonsense and static. He blinked hard and concentrated everything he had into Toriel. He was a mess. His soul ached. He'd tried blue to no effect a few days ago, on the path climbing up to the plateau from Asgore's, but maybe that was enough of a link in and of itself.

The glitter of his own magic shimmered in his eyes and the scar on his hand stung. He could see again but he felt cold ooze seeping down his face from his sockets. He scrunched his eyes shut and focused, carefully pressing his forehead against hers. His hum sped up with the smallest trill of anxiety.

"C'mon, mom…" he muttered under his breath.

She went slack for a moment, but then jerked back. Sans blinked at her, grimacing, ready to apologize. Her violet eyes flickered over him with surprise. She leaned forward and cupped his face, wiping his jet black tears with her thumb.

"Sans, what on earth…?"

He couldn't believe it. He began to smile in earnest, the blue in his eye flaring brighter. She pulled him into her arms and he grabbed her with a desperation he couldn't hide.

"What happened?" she asked. "Why on earth are we in my empty old house?!"

"…Time tried stealin' you," he said quietly.

She snorted and snuggled him. "This force is foolish if it thinks I'm letting you do this alone." She cracked a smile. "…It's nice to hear you call me _mom_, honey."

He coughed out a laugh. "Nice to have one."

She squeezed him so hard something in his back popped. She snorted and he laughed harder.

When he finally regained himself, he pulled back to look Toriel in the face. The blue in his eye flickered out to darkness. "I'm sorry about… everything."

"It's not your fault," she said.

"It is. It's a hundred percent my fault. This whole thing is." He sighed. "And you, uh… Probably won't remember this. After it's done."

"I will," she said.

He shrugged weakly.

"I will." Her violet eyes were glimmering. "I promise you."

He wouldn't hold her to it, but he appreciated the gesture.

She tutted gently and wiped his face again. "You don't need to cry, Sans."

"Hm?" He brushed his fingers under his eyes and caught the black ooze on his fingertips before it vanished. He laughed. "Oh. Let me know if it stops, huh? Otherwise, uh, guess I'll just look like a dramatic mess for a bit." Sure was a good thing this gunk didn't stain, he thought.

"Is it…? The same thing that was leaking from your father?"

"Think so," he said.

"Bizarre." She patted the top of his skull. "What happened here, exactly? Was I gone for long?"

"I dunno. Since sometime this morning," he said. "We noticed you were missin' and so I tried teleportin' to get you since the Ruins were sealed again, but that went pretty bad."

"…Right! Yes, your skull and shoulder were damaged," she said. "It's a little foggy. You are alright now?"

"You took care of it," he assured her.

"And we… We talked. About the human, Minerva, am I right?"

He nodded. She rubbed a hand through the fur between her horns.

"I'm so sorry, Sans, that must've all been so alarming."

"Eh. Not for too long," he said with a wink. "Huge crisis in a small time frame. Not too bad. You're alright, though, yeah?"

"I feel… Well. A little annoyed," she admitted. "I did not want to let you down like that."

"Let _me _down?" He grinned sideways. "Never."

She sighed. She wiped his face with her thumb again and then lifted him only to plunk him comfortably in her armchair near the hearth. "This is not your fault."

"Sure is," he said.

"Stop. It does you no good at all to think like that," she said. "If you lose hope, we will lose you all the sooner."

Sans shrugged. "Won't matter," he said.

"Of course it does." She seized his shoulders. "Why would you say something like that?"

"I'm too weak on a normal day to help with most of this stuff," he said reluctantly. "Now, like this, I'm… a problem."

"That is not true and you do not need to _help_ to matter," She frowned at him steadily. "Sans. I love you. We all love you. Please understand that. Even if you feel like you are not helping— which you certainly are, by the way— your family loves you. We want you around." She smiled and gently smooched his brow. "Even when you're oozing mysterious shadow liquid."

"Well that's good, 'cause I kinda can't stop," he said with a tired laugh. He rubbed his skull. "Phew, that was an amount of real intense heartache I super didn't need. Glad it worked out."

Toriel smiled sympathetically. "I know. I am sorry that happened." She reached to her robe as if for a pocket, then frowned. She peeked down her collar and then inside her sleeve. "Ah. I'm sorry, hun, it seems my phone has been misplaced."

"Same," he said.

"Well…" She frowned thoughtfully and rubbed her chin. "How about…? Ah. Let's take a little rest. And I will finish making that pie. We can give some to Papyrus as an apology for undoubtedly worrying him. And you. Sit. Or take a nap. Whatever you do, do not leave on your own."

He put his hands up. "Alright, alright, I'll just ooze on your furniture."

"Perfect."

Toriel returned to the kitchen. Sans got up stiffly and checked himself over for any other instances of void goo. Seemed like the rest of him was fine.

"Feel free to make use of the house! Or the beds, if you would prefer to nap!" Toriel called.

"Sure. Uh. Hey. You got a music box in the bedroom, can I take it?" he said. "Think it has your Asriel's hum."

"My WHAT?!" She stuck her head back out of the kitchen. "Wait, you're certain?!"

"Yup." He tapped the side of his skull. "Think you might have it remembered as a lullaby, 'cause I'm pretty sure you hummed it for me when I was havin' that breakdown."

Toriel frowned to herself. She folded her arms, closed her eyes, and began to hum a soft melody. It was the right one. She looked at Sans questioningly. He stuck his thumb up.

"Asriel…" she said quietly. "Somehow I… feel better, knowing that."

"Same."

She smiled. "Good." She vanished back into the kitchen. "Sorry to ask, hun, but would you mind checking my room as well for anything important?"

"Got it."

Sans went back to the bedroom and grabbed the music box. There wasn't much more in there that looked useful, but he decided to grab that plush dinosaur, too. If he remembered right, Asriel was pretty fond of stuff like that, even if it'd mostly live in the closet. He put it on the table in the dining area before heading back down the hall to Toriel's room.

Most of her clothes were here again, as if she'd never moved out. Sans sighed. He was pretty sure all the unusual patches on them were just his eyes malfunctioning again. He lethargically packed her things and a journal into a chest and, with the help of some wobbly blue magic, shoved them out into the hall.

The final room's door was shut tight.

"Hey, uh, what about this?" he called. "The locked one?"

"Oh! Don't bother with that one for now, it's just storage," she replied. "I doubt we'll need any of that before the children return."

"Kay." He stretched tiredly and reflexively wiped some of the shadowy ooze that was still dripping down his face.

There was a large mirror on the wall to the right of the locked door. Curiosity piqued, Sans took a look and instantly began to laugh. The streams of darkness running down his face from his currently lightless eye sockets looked like something out of a horror movie. He wiped under his left eye again and it make no difference whatsoever.

"What?" Toriel called.

"I look like I'm 'bout ready to start talkin' backwards and spider walk down some stairs," he said.

"Ooh, hush, it's not that bad," she said, chuckling.

Sans snorted. Seeing this, though, he had the sinking feeling that he wasn't going to make it too much longer. Another day or so maybe? He hoped he could last at least until Gaster was back in action. He took a deep breath. It would be fine. Papyrus wouldn't give up. Neither would Gaster.

Colours flickered deep in the mirror, catching his eye with a vision of Asgore from what must've been hundreds of years ago. He looked younger— his mane not as full and his shoulders not quite as wide. Sans stepped back. Another face appeared in the glass. A gaunt child in a warm, long-sleeved green tunic. Pale skin dotted with freckles, big, honey-coloured eyes and reddish brown hair chopped to the shoulders. She looked nervous.

Sans felt a chill. It was as if she was standing right beside him. Could that be Chara? The real one? His sister's memories said it very likely was. The phantom form she'd seen before Chara's ghost had gone to rest bore a striking resemblance to this child, despite being older and having shining, crimson eyes.

"…So you're our little troublemaker," he said quietly. He tilted his head and carefully touched the glass. "Heh. Wish I couldda told ya to chill out. Probably wouldn't have helped though, huh?"

She was a cute kid, surrounded by the love of a kind family. Such a shame about the stuff that rattled around in that head of hers.

The kid carefully straightened her hair and mimed little horns on her head with her fingers, and then turned around to look over her shoulder as the huge white paw of the King gently pat her on the back. The sound of the past was lost, but she looked to be asking Asgore a question by the look of nervous concern on her face. The two of them vanished as the fragments shifted and Sans was left with only himself staring back in the mirror, looking like an oozing nightmare.

The skeleton trudged back over to the air chair near the hearth and slumped tiredly. "Hey, Tori, sorry if I space out again. If you find me on the floor just, uh, don't trip."

"Do not worry. Just rest," she said. "Did you find anything of interest?"

"Nah," he said. His soul tingled with sunshiny warmth out of nowhere. He quickly sat up and got to his feet. "Hey, uh, we might have—"

A heavy knock on the door cut his words. He grinned.

"Are you alright to get that?" Toriel asked.

"Sure am."

Sans answered the front door and was immediately crushed into a hug from Papyrus. Their souls synced and he grinned and clung tight.

"Oh my god, you had me worried sick!" Papyrus said shrilly.

"I figured. Sorry," he said. "Tori's okay, though."

The tall skeleton heaved out a deep sigh. He pulled back and Sans caught a glimpse of Suzy, smiling awkwardly at his side. She raised her hand to wave. He snickered.

"Hey, kid, had an adventure?" he asked.

"Yeaah, I had to go through that big spooky city and I got jumped and we had to do some old puzzle," she said. "Your eyes are all weird again, huh?"

Sans shrugged. "What can I say, been spendin' too much time in Waterfall."

"You don't sound very upset," Papyrus said, carefully wiping his brother's face.

"I'm not, I'm just leakin'." Sans waved the two of them in. "Hey, uh. Wait. How'd you guys get in?"

Papyrus stuck a finger up and was about to answer when Toriel joined them with a big smile.

"Aah! Mom! There you are!" he said. He threw his arms around her and she chuckled and lifted him off the ground. He cackled and squeezed her tightly. "What the heck happened?!"

"Time shift, unfortunately," she said. "I am alright now." Her eyes rested on Suzy. "Oh! Little one!" She let Papyrus down and knelt to get closer to the kid's height. "Welcome! It is nice to see you again. Did I hear that right, you came all the way through the old city to find us?"

"Y-Yes, Miss Toriel," she said a little stiffly, her scales flushing.

"That was very brave of you. How would you two like some pie? It's almost done, if we ignore chilling time."

Suzy perked right up. "I-I'd love some," she said.

"Perfect," Toriel said. She straightened up and smiled at the skeletons. "Let's discuss this in a moment." She froze. "Papyrus, what's that on your arm?"

"Oh! Now that is a long and silly story I can tell you," he said. "It involves archery and Mettaton and giant billboards of me looking very cool."

The massive pie was soon served, gooey and hot, and a bit runny from being unset, but delicious all the same. It was very sweet and caramelized, with just a hint of warming cinnamon. Suzy wolfed it like she hadn't eaten in a week, even though she had definitely— and with gusto— eaten a whole plastic tub of spaghetti not too long ago. Papyrus, gleeful at the acquisition of cellphone reception, quickly called Undyne to tell her everything was okay. Then, he regaled everyone at the table with the chaos that had occurred on their end, and Sans explained Toriel's odd displacement from what he had seen.

Besides snatching Toriel's memories back, Sans also had the good news of the music box. When he let it play for them, Papyrus's eyes beamed. He was positive he recognized it. He recorded it on his phone, just in case.

Once they were done with the delicious pie, they gathered Toriel's things and the leftovers, and headed back towards Snowdin through the basement. Toriel pushed the huge stone doors open as easily as if they were made of paper. Undyne and Alphys were waiting out in the snow with the small, white dog.

Upon seeing them, Alphys wheezed, clapping her hands to her snout before rushing to Sans and smacking a hand onto either side of his face. "O-Oh my god, what's wrong?! A-Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he assured her.

"Kinda looks like nightmare stuff, though," Undyne said, leaning over and squinting.

"I know," he said with a laugh.

"He's been like that for a while now, I'm afraid," Toriel said.

Undyne and Alphys both stalled and stared at the huge monster with wide eyes. The little lizard's jaw dropped open and she babbled something incoherently. Undyne quickly stood at attention and thumped her fist over her soul spot.

"Your Highness! I, uh… I'm glad to see you're alright!" she said.

Toriel tilted her head. "No need for formalities, hun, we've… Oh." She frowned sympathetically. "You've lost your memories as well. Both of you?"

"Uhhh…" Undyne grinned bashfully and rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah. Sorry 'bout that!"

"S-S-Sorry!" Alphys squeaked in puzzled agreement, bowing quickly.

Toriel's ears drooped a little, but she put on a smile and dipped politely in return. "Do not worry, young ones. I'm sure we'll have this all sorted out soon. For now, just know, I care very dearly for both of you."

"Oh, th-that's super nice," the lizard said under her breath.

"I'm hoping it comes back," Undyne said quickly. "My mind keeps kinda shifting around so it might."

"This is really freaky," Suzy muttered.

"Sorry, kid," Sans said.

"Well. For now, I'd suggest the main thing is, we stick with each other as much as we can," Toriel said. "Perhaps there's… a way for us to keep track of some of this? I'm not sure. I've been writing large changes in my diary. I suppose this'll be quite the long entry, hm?"

"And add one for Suz over there," Sans said, jerking his thumb at the kid. "New Home moved and she can't find her house."

"Oh! Poor thing!" Toriel said, hurriedly scooping the kid up from the ground. "You may stay with us for the time being, if you wish."

"We are way ahead of you, mom," Papyrus said brightly.

Alphys stuck up her hand tentatively. "U-Um! Sorry t-to, um… I have a few big projects o-ongoing, but I think it wouldn't be too hard to just write up a check-in app f-for everyone?" She blushed. "I… I know I'm… o-one of the least involved. When things shift around, I don't n-notice a thing, but…" Her eyes flitted over to Sans. "I know th-this is really important. I want to help."

"So. What, just, give your phone a tap to say you're still keyed in every morning or something?" Undyne said.

"A-And… And maybe another if you notice a shift," Alphys said, nodding. "Would that, um, help very much?"

"Couldn't hurt," Sans said.

"We are very grateful, Doctor Alphys," Toriel said. "Now, how about we all go home and finish up this pie?"

"Could we actually go to the lab to finish this pie?" Papyrus asked. "If we can put Asriel's hum in with the rest of those notes, I think that's a big chunk of work done!"

"To the boat, then," Toriel agreed.

As they headed on their way, Sans paused to watch the dog for a moment as it lingered. It hiccuped strangely. Then, it dry heaved and spit out a phone before summersaulting away into the trees.

"Gross." Sans grimaced and knelt down to check the device.

It was Toriel's and it was, mercifully, dry. He picked it up with just his fingertips anyway. When he straightened up, Undyne was still there. She glared at him. He pointed after the dog. She sighed heavily and bonked him on the head.

"You're such trash," she grumbled.

"I know."

"I legit thought I was gonna have to comb your dust outta a carpet," she growled. "Don't you dare die, I'll freakin' kill you, I swear."

"Heh. Sorry," he said.

"Good. You should be. How many days you got?"

He shrugged. "It's been five."

"Shit. Keep it together, okay?!" She sighed and cracked a tired smile. "Pie?"

"Pie," he agreed.

\- - -

The lab was a mess when the group got there. It looked like it'd been hit with a hurricane. Even Alphys noticed this. Thankfully, none of her work was gone or altered. She set it all to backup and send to computers outside the lab, too, just in case, before she got to work. They also ate pie and stashed some in the fridge for everyone at Asgore's, for when they had time to share it.

Sans lazed in a cushy desk chair, eyes still leaking, as everyone bustled around him. Toriel cleared up what mess she could and Undyne super slammed the useless stuff into the trash. Meanwhile, Papyrus transcribed the song from the music box for Alphys to use. Suzy didn't know what to do with herself. She sat on the desk the tall skeleton was working at and snacked on the rest of her chalk.

When she was ready, Alphys brought up the program that contained the melody of the red line. Asriel's notes were simple to add to the gaps. She checked and double-checked, and then nodded to herself.

"G-Guys? I think I got it? Do you want to hear?" she called from her work station upstairs.

"Yes absolutely!" Papyrus said.

Alphys cranked up the volume on her desktop and told it to play. The notes that played were digital and uncomplicated, but carried a melody that was somehow familiar and nostalgic. The room came to a halt. Some warmth of magic seeped into the air and expressed in motes of gentle red, like the embers of flame. With a confused frown, Suzy cupped one of them in her hands. Her strange soul surged with light.

As the second melody entwined with the first, the magic in the air joined it like the whisper of a hum.

"It's lovely," Toriel said softly. She put a hand to her chest. "Hah… It makes my soul flutter."

Alphys squeaked when her soul flickered, too. Undyne's did in tandem, and Papyrus's stuttered with an orange glow. He held his hand over it and looked at Sans worriedly.

Sans sat up; payed rapt attention. Slowly, the dribble of void black stopped and the light returned to his eyes, but when the left glimmered, it was flickering with purple. "That's it."

"I've… Whew! I-I've never felt something like this," Alphys said. "But I feel l-like I have?"

"It's…" Undyne closed her eye, ears lifting, and she nodded to herself. "It's like that in my head, too."

"You found it first back then, Cap," Sans said.

"Damn, I did?!"

"I can't wait for dad to know," Papyrus said with a grin. "He's going to be so happy. Excellent work, everybody! Even Sans!"

"Thanks, dude," Sans said with a laugh.

The second the mysterious melody ended, black goo spurted out of the short skeleton's eyes like twin geysers and dizziness rocked his mind. Suzy shrieked. He stumbled out of his seat by accident and clunked onto the floor.

"Oh for god's sake," he said. He laughed and rolled onto his back, where the goo bubbled up and flowed down his cheeks and onto the floor before vanishing. He was instantly subdued by intense vertigo. "Okay. Wasn't expectin' that."

"NyeeeEEEEH, SANS!" Papyrus raced to him and dropped to his knees, pulling off his gloves, and put a hand on his brother's forehead and chest, healing him as best he could. "You are ridiculous, you know that?!"

"Tell me about it."

"I will! How is it your head even holds this much liquid!?"

"Literally no idea, bro."

"Sans, are you alright?" Toriel asked, leaning down over them.

"Think so," he said.

"Can you get up?"

"Don't think so."

"…Sh-Should I be taking a sample of that?" Alphys asked quietly.

"It just disappears, I'm afraid," Toriel said. "A similar thing is happening to Gaster. But… from his hand instead of… Oh my, Sans can you even see through that this time?"

"Nope," he said.

She sighed heavily. "Oh, my poor boy."

"Did we try just holdin' him upside down?" Undyne asked.

"We could try!" Papyrus said.

"Could we not?" Sans said. "Feel like I'm gonna pass out."

"Well, if you pass out, can I?"

"Sure, why not?" Sans said with a laugh.

"M-Maybe you guys should go home for now," Alphys said. "Get some rest. I c-can handle this stuff from here."

"I think that's a good idea," Papyrus said. "But! You should come over later. I was in a movie, apparently, and Mettaton sent me a copy, so I was hoping we could all watch it tonight."

"O-Oh! Um. Okay! That sounds g-good!" she said. "Wait, you were in a movie?!"

"Apparently! Captain, would you like to come, too?" He grinned. "I think a break for everyone might be nice after all the time shenanigans today."

"Uh. Sure. Just gonna go home and get a little work done before tappin' out today, though," she said, focusing on Suzy. "Gonna check in on the investigation for ya, alright?"

"Thanks," the kid said. Her gaze shifted to Papyrus for a split second. "I, um… I don't… really mind if it takes a bit."

Undyne stuck her thumb up. "Gotcha."

"O-Oh, and Sans?" Alphys said.

He turned his head to face her and more goo shot out of his eye sockets. "Sup?"

She winced. "A-Aaahhh… Um. Oh! Right. Just so you know, I'm a-almost done fixing your machine, t-too, so—"

"Fixin' what machine?" he asked.

"Um. Your, uh, time machine?" She started to sweat when he just stared blankly in her direction. "W-Well, I noticed when you came out of it, some components near the door were fizzling s-so I took them o-out to s-solder them back up and m-make sure the wires were okay. I left a post-it in there!"

"Oh. Huh. Sorry, must've missed that," he said. "Thanks, though." He winked, though it didn't stem much of the flow. "Darn, I was plannin' on takin' it for a spin."

"I know you're joking, but absolutely do not spin anything," Papyrus said.

"Head's the only thing spinnin'," Sans assured him with a grin.

\- - -

As was to be expected, Sans fainted on the way home, but when he woke up in the boat, he'd completely stopped oozing and, thankfully, could see again. It wasn't until they got to the house that the time fragments returned to his vision. The front door was still embedded in the kitchen, so Toriel crafted a new one out of magic: simple and stone-like, and fairly heavy. Inside the house, the couch was now apple red. It was still just as comfy as usual, though. Toriel rolled her eyes and made another note.

Sans and Suzy lazed as Toriel and Papyrus set up the short skeleton's old room to accommodate the kid. For the first time in days, Sans tried to read a little to take his mind off things, but that did nothing but remind him of his sister. He smiled sardonically at himself. It was pretty pathetic, wasn't it? He put his arms behind his head and closed his eyes.

The purple kid was quiet, but didn't seem particularly bothered. When she thought Sans had dozed off, she scooted over to his side and curled up, holding her tail. He tapped his foot in the air so as not to startle her.

"Doin' okay?" he asked.

"…Yeah, I guess so," she said.

"It's confusin', huh?"

"So freaking confusing," she agreed.

"…Sorry."

"Thanks. I, um… I was glad to help, though," she said. "Felt kinda good to be, um, useful."

Sans opened one eye. "Once this is over, you're gonna feel a lot better," he said. "And the more time goes, the more you're gonna feel like you belong."

"Dunno 'bout that," she grumbled.

Sans blinked himself more awake and sat up. The crocodaur looked troubled.

"I… I guess I just don't get it. Why I feel like this so suddenly," she said. "And why… I dunno." Her snout flushed. "It's lame."

"Lame's okay," Sans said.

She snorted. "I… did a puzzle with your brother, right? He said he was proud of me." She grasped her hands together. "I dunno if anyone's ever been proud of me before."

The skeleton kept his expression steady, but his heart broke for the little nerd. It would be too much to just tell her she hadn't existed for ten years. How was she supposed to deal with something like that without some serious therapy? If anyone was fit to break that news to her, it'd be Gaster, but he was still napping off that massive spell.

"This weird stuff, it's 'cause of that black in my soul, right?" she said quietly. "All of this? Even… Even Papyrus's laser thing busting the seal 'cause of me. Right?"

"That last bit, probably," Sans said.

"Can I get it out?"

"I… kinda doubt it," Sans said apologetically. "But I think it may be more useful than you think." He grinned. "Either way. When she's home, I'll introduce you to my sister. She's an expert at makin' people feel better about their weird souls. S'got a weird one herself, actually."

"Really?" Suzy asked shrilly.

"Oh yeah, the weirdest." Sans winked. "Well. Maybe a close contest with the Prince. You can meet him, too."

"I'd kinda like that," she said quietly.

She huddled up snugly under Papyrus's jacket, which she still wore like a robe, and she yawned widely, her huge, sharp teeth flashing. With a little blue, Sans shifted a cushion around and gently moved the kid so she could rest comfortably against it. He stretched and leaned against the arm of the couch and dozed off himself.

His slumber didn't last long, though. His phone rang urgently from its place back in his pocket. When he answered, he could hear weird cracking noises and water blurbling.

"Hey, uh…" Undyne said awkwardly. "You got room for one more? Like, to stay?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Wellllll… Uhhh…" She turned on the video-call mode.

The entire screen was engulfed in flame. Undyne's fish-shaped house was getting roasted.

"I think I burned down my house?! Maybe?!"

"Ah." Sans rubbed his brow. "Yeah. Come over."

"Thanks, dude." She hung up.

Sans sighed. He clutched the phone tight in his hands. His scar warmed up gently, like it was trying to console him. It didn't help much. They needed their anchor back before the whole world flipped over.


	50. RED GHOST

_hey!_

_little one_

_can you hear me?_

_this has all been pretty ruff on you, hasn't it?_

_but you're doing great_

_keep going_

_okay?_

_what was your name again?_

_Frisk?_

_he saw you out there, Frisk_

_sorry_

_i know it's scary_

_but you can definitely handle it!_

_stay determined, okay?_

_good luck!_

_:3_

Frisk jerked awake at the feel of a dog's tongue slobbering on her face. She dragged her palm across her cheek and took a deep breath, uttering the quietest of _blehs _as she sat up in bed. A cozy patchwork comforter tumbled away from her as she awkwardly got up, and she tripped over it right away, smooshing her face into the carpet. She rolled onto her back. She didn't see a dog anywhere but she guessed that was normal.

What time was it? Was it a school day? She couldn't remember. She hoped not.

She struggled up again and fumbled around for the light switch near the door. Once she got it, she blinked blearily and turned back to the beds. Papyrus's red car-shaped one was immaculate, of course. She groggily dragged her blanket back onto her bed and then flopped over to the computer desk. Papyrus had the screen set to some weird language she couldn't read, but it did tell her it was eight in the morning. Frisk rubbed her head and sighed. Wasn't there something she was supposed to be doing?

She dragged herself to the closet and changed into fresh clothes and her favourite hoodie. The mirror on the door as she came out made her irises look intensely red. She blinked at herself and leaned forward, pulling her eyelid down with a finger.

"Heh. Spooky," she said quietly. She yawned and stretched, then closed the door and wandered from the bedroom with sluggish steps.

The rest of the house was dim. Cool light drifted in from the snow coated windows. It was a little chilly.

"Mooom?" Frisk called. "Saaaans? Paaaps?" She yawned. "Dad? Az, you here?"

Nobody came. She wandered to Sans's door, but it was locked when she pushed on it. She pouted and leaned her ear against it.

"Saaans, you up?"

Still no answer. Her heart thumped. He was probably just out, so why did she feel so upset?

Moping, Frisk wandered down to the kitchen. She checked in the fridge for some food but there was nothing in there. Maybe everyone was out grocery shopping?

A soft scuffing sound caught her attention and she doubled back into the living room. She could've sworn she saw a dark, purplish shape shifting up the stairs. She hurried to follow it. The incoherent whisper of a voice pulled her along and she excitedly returned to Sans's door. She could hear someone in there, she was sure of it.

The knob turned this time. She flung the door back only to find the room cold and vacant. The breeze of a small tornado of junk buffeted her hair softly. Cautiously, Frisk stepped inside and peered around. Socks on the floor; blankets wadded in an orb; a mattress with tussled sheets on the floor.

Frisk sat on the mattress and sighed. Her fingers clenched into the cloth beneath her and her breath hitched. She gulped and her eyes watered. She sniffled and hurriedly wiped them on the back of her hand.

She tried to head outside, hoping to check for Papyrus training in the path, but that door was jammed, too. That was weird. Door shouldn't be locked from this side. She sighed. She guessed she could use the star in the attic to leave, but it was so cold out there and she was still so tired.

When she turned back to the room, Asriel was there, yawning, his big fangs flashing. She perked up and went to give him a hug. He snickered and held her snug to his chest.

"G'morning to you, too," he said.

"Aaaazzz, is it a school day? I can't remember," she whined.

"Uhhh… Heh." He snickered. "I can't either. Guess it's not that important." He stretched. "Breakfast?"

"No food," she said. "Nobody's here."

"Ugh, lame." He rubbed his eyes, then looked Frisk up and down as if analyzing something new.

"What?" she asked.

"I… Hm. I'm not sure," he admitted. He shrugged. "Welp. Wanna play some vidya for a bit?"

"Yeah okay."

Before she knew it, Frisk was huddled up on the couch, controller in hand, playing some game she didn't recognize on a TV screen made of distorted, chunky colours. She blinked. She didn't remember starting it up. She looked at Asriel by her side on the green couch. His pale eyes were fixed with intense focus. She put the controller down.

"Az?" she asked. "What's happening?"

"I'm kickin' your butt, that's what's happening," he teased.

"No, I mean, um…" She couldn't quite place the feeling. She curled up beside him. "Never mind, you win."

"Pfff, lame." He mussed up her hair. His hand stalled and his brow tilted sympathetically, and he quickly paused the game. "Aw, Frisk."

"What?" she asked.

"You got a scar up here, too," he said. "Is it new? Sheesh, got anywhere without 'em?"

"Probably no," she said, sticking her tongue out. "S'no big deal."

Asriel grabbed her up and snuggled her. He pouted. "Sorry if it was me."

"Pff, as if I remember all of them!" she said.

He rolled his eyes. "…You definitely remember most of them."

Frisk blushed. "L-Look, it's… It's not a big deal." She absently grasped one hand with the other and ran her fingers over the scar on the side of her palm. "Makes me feel more solid sometimes, I dunno." She smiled sideways. "Does that make sense?"

"Not really, sis, you're kinda a weirdo," Asriel said, sticking his tongue out.

"Buhhh, nooo," she whined, sinking back into the cushions.

Asriel snickered. He booped her head gently with the soft tip of his snout. When he pulled back, he stretched and yawned, then stuck his tongue out and shook his head back and forth, his ears flopping all around.

Frisk tried not to yawn, too, but was unsuccessful. When her eyes refocused, she noticed Asriel's game was still playing even though he wasn't holding the controller. That was weird. Actually, now that she considered, this whole thing was pretty weird. How'd they even get here? This was their house, wasn't it? Weren't they a universe or two away from here?

She scooted over her brother and flopped across his legs to reach the small side-table by the couch.

"Dude," he said. He rested his elbows on her back. "Well now I definitely win."

She fumbled for the drawer awkwardly and pulled out a joke book stashed inside. She slid back onto the couch and peeked into the pages. Fully gibberish.

"Oooh. I'm dreaming." She laughed at herself. "Duh. I'm a dope."

"Huh?!" He whirled to face her and blinked. "What?!"

She grabbed his cheeks and squished them. His fur was soft and silky to the touch.

"Are you real?" she wondered.

"Uh. I think so?" He patted himself down. "How do I tell?"

"You'd know if you're real!" she said with a laugh. "Man, I actually thought I was awake for a bit."

"Are you sure we're not?" He looked at his hands. "I usually get stuck as a plant in here."

She passed him the joke book in reply. As soon as he opened it, he sighed.

"Great," he grumbled. He tossed the book over his shoulder and shrugged. "Well. That's fine. You know what? Good! We need some rest, right? And—!"

Something thunked above them. Both kids looked up with confusion. Frisk perked up.

"Ooh, d'you think it could be Sans?" she asked excitedly.

"That'd be cool," Asriel said.

Nonsensically, a very normal-looking door swung open in the ceiling upstairs and a tall skeleton in snug grey winter sweater wandered out, completely unimpeded by gravity until his feet touched the carpet. Then, he stumbled, rubbing his skull, and looked around. Frisk's eyes bugged out and Asriel's jaw dropped.

"U-Uncle G?!" he demanded.

"Dad?!" Frisk yelped.

The skeleton whirled around to the banister, eyes bright. He leapt down and instantly seized them both into a crushing hug, babbling in panicked Creatlach. Frisk's eyes watered and she clung tight to the chilled skeleton man. When he pulled himself back, his dark, broken eye sockets flickered with gold, blue, and purple. He grinned and held each of their faces gently with one hand.

"You're… You're alright?" he asked. "You're together?"

"Y-Yeah?" Asriel squeaked.

"D-Dad, is it you?! Like for real?" Frisk asked, holding his hand tight. "A-Are you okay?! You didn't turn to goo, did you?!"

"Oh, sweetheart." The skeleton rasped out an exhausted laugh and bent down, holding her face in both hands. He touched his brow against hers. "I'm alright. It's all alright."

Frisk still couldn't tell. Her eyes welled up anyway. "Are you at home? H-How is everyone?"

"I… I don't know." He pulled back to wiped his eyes, his brow furrowed with confusion. "Everything… shifts and moves around me. I… I can't…" He dug into his socket with the heel of his palm. "I'm so sorry, kiddo, my memory isn't… reaching."

"Th-That's okay!" she said quickly. "Please don't be upset!"

"…Maybe he's… a memory?" Asriel suggested quietly. "Maybe that's why?"

"I… I am dizzy," he admitted. "But I think I am… here?" He looked back upstairs. "…Did I fall out of the ceiling?"

"Y-Yeah, looked like it," Frisk said.

"_Bain mo cloigeann." _He jolted and looked at his hand as the tips of his fingers began to glitter. "Ah… That's… not good."

"Oh!" Frisk's heart beat, hard. She stumbled to her feet. "You're…! It's okay, you're just waking up, don't worry!"

The skeleton whipped back to Frisk, knelt, and held her shoulders. "Ah. Then I don't have time," he said. "Kiddo, I'm sorry, my mind is so scrambled. Please don't be upset. But. If you could tell me your name…?"

Frisk's heart sunk and she couldn't keep the confusion off her face. "Frisk."

"Frisk! Of course it's Frisk!" he said, beaming. He held her face in both hands, though his fingers still slowly dissolved. "I will remember. Frisk. I must." He turned to the monster kid and held his shoulder. "It's… Ugh, I'm sorry, and you?"

"Asriel," he said.

"Asriel! Of course!" His expression softened with relief. "Thank you. I will reach you. I promise. I—" He vanished into glittering sand.

The kids were left stiff with shock.

"What was that?!" Asriel yelped.

"I-It was him, right?" Frisk squeaked. "That was…? I don't underst…"

The whole world before her dissolved, like sand running down the walls to reveal nothing but black beyond.

Then, eyes. Inches from hers. Pitch black with dim points of light, beaming right into her, freezing her down to her soul. She felt heavy as a boulder and couldn't move as nothing but searing hate made her numb body ache. Fear forced her heartbeat pounding in her chest so hard that it might break her ribs.

In a blink, it was gone.

Nothing.

Silence.

The dread drifted away, leaving emptiness in its wake. Frisk felt like she was falling. Her mind was muddled and foggy, and all around her was warm.

"Frisk? Frisk!" A voice she knew echoed like it was shouted from a mountaintop. "Hey! C'mon, don't you… Ugh, I can't believe this! Frisk!"

Frisk felt pressure on her shoulders. Her head was spinning, like she'd been tossed down a hill in a tube.

"Frisk!" The voice again. Feminine. A kid. "Wake up! You're going to be alright, right? Stay determined. And don't you dare stop breathing!"

Frisk breathed deep and smelled grass and earth. She flinched and raised a hand to rub at her eye with her knuckles. Disbelieving laughter hit her and she was yanked upright so quickly that her eyes popped open. All around her was the grassy, mysterious, crystal-lit cavern of the Soul of the World. She could see the fanged Papyrus way off in the distance. She limply waved at him and squinted to refocus her eyes. Mostly she could see a green t-shirt and brown hair. Pidge had her— squished her tight. Frisk wheezed and huffed out a laugh. She hadn't thought she'd be so relieved to see a place that wasn't home, but she overwhelmingly was. She hugged Pidge back with shaky arms and a strong grip.

"I'm o-okay!" Frisk said.

"Ugh. You better be, I swear." Pidge pulled back, her bright eyes shimmering; her pale cheeks flushed ruddy. "You weren't breathing for a sec. You scared the hell outta me."

"Sorry," Frisk said bashfully. "How long was I gone?"

"Like ten minutes maybe?" she said quickly. "It felt like forever."

Frisk's mouth went dry. "Only ten…?! Sheesh!"

"What, was it different for you?" the girl asked worriedly.

"Yeah, like… three days?" Frisk said.

"Three WHAT?!" Pidge put both hands on her head and gawked. "No way! You're joking! Y-You're just pranking me, right?! That's n-not very nice, so you better not!"

"Umm…" Frisk tallied the nights on her fingers, just to be sure. "N-No, I think it was about that much."

"What the actual hell, that's crazy." The girl ran a hand through her bangs and huffed, trying to regain herself. "Well did it help?!"

"Nyeeeh, Friiiisk!" Papyrus dropped down to hug the two of them close. "I'm glad you're back. We didn't know how long it'd be or anything and if I should make dinner or—!"

"It was three whole days for her!" Pidge exclaimed.

The skeleton gawked and, much like Pidge had, slapped both hands against his head. "WHAT?!"

Frisk had to cover her ears, but she laughed. She reached up and he let her hold his hands as she shot him a reassuring smile. "I-It's okay! It's fine. I promise. I'll tell you all about it."

"Did you see something useful?!" Papyrus quickly turned back over his shoulder and beckoned back towards them. "SANS! Get up, lazybones! She's back!"

"I'll get him," Pidge said, hopping to her feet.

"Um…! Y-Yeah!" Frisk said. "I found Asriel and—"

"W-Wait, you…?" The girl froze, wide-eyed. "You found… A-Asriel?"

"Yeah! I—"

"Ooh, that's such a relief!" Papyrus said quickly, grinning brightly. He took her hand again. "I bet you must b— AAAH!" He yelped and pulled back quickly and stared at his fingertips.

"What, what?!" Pidge demanded shrilly.

"A-Are you okay?!" Frisk asked.

"Y-Yes! Sorry! Just startled!" Papyrus said shrilly. "Frisk, your bands are very stingy!"

"Stingy?" Frisk repeated worriedly. "Th-They hurt you?"

"Static-like, maybe," he said. He gently tapped them again with his fingertips and winced. "Gosh, that's strong. Did you end up using a lot of magic?"

"…Yeeeeeah," the kid said bashfully.

"We're definitely gonna have to get Sans to do something," Pidge said. "Something like that can't be better than no-bands, can it?"

"They all kept saying any bands are better than none, but…" Papyrus's cheekbones flushed. "I don't know, sister, I just don't want her to get arrested again. I'm worried."

"R-Right," Pidge said. "Yeah. I'll go get—"

The orb of light that was the Soul flashed brightly behind them. Papyrus shoved the kids back and put himself between them, and Sans, laying on the grass in a heap a ways away, stumbled upright. With a burst of flame, a big, white and purple form of a monster flopped out onto the ground in a heap. Frisk's heart leapt and she ducked away from the kid and the skeleton to run towards him.

"Az," she said shrilly.

Asriel was large— not quite as big as he'd been in the first world they'd gone to, but still about the same height as Papyrus. The boy pushed himself up on his hands. He lurched forward and grabbed Frisk tightly.

"How behind you was I?" he asked hoarsely.

"J-Just a few minutes. You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. And you, you're…?" His eyes caught on the skeleton just beyond them and he stared blankly, confusion washing over him. "Oh. Damn. Uh. Hi?"

"Hello there!" Papyrus said brightly. "You must be Frisk's brother? It's a huge relief to see you! Welcome!"

"Y… Yeah. Hi," His eyes shifted to the other human near him. "Wait, who's…"

Pidge's pale face was ghostly white. It was as if she were trapped in the path of an oncoming train. She gritted her teeth. Her eyes welled up and she turned and ran away as fast as she could.

"Sister, wait!" Papyrus called. His brow furrowed with worry. "Oh no…"

"Whoa, what…? What happened, is she okay?!" Frisk squeaked. "Pidge?!" She got to her feet but Asriel held her hand, jerking her back.

His eyes were wide, his pupils in slits; his mouth agape. "How…?"

"What's wrong?" Frisk asked quickly.

"How is she…?" His gaze jerked up to match hers. There were tears in his eyes. "That's… That was Chara. That's Chara."

"…What?" Frisk's blood ran cold. "Az, how c-could it be—?"

"Chara? Of course that's Chara," Papyrus said, wide-eyed. "…Wait, don't tell me she didn't properly introduce herself after all this time?!"

Frisk stared at the skeleton as if her whole brain had failed to load. Her jaw fell open and she felt woozy. "B-But she… I thought she was…" She pointed at herself. "She's… like me, though, isn't she?"

"Oh! Yes, she's definitely a time kid, and the name on her soul is _Frisk_," Papyrus assured her. He folded his arms. "Oh, that silly kid, why wouldn't she…?"

Asriel slumped where he sat, tears streaming down his face, a rasp in his breath. Frisk held onto him tight.

"Oh no, are you okay?!" Papyrus yelped, rushing towards them. He put a caring hand on Asriel's shoulder. "How can I help?"

"I c-can't… I can't," he said at a whisper. "I'm gonna die, I can't…"

"I d-didn't know," Frisk said.

"I know, I know I know I know," he muttered quickly. "Ohmigod. Okay. Okay." He heaved in a deep breath and then puffed it out. In and out, again and again.

"Frisk, what's…? I'm not sure I understand," Papyrus said.

Frisk didn't even know where to start to explain. She took a deep breath, too, and gave it a shot anyway. "She… She's… Chara. I-In our world, she's his sister, but she… She died."

Papyrus's face fell. He offered Asriel a hug and when the big fuzzy monster didn't protest, wrapped him tight in his arms. "It's all going to be okay. I promise."

"What do I do?" Asriel asked shrilly. "Wh…? What…?! Frisk, I…! I don't know!"

"I… I'll go talk to her," Frisk said despite a crack in her voice. She straightened up, but he grabbed her hand tight.

"D-Don't," he said.

"I think it's okay," she said quietly.

"But what if she's—?!"

"I've been here for a b-bit." Frisk gulped. "She's… She never did anything. Let me try."

"I'm gonna puke," he said quietly.

"Let me help." Papyrus lit his hands up with a comforting, sunlight glow. "Yes, if you wouldn't mind talking to my sister, I'm sure that would help."

Frisk nodded. She kissed Asriel's nose and hurried away, though her heart was beating heavily and she was light-headed. She thought she saw the other girl run off towards the cabin, so that's where she headed. There was an odd, bristling energy over there, too. Dread chilled her, but she crept up to the door and cautiously pushed it open.

The girl was in there. Frisk could hear her. She was muttering darkly somewhere in the low light. As Frisk crept in quietly, she saw her, curled up against the opposite wall, as far out of the glow of the magic torches as she could get. The girl was rubbing her face with insistent desperation.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop glowing," she snarled at herself, her voice ragged with tears.

Frisk cautiously edged into the shadows to join her. She gulped. "H-Hey. Are… Are you okay?" she asked softly.

The girl sniffed heavily. She looked up, her irises a burning red. Frisk's heart dropped. The pale girl smiled through her tears and gripped tight to herself, looking down at the floor.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Frisk," she said. "I didn't want you to worry about all that crap. I just wanted your time here to, like… not suck, I guess." She chuckled sardonically. "Couldn't even get that right."

Frisk's mouth was dry like she hadn't had a drink in days. She gulped and, carefully, she knelt down on the floor. "H-He was right, huh? Your real name is Chara?"

"I thought I could hold it together. Seeing him again. I hoped maybe it'd been long enough that he wouldn't see." She shook her head and pulled her fingers through her bangs. "I really blew it, huh? I should have warned you."

"I… I'm sorry, I don't… I don't get it," Frisk said quietly. She reached out and gently put her hand on the girl's. "But, um… I… I'm not, like, mad or anything."

The other kid chuckled. She lightly gripped Frisk in return. "You're still really naïve, huh? I always kinda liked that about you. Let you see the good in stuff, even after all that bad happened to you." She sniffled and leaned back, clunking her head against the wall. "Honestly, I… I was excited to see you. To know it was you, of all the ones… I was happy to get to actually know you outside for a little bit, this time."

Frisk stared at her. Her mind raced. Couldn't be, could it? But, the way Pidge… The way _Chara_ was talking… She gulped and hesitantly gave voice to her baffled conclusion. "You're…? You're the Chara I met?"

"In the flesh. For real, this time. Sort of." She winked and laughed hoarsely. "Ah, what a mess."

"Wait. Wait wait wait. What?! How?!" Frisk demanded. "Aaaaah, what?! How'd you get…?! How are you…?! Dude, what?! You're literally his sister?!"

Chara sighed. She rubbed at her glowing eyes and slumped where she sat. "It's a long story."

"C-Can you tell me?" Frisk insisted. She sat down fully and quickly scooted up beside her. "I… I can't believe it's you. It's…!" She put a hand against her head. "You're alive!"

"Kinda," Chara said with a weak laugh.

"I—! Oh my god, you're….! But you…?!" Frisk stumbled over her words shrilly and pointlessly for a few more seconds, and Chara waited patiently for her to finish. "Okay. Okay, okay. I know you said you were going, but I had no idea you could, like, jump outta the world like that!"

"Me neither," she said. "You… sure you wanna do this? I'm okay with it. You deserve answers. I… I prepared."

"Yeah," Frisk said. "Yes. Please."

"So I figure," Chara said, "from those dreams I had and what I saw, you reset again, right?"

"Yeah." Frisk pouted. "I… I had to. Az kinda went nuts and sorta… kinda… murdered a bunch of people." She put her hands up quickly and waved them as if to cancel out what she'd said. "Um! But he's better now! He's a ton better! I mean… Um…"

Chara chuckled. "Don't worry. I agree." She sighed and knitted her fingers together. "So, when you reset, I'd already left. I… woke up, but I was sort of on the border of timelessness and I had nowhere to go. I guess I used your soul to lock myself out. Probably smartest thing I ever did, to be honest." She had to sniffle, and she quickly and disdainfully wiped her nose on her sleeve. "I was confused. I had a little of you, and I fell here, where there was no ghost of me. I… fused, with this body and soul." She flexed her fingers. "I didn't kill her. She was gone before I got here. So I just… became someone new. Can't tell if it was lucky or not that she looked just like… me."

"…Is that what I found in the Ruins?" Frisk asked quietly.

The girl nodded. "My way in. Burned up behind me. Chucked the bit of you I stole outta me and locked it in there. I think I did that on purpose. Detached us; broke any pathway back. Think I must've decided there was no way I could risk the temptation try to get there again."

Chara stared at Frisk with a forlorn look in her eye. "I didn't know how bad I messed up over there. Not for a long time. Toriel from this world adopted me. Papy and Sans, they… loved me, the freaks." She laughed quietly at a bittersweet memory only she was privy to. "Sans is an oracle. He knew something was wrong with me before I even asked him for help with it. We found out who I was together." She clenched her fists. "I… remember. What I did to you. To them. But these guys still loved me. And I love them, now. Weird, right?" Tears began to fall down her pale cheeks again. "I'm what drew you here. Or… Or that piece of you I stole on my way out? Not because of some dumb nightmare, it was more than that." She heaved out a heavy sigh, her shoulders shuddering with her breath. "You hate me, huh? Scared? I don't blame you."

"No." The word fell out of Frisk's mouth before she even had a chance to think about it. She shook her head quickly. "No, I… I don't hate you."

"You know what I did. You felt it with your own hands. That was me," she said. "I don't have any excuse for that. Pissed off ghost with screwed up memories or not, it came from me." She looked at her incredulously, red eyes flashing. "I made you suffer. Made _them_ suffer, over and over and over. How can you not?!"

Frisk didn't know. She didn't have an answer. She knew Chara used to be separate from her memories of the other timelines. She'd only begin to regain them as other anomalies killed, when she could siphon off their determination for herself. She'd murdered the monsters. She'd murdered their parents, their friends; her brothers. She'd hurt Sans so deeply so many times that it was engrained into who he was now. It was the same for Frisk, the determination in her soul forcing her through the actions of countless anomalies manipulated by that angry ghost. She'd felt them die, as if by her own hand. Felt their dust fall on her as she was locked inside the body of another.

But, the Chara in Frisk's head hadn't been sure that she'd hurt all those people until battling Asriel. Frisk knew hints of the sister Asriel knew. The fun they'd had; the love they'd felt. And if it wasn't for another anomaly's own propensity for violence, Chara would never have had a chance to do any damage anyway, nor would the will to persist.

Frisk knew all that from her own experience, and from Sans's research on human ghosts. It wasn't inevitable, or else Frisk herself would have been just the same as the other anomalies that had harmed people. The spark to hurt had to already exist apart from Chara— force her to a place where the nature of her condition wouldn't allow her to stop. It wasn't that Frisk didn't blame her. She had to, for her part. But, hating her? Right now, in front of her, as she was?

Frisk gulped. She felt sick and a little dizzy, and cold so deep in her gut it was a wonder her teeth weren't chattering. However, there was one thing she knew for sure. Asriel's story as _Flowey_ was almost the same as Chara's as a rage-filled spirit.

She settled down, took a deep breath and, pouting, wrapped Chara in her arms and pulled her close. The other girl stiffened.

"Uh. What're you doing?" she asked.

"You need a hug," Frisk said. "This is rough for you. I'm sorry."

"…What? Rough for _me_?! I…" Her voice caught in her throat. She huffed out a harsh laugh and she hugged Frisk back. "Holy shit, you're weird." She wilted and rested her brow on the other kid's shoulder. "I-I'm… I'm sorry."

"I know," Frisk said.

"I don't want you to forgive me."

"I know."

Chara bit her lip. She gritted her teeth as tears bubbled up in her eyes. She choked and clung tight to Frisk. She couldn't catch her breath and began coughing out rough, heavy sobs. Frisk's eyes watered in sympathy and she held the girl tight. She didn't want to say it'd all be okay, because she had no idea what would happen. Even so, she glowed gently for her and rubbed her back. Chara cracked— bawled, shoulders heaving; clinging to Frisk with sharp fingertips and all the strength her arms could muster.

When the girl managed to settle, she finally leaned back away from Frisk. The only redness left in her eyes was from crying so hard. Her cheeks were flushed and she stared at the ground, frowning at herself as she wiped her face on her sleeve.

Frisk wiped her eyes, too. She reached out and held Chara's face in both hands and then, gently, pulled her in and bonked their foreheads together.

"Bonk," Frisk said quietly.

"W-What…?" Chara croaked out a weak laugh.

"When we do that, you let me hold some of that heavy stuff so you don't gotta think about it so much, okay?"

"Frisk, I…" Chara flinched. "I-It's too heavy for a good kid like you." She gritted her teeth. "I'm a demon. I've always been one."

"That's okay. Me too," Frisk said.

Chara looked at her with a confused, furrowed brow. "What piece of crap called you that?"

"Guys who didn't like monsters, I guess." She shrugged. "It's okay. Maybe it can be our word, now, instead." She smiled sheepishly. "Anyway. Sans taught me that as a helpful thing when my brain gets too busy. So. If you want. While I'm here." She tapped on her head. "I don't mind holding a little."

"I… I don't understand you," the girl said, her voice cracking. "…Why aren't you mad?"

Frisk shrugged. "This is hard enough right now, I think."

Chara stared at her with the faintest hint of incredulity on her face. A tear dribbled down her cheek and she looked at the ground, snorting a soft, exhausted laugh. "Weirdo."

Frisk cracked a smile and got up, offering her a hand. Sniffling, Chara took it and let herself be pulled to her feet. She drew in a long, deep breath and scoffed quietly at herself.

"What a crybaby," she muttered.

"It's okay. I mean. It's a big thing, huh?"

"Kinda just wanna curl up and hide under the table," she said. "Or… under the floorboards. In the dirt. Hey. You wanna help me pry 'em up?"

"We're not wrecking the floor," Frisk said with a quiet laugh.

"Still a goody-goody," Chara teased. She rubbed her eyes again. "Ah, shit, what am I doing? A-And what the hell do I do about _him_? Oh my god, just kill me again, okay?"

"Chara, c'mon," the kid chided gently. "It's… It's gonna be tough. But… I think if you tell him what you told me, he'll… He'll understand. I think… Just give him a minute, and I think he's gonna be so happy to see you."

"I dunno." There was a reluctant spark of hope in her eyes. "Y… You think so?"

Frisk nodded. "Yeah. I… I can't imagine what's gonna happen, but… But he still misses you. A-And I know he was… scared? For a bit. When he was still a flower but, lately when he mentions you, it's almost always a good memory, so… So it might be okay. I think it will."

"…Yeah. Yeah, maybe."

"You ready?"

"Pff, no." She sniffed. "Come on."

As soon as they crossed the threshold, both kids were dragged into a tight hug by Papyrus, a jump-scare of affection and warmth.

"Oh, thank goodness," he said. "Are you two okay?!"

"No," Chara said with a laugh. "Were you waiting right there?"

"Well, of course I was!" He said shrilly. "It was such a big accidental shock. And since I'm such a great big brother. And host. I was very concerned. Did you really not tell her your name this whole time?!"

"Look, I'm a knucklehead, alright?" she said, rubbing her face again. She stretched up and smooched the skeleton's cheek. "I… I have to talk to the new guy, okay?"

He nodded. "Of course." He lowered his voice. "It's him, isn't it? From the right world and everything?"

"Yeah," Chara said. She held tight to his shoulder. "Hey. Love you, alright? I'm not going anywhere."

"I-I know." He bumped his brow on hers. "Good luck, sister."

Chara shot the other kid a cautious look. Frisk gulped. She saw Asriel had hardly moved, but Sans was with him now, hand resting consolingly on his back. She grabbed the girl's arm.

"Lemme just check on him," she said.

Chara stiffened, but she nodded. "I'll, uh… I'll hide?"

"Don't hide," Frisk said.

"Okay, okay." She edged back towards the door. "I'll… wait. Right here. Um. Ugh, I'm an idiot, okay? Just hurry up."

Frisk nodded and, heart pounding, rushed back across the cavern to her brother.

When Frisk got close, Sans thumped Asriel on the shoulder and pointed at her. The big monster's head jerked up and he launched himself at her, wrapping her in his arms.

"Oh my god," he said.

"It's fine," she said quietly.

"I don't understand how this is real," he said.

"Yeah, same," she said. "Do you wanna talk to her?"

"Yes! No! I… I… I have to, right?" he asked. He stared into her eyes. "Did you talk to her? What did you think? It's _her_, isn't it?"

"It's… Yeah. It's her, but I think… I think whatever happened here, she's different from… From the way she was," Frisk said. "And. These skeletons love her, and she loves them, so I think that's a good sign. And, I mean… I hung out with her for a couple days, and I like her."

Asriel gulped. He nodded stiffly and snorted out a weak laugh. "Y-You like everybody though."

"Nuh-uh! No I don't, I found a buncha people in the last place I didn't like," she said, pouting.

Asriel nodded again as if to ready himself, took a deep breath, then got to his feet slowly as if lifting the weight of a mountain on his shoulders. Sans patted his arm.

"You're doin' good, kid," he said. "I know it ain't easy. Or logical. But. I think you'll find it worth your time."

"…Yeah." Asriel's pale eyes focused on the girl in the distance, who quickly ducked back into the little cabin. He put a hand on Frisk's head. "If anything happens to me… I love you."

"Nothing's gonna happen to you," she said gently. "Do you… want me to come?"

He desperately did, but he shook his head. "I think I gotta talk to her alone."

"Gotcha," Frisk said. "Don't worry. Do the deep breaths."

"Y-Yeah," he said.

Frisk stayed back to wait with the skeletons as Asriel headed for a strange cabin in a new universe, bracing himself to confront some version of his dead sister. He was going crazy, that had to be it. Or he hadn't woken up. The dream was twisting before his eyes. He could hardly get a moment with Frisk before something went off the rails. He just wanted to rest, but there was no way he could ignore this. Just keep going, he told himself. It'd end soon. Just play it out and it'll stop when it needs to. Even so, it felt like the longest walk of his life.

He could hardly even process the inside of the cabin when he entered. All he could see was Chara's doppelgänger dressed in a light, leafy green shirt, sitting on one of several cushions on the ground, looking like she'd been crying but with a flicker of hope in her honey-coloured eyes. He stalled, rooted to the spot. She locked eyes with him and cleared her throat.

"You look good," she said. "How long's it been?"

The fur on the back of Asriel's neck stood right up and a chill crept down his spine. Something about her voice was different, but it was familiar enough that it burned his ears.

"A long time," he said stiffly. His tongue was heavy. His soul was boiling in his chest. "…You're really Chara, huh? You're really m-my…?"

"Mostly. Sorry. I know it'd be easier if I wasn't."

"But you're… _my_…?"

"Yeah." She smiled sideways. "I… I know it's messed up. But I'm glad to see you, anyway, Azzy."

Asriel grimaced, baring his fangs. It was a dream, wasn't it? This didn't make any sense. But, his insides burned all the same. His soul thunked its beat so hard he felt like it might bowl him over. He folded his arms tight. The girl smiled.

"I guess you want proof?" she asked.

"This is insane. I don't even know if I'm awake right now," he muttered under his breath. He managed a small, sardonic smile. "Last time I couldn't tell if you were a dream or not, I betrayed almost everyone who ever loved me and nearly lost my shot at a soul, so…"

"Look. That's totally fair. I thought about this a lot, actually," she said. "Ever since Frisk said you were with her. I mean, I could go with the worst ones. But this is… It's traumatic enough without that." She shook her head. "I could talk about our secret stories about you and me, the Mountain Emperors, and me finally turning into the monster I always wanted to be. Remember? I drew myself as this huge goat like mom but with horns like our teacher Alcie, with black fur with these big gold stripes. We took it very seriously at the time."

The boy began to gawk, his eyes growing wide and bright with disbelief. She chuckled quietly.

"Or our ultimate techniques. You're such a dork, I can't believe I let you talk me into that. _Crimson Claymore_, right? I kinda can do that one for real now. It's not as cool as the one we drew, but it's definitely not too shabby." She smiled. "Or I could talk about sneaking out to that candy store in New Home. What was it called? _Sweet Dreams_, I think? So cheesy. And the time Dad found us and I was so sure he'd be furious— I almost threw up, do you remember? But he wasn't, and he made it a game instead. Or… Or what about my first birthday with you, when you guys still had no idea what to do with a human? And mom made me this heavy red sweater because she was afraid I'd be cold underground with no fur. But it was way too much; I could hardly move in it!"

Asriel's pale eyes welled up. "C… Char—"

"Hm. It's nice to reminisce, but then I thought…" She rubbed her head. "Well. That's all stuff you know, too. Obviously. And if you thought it was a trick or a dream, a false me could say anything already in your head. So. I thought, I could say something that I'm pretty sure, after everything, your dreams would never let a fake me say to you. Because mine don't let the fake you say it." She smiled. "So. Here it is. I still love you, Azzy. And… I'm sorry."

Asriel's throat caught. There was Chara. _His_ Chara. His vision blurred with hot tears. He dropped down to his knees and slammed his hands into wooden planks of the floor. The cabin walls rattled.

"What were you thinking?!" he barked.

Chara blinked. "Uh…"

"Your plan! It killed us! Mom and Dad broke up, the Kingdom went nuts! Other humans died because of us; dad became a killer because of us! I became a time travelling psycho flower; you became a murder ghost! If it weren't for Frisk, we'd both be stuck!" Tears streamed down his cheeks. "You were our hope! And we just… We died! We should never have gone out there."

"No, you were our hope. And we were dumb kids," she said softly. "…I loved you."

"I loved you, too!" he snapped. "More than anything."

Chara shook her head. "That's why I wanted to do it," she said, frowning. "You guys didn't deserve what happened. Humans are stupid hypocrites. They thought they were locking away all the evils of the world, but they were the ones doing it! Crime and murders and all that didn't stop when monsters were gone, humans just did it to each other even more since they lost their precious scapegoat! They're evil cowards for doing what they did."

"Sure, and we became evil trying to undo it," he said.

"You were the one that let us die," she said. "You stopped us from fighting."

"I couldn't! I couldn't be like that back then."

"But you agreed to come with me," she said.

"I know! I had to," he said. "…You're my sister." He growled and pointed accusingly at her. "You're my sister and I had to watch you die for _days_."

"Hey, I was the one who had to die for days with you guys all crying over me! How do you think I felt?!" she said. "And then I had to die again when you wouldn't let me protect you from stupid arrows! I died twice to try to save you losers and I couldn't even do that right!"

They stared at each other steadily for a long while. Asriel snorted. His claws dug into the wood. He pulled back and couldn't help a smile from straining his face. Chara snickered. It was absurd. Horrifying. Unimaginable. Asriel laughed, spitting it out in an involuntary burst. His sister broke into cackles at the sound. She held her head; choked and coughed. They sounded like a pair of hyenas.

"We're… We're so stupid," Asriel wheezed.

Chara laughed even harder, wrapping her arms around herself and rocking forward. "W-We died and we're here and w-we're idiots!" Tears began to stream down her face. "We ruined everything."

"Oh my god, did we ever." Asriel huffed and wiped his eyes, snickering weakly. "Holy crap."

Chara smiled. She reached out for his hand. He took a deep breath and grabbed her gently. Felt weird. He used to hold her hand all the time. Felt like it'd been eons that they'd actually touched and one of them wasn't trying to stab the other. Their manic mirth subsided and they both tried to catch their breath. Chara cautiously wiped her eyes.

"Really wish you hadn't killed me so many times," he said quietly.

"Same," she said. "Though, if I remember right, you did a lot of that my way, too."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered. "God, what a mess."

"For sure," she said, nodding. She patted his big paw affectionately. "I missed you, Azzy."

He gritted his teeth. After a few seconds heavy with silence, he sat back on the ground and brushed his hands under his eyes. He sniffled. She opened her mouth to say something, but then thought better of it. He sighed out deeply and then pulled her into his arms. She slumped into him and gripped him around his chest.

"Y-You're still such an ass," he muttered.

"I know." She smirked. "Kinda like this new attitude you got, though." She reached up and pet under his eye and down his cheek, her fingertips gently running through the dark fur of the stripe branded into him. "Kept a little of that edge, huh?"

His lip quivered and he huffed, pushing his snout against the crook of her neck. She held his head and, as she let out a shaking sigh, stroked the fur between his horns and closed her eyes.

"Well. M-Maybe not so much," she teased, her voice hoarse.

He snorted quietly. He wished, desperately. He wished he was little again. He wished he could ugly sob like he used to when he was a tiny kid. He wished there wasn't a fight or flight response still running through his body. He took another deep breath to settle himself.

"I'm… sorry, too," he said softly.

"I know you are," she assured him.

"S-Super sorry."

"Mhm."

"…Love you."

She leaned her head against his. "Love you, too."

Asriel rested with her for a moment before he loosened his grip and leaned back. She still sat on his leg, grabbing his arm. He took a moment to really look at her. His memory was so burned with her frozen, wicked smile and gleefully bright red eyes, a visage that painted itself onto anomalies she stole. To see her, warm and tired and uncertain— to see a genuine, if subdued grin on her face… This couldn't just be a ghost anymore, right?

Asriel gulped. "I… I couldn't go back. My soul can't just reset back to… you know, thirteen years old, naïve little butterscotch kid, all that stuff. I can't forget. I don't deserve to, honestly."

"You do more than I do," Chara said. She drooped sadly. "It's not fair, huh? I don't… feel it the same way, since coming here. Even Frisk feels it more than me, sounds like. That's not fair, either."

"So you got a clean break? You can't have. You remember me," he said.

"No, not quite, it's… hard to explain," she said. "I didn't remember everything. For a while. Sans helped me. This was… you know, after they adopted me, and I helped save this kingdom and stuff. So I had that as a foundation, kinda. But I remembered you the whole time. And I remembered her a bit, too." She clenched her fists. "I… I think I'm not… that bad, here. I think maybe, if those skeletons still love me, I'm… okay, you know?" Her eyes welled up again and she wiped them quickly. "I was never different than them, you know. The other humans."

"I think you are," he said.

She laughed and shook her head. "Figures the only human separate enough from that stuff was made by a monster, huh?"

"She told you about that?" Asriel asked.

"Oh, yeah, we were starting to be friends before I screwed everything up." She shrugged. "And she doesn't have a bellybutton."

"A what?" The monster blinked blankly.

"A bellybutton, Azzy!" She raised her shirt just enough to show hers. "She doesn't have one! Humans are supposed to have one."

"…Huh." He huffed out an exhausted laugh. "Of course."

She cracked a smile. She wiped her eyes again and took a deep breath. "I-I… I think you deserve to know. I wanna tell you everything. Same as what I told Frisk."

"Yeah." He gulped heavily. "Please."

She grabbed one of his paws tight in both hands. They both braced themselves. Asriel gripped tight to the girl he thought he'd never see again. He hoped he wouldn't be sick.

Chara's story began in a daze. A confused, amnesiac kid stumbling to life in a garden, knowing nothing but her name and those of her siblings. She was certain, at first, that Frisk must be her sister, and that her beloved brother Asriel being a monster was completely normal. When a massive, stormcloud coloured, ram-horned Toriel found her, it wasn't a shock. She felt like she knew her already.

She'd been adopted. Stayed a year, missing those siblings but knowing no way to find them. Her meagre red magic blossomed, and her new mother trained her with a sword. Her new home was the Ruins deep within stone walls. A barrier sealed them in. Chara could leave, if she wished, but she wouldn't be able to return until the King was defeated. She did not wish to leave.

But then, Toriel fell ill. The only cure was freedom, so Chara set out into the Kingdom beyond.

A long time ago, another human with magic had fallen into this world. Though he was adopted by monsters, he joined the humans beyond the Kingdom's borders and returned only to assassinate the monsters' Prince and Princess. The betrayal and loss of his children wounded the King's heart so deeply he lost himself, too. His magic was so powerful that the Kingdom fell under a curse of rage and grief, and Toriel was banished and sealed away for trying to stop him. The barrier and even the mountain prison itself was his doing. It wasn't until much later Chara learned the names of the royal children were ones she was deeply familiar with.

She'd met all kinds of new friends on her quest, every battle freeing the minds of those she defeated. She'd even gained her new skeletal family members and made allies out of the Captain of the Royal Guard and the Archwizard. And, once the King himself was beaten, the curse over everyone dissipated. Toriel was cured.

It wasn't until after all that did Chara ask Sans to help her with her memories. It wasn't particularly hard for him reaching through her into the Soul of the World. He watched them first. Asked her if she wanted to leave it behind. Warned her it wasn't pretty. Holding onto the threads of Asriel and Frisk, Chara refused and reclaimed everything. She didn't leave bed for a week.

Chara was stone-faced and stiff, explaining it all to the floor as if reciting a speech. Asriel wasn't— he was fidgety and had a billion questions he didn't ask, each new sentence sending him reeling. When she got to the part about how she'd reemerged locked out of their world and plummeted through the void after Frisk's reset, he couldn't contain it anymore. He hid his eyes behind his hands as tears raced down his cheeks, soaking his fur and dribbling down his jaw. He desperately tried to focus on her story despite his soul buzzing in his ears. Those words: locked out… They filled him with deep, dark dread.

"Hey. Crybaby," Chara said sternly, cutting through his racing thoughts. "C'mon. I've had to do this twice now, the least you could do i-is look at me."

Asriel sniffled deeply. He peeked out between his fingers to see Chara frowning at him resolutely, her honey-coloured eyes glistening gold with the huge tears that had welled up in them. The boy wheezed and he yanked her into his arms again. She let out a little gasp and gripped to him tightly.

"O-Oh. S-So that's why…" she mumbled.

"I-I can't take it. I c-can't…" He shook his head back and forth. "I know w-we're garbage b-but I…! I want you back. So… So bad."

"I know," she said softly.

"How do we…?! What do we do?" he asked.

"I… I don't know." She sighed. She nestled into him closed her eyes. "Let's talk about that later, okay?"

"B-But…!"

"Please, Azzy?" She sniffled and chuckled, rolling her eyes at herself. "Sorry. Not to guilt trip. It's just… exhausting."

"Yeah." He heaved in a deep breath. "Yeah. Y-You're right. Let's… Let's just… pace ourselves."

"Thanks."

Chara snuggled up. Her soul tentatively reached out, glowing a soft red through her shirt. Asriel's watery eyes went wide. He carefully let his soul touch against hers. It was warm. He closed his eyes and he could hear the faintest wisps of a song that wasn't his. One that reminded him of cool stone, of distant wind whistling around the top of a cavern, of a tiny kid fallen down, and deep, toasty nostalgia. He hummed the tune softly. Chara's cool, strong fingers gripped tightly to him.

"It's not mine," she mumbled.

"It is now," he said.


	51. Bottle it all up

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe all this!" Papyrus was pacing frantically. He'd already worn a shallow groove in the grass. "Nyeehhh, this is such…! I mean! Oh noooo…" He whirled on Frisk with a wide-eyed, apologetic expression. "I really am so sorry, Frisk, I thought she'd already told you what happened!"

Frisk was sitting on the ground, watching him in a daze. She felt numb. Still dizzy; still sick. It was about the dozenth time Papyrus had apologized. She nodded and shrugged slightly, and the tall skeleton cawed to the wind and rubbed his brow as he began to pace again.

"SANS. Did you know she didn't know?!" he asked.

"Yeah." Sans dropped down beside Frisk, sprawled out on the grass, and he put a careful hand on her shoulder. "Kid, I'm sorry, I thought it was up to her to fill ya in."

"…No, you're right. Gosh, imagine?" Frisk said quietly. She did as good an impression of him as her childish voice could muster: "_Hey, kiddo, here's this human, she's Chara from your world somehow, hope that's fine and stuff_." She laughed and shook her head. "I… I might have just run away."

"But I thought you were friends," Papyrus said worriedly.

"I… I think we are?" Frisk's brow furrowed. "I… I mean, that was really her before, right?"

"I'm not sure I understand," the skeleton said apologetically.

"It wasn't an act." Sans grinned sideways. "Well. She toned down the cursin' a bit for ya. And the self-depricatin'."

Frisk nodded. "I'm not mad or anything. But I totally thought she was dead. She was dead, actually. She was super dead; she was a ghost even when I knew her. And Asriel…" She felt sick for her brother. There was no use hoping this wouldn't set him back. Of course it would. But, she thought, at least he could actually talk to her for real now, instead of just seeing her echo speaking cruel words in a dream. "Man, this is super crazy, huh?"

"A-Are…? Are _we_ still friends?" Papyrus asked hesitantly.

"Jeez, Paps, of course!" Frisk said, wide-eyed. "This just all kinda threw me. But…" She looked at Sans. "If you trust her. If she's your sister. I trust that."

Sans grinned and patted her head. "Won't regret it."

She nodded. Her posture slumped and she let out a deep breath. She leaned weakly against the skeleton and, though he hesitated for a moment, he put an arm around her.

"I know it was bad," he said quietly. "I ain't gonna make any excuse for that. But, here, she's somethin' new. I know that probably doesn't help—"

"It helps," Frisk said.

"Oh yeah?" He chuckled. "…Ah, you're a good kid."

She smiled weakly. Her eyelids were getting heavy. A speckle of unusual colour glimmered before her. She rubbed her forehead.

"Hey, y'okay?" Sans asked.

"I'm… I dunno. Guess this all kinda drained me a bit." She also sort of felt like throwing up. "Um, if I faint, sorry. I-It's not her fault."

He put a hand against her brow. Papyrus finally skidded to a halt and plunked himself down in front of her, holding her face in both hands. His touch was warm and welcome, even if a shard of light that passed over his face made his eye look blazing orange-red.

"Nyooo, friend, you're…? Oh my gosh, we don't even know happened out there!"

"It was kinda hectic, huh?" Sans leaned around to look her in the face. "Whoa, there's those raccoon eyes again. Kid, y'alright?"

"I, uh…" She felt dizzy. She grabbed onto his jacket. Static grey encroached on the edges of her vision. She couldn't keep her eyes open and slumped into him. "M'just n-not feeling too great."

Papyrus and Sans shared a worried look. The older skeleton pulled her into his arms and rocked her gently.

"There she goes again," he said in jest.

"I'm… I'm okay," she said softly. "I'm, um… seeing weird time stuff again."

"Are you?! Does that mean something?! Is it bad?!" Papyrus yelped.

"I dunno, I… I just need a minute."

"Shhh, y'nerd, take a nap," Sans said.

"But I… Asriel and…" She rubbed her eye with the heel of her hand, but still couldn't seem to get them open. "I'm sorry."

"Nah, just rest, I'll wake y'up if somethin' happens," he said.

"…Thanks, Sans…" She went limp and mumbled into his coat, "Love you."

Sans's face flushed. Papyrus cooed.

"That was for her brother," Sans said quietly. "Poor kid."

"She must be exhausted," Papyrus said. "She said it was three whole days on her end."

"That's… more than I expected. Hey. Did ya notice her clothes? Under the hoodie."

"Her clothes?" Papyrus looked her up and down. His eyes went wide. "Th-They're different!"

"Got shot outta a pond," she mumbled softly.

"What happened?" he asked gently. He tilted his head and gently lifted up the ocarina hanging around her neck. "And… wait, is this what I think it is?"

"Sure looks like…" Sans paused. He frowned. "Hey, uh. Check your agate, will ya?"

Though he looked puzzled, Papyrus patted down his pockets and pulled out a flat, rounded crystal. He opened his mouth, but before he could ask a thing, the agate began to pulse with red and let out a low, unnerving hum.

"Nyooo, that's…" His eyes traced down to Frisk. He quickly tapped on the crystal to silence it's urgent alert. "That is not good at all."

"Yuuuup, that'll be callin' the Guard," Sans said, frowning. "Shit." He smiled sideways. "So. This goes better or worse for us if I lock down portals?"

"Brother! Youuuuu promised Queen Undyne you wouldn't do that anymore," he said.

"Didn't _promise_, exactly," Sans said. He raised one hand towards the light of the Soul and his fingertips glowed blindingly white. His left eye shimmered along with it for just a few seconds before dimming as he snapped his fingers. "There. Not gettin' stormed, at least."

"Oooh, they're going to be so mad, though," Papyrus said nervously. "What do we do?!"

"Dunno. I figure, I walk out like usual and just say it's Oracle stuff; I'll probably get yelled but, hey, ain't the first time."

"And what if it's worse that that?!"

Sans shrugged. "More paperwork I won't do. No big deal."

Papyrus grumbled under his breath and pouted. "But what about Frisk?" He gently took one of the kid's hands. He brushed his fingers between hers and down her wrist, where the red magic still shone. He winced at the feeling. "Ugh. After all this. We should never have marked her." His eye sockets began to water. "She doesn't deserve all that extra stress."

"It would have been worse if we hadn't," Sans said quietly.

"Would it, though?!"

"I-It's okay. It's okay," Frisk said drowsily. "Ugh. I'm s-so sorry to—"

"Stooop. Stop. Stop," Sans said, chuckling. "Gotcha, okay? Y'gonna faint?"

"N-Not if I don't move," she muttered.

"Then please don't move!" Papyrus sighed and turned to his brother, hurriedly brushing his hand across his eyes. "But we could have painted her blue or something! No one would know," he insisted. "B-Because the second we take her out of here, some Guard is going to arrest her again and we're going to have to go get her back, and I don't know if they'll just let her out this time if the bands are—"

"What about a Decept?" Sans wondered.

"What?! What do you mean?!" Papyrus yelped. "Would that even work?!"

"Dunno. But she has a soul connection who's actually here now, right?" Sans tapped his teeth thoughtfully. "Deceptive Cadence might work. Can't see why it wouldn't."

"Has that ever even been done on a human before?!" Papyrus asked under his breath.

"She's tuned different." Sans tapped on her soul spot and it lit up for him instantly. He smiled fondly. "…And she responds to mine, easy peasy. I can probably cast it."

Papyrus pouted. He nodded nonetheless. "Nyeeh… O-Okay. But… Frisk, is it okay? We won't do it if you're not okay with it, okay?!"

"Do it," Frisk mumbled. She still looked completely asleep.

"Y'even know what it is, kiddo?" Sans teased.

"Nuh-uh."

He snickered. "It's a disguise. Might not work. If it does, though, we can probably keep ya outta trouble."

"Dooo it," she said again, more softly and sleepily this time.

"Do my best," he said with a laugh. "Means we'll have to hang out here a little longer, though."

"Buuhhhh… What a pain." Papyrus's gaze turned to the cabin and he sighed. "I hope they're okay in there. Should I check in?"

Sans's left eye flared blue. "Maybe let's, uh… give 'em a little time on their own, bro."

"Aw." Papyrus settled back down with them and heaved out a sigh. "I guess you're right." He huffed worriedly and folded his arms.

"Chill. It's gonna be fine."

"I knooww. It's just…" He tapped his fingers on his arm. "I wish I could be there for her right now." He turned to Frisk. "Is there anything I can give you, small friend? A potion, maybe?"

"G-Got anything for dizzies?" she asked quietly.

"Ummmm…" Papyrus searched his pockets. "Hang on." He got up quickly and darted away, only to return with a brown shoulder bag. He sat down again and rifled around inside until he pulled out a vial of dark green. "Fortitude? _Sturdy, _specifically."

"Oh. Hey. Might work," Sans agreed.

Papyrus popped the top for her and made sure she held it tight. "Drink the whole thing, okay?"

Frisk carefully downed the potion. It tasted like avocado, pine, and stubbornness. Her limbs felt heavier, like she had a weighted blanket draped over her, but her head stopped spinning. She let out a sigh of relief and tried to open her eyes again. The grey was gone, as were most of the shards of other times. The ones that were left were small and glittering, drifting in the air like small, angular snowflakes. She was pretty sure she could deal with that.

"Thanks, Paps. You're great."

He grinned and took the vial back from her. "Nyeh heh, I am the master of unorthodox solutions!"

"Eyy," Sans said, shooting him a wink.

Papyrus scoffed and snickered, rolling his eyes in jest. Frisk grinned. She tilted her head back to look up at Sans.

"You're cozy and I appreciate you."

"Oh, uh." He chuckled. "Thanks."

"You said you loved him," Papyrus teased gently.

Sans's bones flushed and he shook his head quickly. Frisk snickered.

"Kinda do. Both of you," she said. "You're… not my brothers. But you still kinda feel like family. And you've both been so nice to me." She grinned sideways. "Plus, gotta admit, you gimme a hug and something to eat, you pretty much got me."

"Aww!" Papyrus cooed, eyes filling with stars.

Sans scoffed and mussed up her hair. "You're basically just a weird puppy, ain'tcha?"

Papyrus gently bonked him on the head. "Don't make fun of her, you're exactly the same," he said. "Add in a blanket and you would never leave. You might as well be a bear."

Sans grinned his big, pointy teeth. "Hibernation doesn't sound too bad about now, t'be honest." He slumped around Frisk's shoulders, resting his chin on her head. "S'gonna be a long one, huh? Did ya at least get a nap or somethin' while y'were gone?"

"Yeah," she said. "It… It was a whole thing. I'll tell you 'bout it later, okay?"

"Fair." His soul glowed against hers reassuringly and they both slipped into purple. "Lotta stuff, huh? …Hey, uh. I know this thing with pigeon's a bit of a mess, but I appreciate y'givin' her a chance. I know she does, too."

"Mhm." Her eyes turned on the cabin with a worried frown weighing on her brow. "I just hope they're okay."

"Me toooo," Papyrus said with a heavy sigh.

\- - -

Sans had fully dozed off and Frisk's limbs were still rather leaden from the sturdy potion by the time the door of the cabin cracked open and the two kids snuck back out into the cavern. It couldn't have been too long, but to Frisk it felt like it'd been hours. Papyrus was up on his feet in an instant and sprinted over to them, lifting Chara up to squish her and then flinging an arm around Asriel, too. He dragged them back towards the others' spot in the grass.

"Hey. Look. You survived," Sans said groggily.

"I literally didn't survive though," Chara said.

"Pff." He waved a hand dismissively. "Details."

"You did great, I know it!" Papyrus said confidently. "Nobody's screaming or fighting so I think that's excellent, in fact!"

"Not for now, anyway," she said.

"Az." Frisk stiffly lifted her hand. "You okay?"

He flopped down to join her and instantly gave up even attempting to keep composure and slumped face-first onto the ground and groaned.

"Azzy, you're so dramatic," Chara teased.

He rolled over squished his cheek against the earth and looked up at Frisk through bleary eyes. His fur was plastered flat with the residue of tears. "I'm losing my mind," he grumbled.

Frisk leaned forward to hold his big face in her hands and smooched the end of his snout. He sighed heavily and propped himself back up to sit. He gently took the stiff kid from Sans and pulled her into his lap.

"You're real, right?" he asked at a whisper. "This is real?"

"Yeah, of course," she said. "C… Chara, what about you, you okay?"

Chara went stiff. Her eyes glimmered. She smiled tepidly. "…I am. Thank you, Frisk."

Frisk reached out her hand. Though she hesitated a moment, Chara took it.

"Thanks for telling us," Frisk said.

The freckled girl snorted quietly. "You wouldn't have been happier not knowing?"

Frisk wasn't sure, but she shook her head nonetheless. Papyrus insistently shook his head, too.

"Nah. S'weird, but good, I think," she said.

"Mhm, definitely weird!" Chara tilted her head. "But you okay? You look exhausted."

"Hm." Asriel nodded thoughtfully. "She's right."

"Sorry." She rubbed her eyes. "Yeah. Just got the grey eyes and the wrong time bits."

"Ugh, same. Did you do your breathing?"

"Nooo…"

He sighed and put a hand against her head. "Okay, just focus on me and do your breathing."

"Okay, okay." Frisk began to quietly take very deep, deliberate breaths and Asriel glowed gently, pulsing in time with her.

Chara watched on worriedly. Papyrus snuck over to her and gave her a hug. She grabbed him tightly in return.

"So… You're sure you're alright?" he asked.

"Kinda," Chara said with a weak smile. "We yelled at each other a bit, I think it was good."

"The last time we saw each other for real, we both died," Asriel said.

"That's rough, buddy," Sans said. He got to his feet and stretched before meandering over to Chara. He plunked himself down on her other side and ruffled her hair. "Bad as you thought?"

"I was the worst." She pointed at Asriel. "They were better. I thought she would run the hell away and I half expected you to throw me through a wall."

"When have I ever done that?!" Asriel barked.

"You're big now, though, I dunno." She shrugged. "And maybe I'd deserve it."

"Noooo, no no no," Papyrus said quickly. "Listen. I think. What would be best. Is if we all relax. Because yes there's a lot of complicated backstory, and yes there's a lot of heavy feelings, but really, we all care about each other and I think that's a really great first step!"

As Chara's pale cheeks flushed, Sans chuckled and thumped her on the shoulder.

"Told ya."

"Shut up, I know," she said. "I guess I just… hyped it up a lot in my head."

"S'okay, I wouldda been super nervous too if I had to meet you without you knowing," Frisk said. "I mean, I'm glad it's you, though."

"…What, why?!" Chara laughed. "You're a sucker for trauma bonding, is that it?"

"What?! No! I dunno what that is," Frisk said. "No, I mean… There's… a lot? Y'know? But if you weren't you, this would be way harder for Az."

"That's…" Asriel sighed. "That's true."

"Yeesh." Chara grinned wryly. "Good thing I didn't fake amnesia, then. That was a serious consideration."

"Oh, god, that'd be awful," Asriel grumbled.

She nudged Sans in the ribs. "Thank this bonehead, he vetoed that before I even said it out loud."

"You wouldn't have lasted twenty-four hours anyway," Sans said with a wink.

"Don't tell them that!" the girl said shrilly. She shook her head quickly. "Anyway! Forget it. Did you guys get the alert, too?"

Papyrus couldn't keep the troubled frown from his face. "Yes, it's… not good."

"What isn't? What's going on?" Asriel said.

"Guards are comin' for the kid," Sans said, pointing a claw straight at Frisk.

"What?! What guards?! Why?" Asriel yelped.

"Sorry," Frisk said in a small voice.

"Welp. Thing is,they can't actually get in," the skeleton continued. "Though, uh, we can't leave either until we sort somethin' out."

Asriel frowned. He clutched Frisk close. "I'm not letting her get taken anywhere," he said, snorting a small, hot flame out of his nose.

"Chill. We already got a plan." Sans slowly heaved himself onto his feet. "I got some prep I gotta do."

"What kind?" Chara asked worriedly.

"A Cadence. Shouldn't take long."He winked and headed back towards the glowing Soul.

"Do you need me?" she called after him.

"Nah, think I can manage. Thanks anyway, pigeon."

"A Cadence? Wait, like the magic kind?" Asriel asked. "I thought those were mute spells now."

"They didn't lose how to do them, here," Chara said. She leaned forward and lowered her voice, her eyes glittering. "Azzy, they didn't even have the war like we did."

"What?! Seriously?!" Asriel's eyes got big and round.

She nodded enthusiastically. "There's a lot of cool magic stuff here that we totally missed out on."

"Th-That's true." Frisk tried to steady herself and rubbed her eyes with her knuckles. "There's so much stuff. Like whole stores of magic books. And all these cool crystal thingies. And magic potions. Oh. And, um, dogs are super special sun beasts, I think. Not that they're not back home, but they have statues and stuff here."

Asriel's brows lifted in surprise.

Chara scooted closer and peeked at Frisk. "Jeez, you're a wreck, huh?" She put her hand on the kid's forehead. "Ah, little bit of a fever."

"Yeah, she falls hard when it happens," Asriel grumbled.

"Sorry…" Frisk said. "And sorry about all this… junk."

"You definitely don't need to apologize for not feeling well," Papyrus said.

"But this stuff with the guards—!"

"That is also definitely not your fault since you did not actually do anything bad," he insisted.

"To be honest, I still don't understand what the heck is goin' on," Asriel said, wide-eyed.

"Basically…" Chara reached out and took Frisk's hand, and tapped on the red band around her wrist. "These are like a safety check for humans in the kingdom."

"Yeah, Frisk told me, but how'd she get noticed?" Asriel asked.

"They're basically a magic warning siren right this second," Chara said. "It was getting worse the more magic she used since, um, in this world, normal humans don't use magic at all. It ends up reading like she's just been kinda on a murder spree."

"What?!" Frisk squeaked. "B-But I—!"

"I know. It's a malfunction," the girl interjected.

Frisk pouted. "Ugh, sorry," she said for the umpteenth time.

"Ooh, that's… probably from you pulling me outta the void. And kickin' those guys butts earlier," Asriel said.

Chara put on a dry expression. "Azzy, come on, I may have been outta my mind when I was in hers, but we both know Frisk doesn't butt-kick."

"No, dude, it was great," he said, eyes brightening. "The way the guy she saved told it, she basically reversed a bunch of knight dudes so they all threw up and pooped their pants."

"WHAT?!" Chara's eyes glimmered and she started to cackled. "Oh my god, really?!"

"I d-didn't really mean to," Frisk protested. "I got really scared. Th-They were kinda smashing my friend's bones up so—"

"So you made them POOP their PANTS?!" She was howling now. "Frrriiissssk! You're a riot!"

Papyrus held his hands over his mouth, shaking his head, but clearly trying not to crack up.

"I…" Frisk couldn't help but catch the laugh like a cough. "I—! I guess…! I guess it is a little funny."

Asriel snickered and cozied Frisk closer. His gaze turned back to Chara and Papyrus. "So, uh… A-Anyway! What kind of Cadence?"

"_Deceptive,_" Papyrus said. "It can be used for a disguise. So she looks like a monster, and so she doesn't get arrested again."

"Wait, I get to look like a monster?" Frisk asked, perking up. "Can I pick?!"

"I am not entirely sure how it works," Papyrus said apologetically. "But! It should let us protect you better."

Chara caught her breath and slumped. "Oh. Damn. That's not a bad idea." She wiped the corner of her eye with her knuckle. "Monsters here see humans kinda a lot," she explained, mostly to Asriel. "So they all recognize one right away. I'm the only one that's not gonna be given trouble without those bands." She shot Papyrus a curious look. "I didn't think a Decept would work on a human, though."

"Sans thinks it will," he said with a shrug. "Maybe? Because of you, new friend." He smiled at Asriel.

"Oh yeah? I…! Really? I don't get it." He looked down at Frisk with confusion.

"I can explain!" Papyrus volunteered. "Technically, how these things are supposed to work is that you can disguise anything that you are connected to by your soul. I have never actually done this spell. But! From what I understand, if I make a bone, but I for some reason needed to disguise it as something else— maybe a stick— I could do that."

"I don't wanna be a stick," Frisk said shrilly.

"Nooo, no no no, you would not be a stick," Papyrus said quickly. "I have heard that, for example, a parent monster could cast one on their kid, too. As a disguise or… a fun costume? I think?" He rubbed his head. "Nyehh, sorry, it's… It's not a super common spell, to be honest! I've heard of monsters using it to really amp up their mazes, though! Switching common objects into something very fantastical! It's apparently very impressive!"

"He's sure though, right?" Chara asked as she frowned thoughtfully, folding her arms.

"I certainly hope so!" he said. "We could wipe the bands, if so. As long as Sans tells Undyne, I think we'll be okay. Probably. Hopefully?"

"Well. Whatever you think is best," she said quietly.

Papyrus reached over to her and checked her forehead. She scoffed and batted him away, but couldn't help a smile. Undaunted, the skeleton cackled and gently ruffled her hair, glowing a pleasant orange for her. Asriel stared at the skeleton blankly for a few seconds. He tried to realign the family structure in his mind. He shook it off as quickly as he could.

"Oh, uh, right. Sorry. Got kinda overwhelmed," he said. "I'm Asriel, by the way."

Papyrus snickered. "I know. And hopefully you already know me as the great Papyrus! You don't mind that we're Chara's family now, too, do you?"

"Papy, c'mon," Chara said worriedly.

"Listen. Anyone who'll love her, I'm happy," Asriel said, shooting her a teasing smile.

Chara blushed again despite her clumsy attempt to conceal it by hiding her face in her hands. Papyrus beamed and thew an arm around her shoulders. For some reason, Asriel felt nice seeing that. He was a little surprised they seemed to mesh well but, then again, the Papyrus he knew had an uncanny ability to win people over if they could endure his initial onslaught of loudness, pasta, and posturing. He was also unflappable in the face of rudeness and sass. Maybe this guy was similar.

A strange hum warbled in the air, drawing the kids' eyes back towards the centre light of the chamber. Sans had both hands out, his bones glittering iridescent white. A gentle pulse from the Soul sent out magic like a fluffy smoke ring all the way to the edges where the black trees grew, gently buffeting their silver and pink leaves.

"Okay, think I'm good." Sans said. He wandered back over and sat down in front of Frisk and Asriel. "Now. Gotta warn ya. No idea what's gonna happen, 'cept that it's not actually dangerous."

"It's fine," Frisk assured him quickly.

"Is there really no way to control what she comes out as?" Chara asked worriedly. "What if it's a weird squid or something?"

"I could live with that," Frisk said.

"But all those arms!"

"I can deal with at least four arms, I think," Frisk said. "Or two and wings, I've done that before."

"I don't think she'd come out as a squid." Asriel winked. "Maybe a dog, though."

"Ooh, maybe a skeleton!" Papyrus said excitedly.

"You think?!" Frisk squeaked.

"I dunno if it can make you look hollow like that," Chara said.

"Aw."

"Okay, okay." Sans's smile was wide and amused. "Might as well just find out instead, don'tcha think?"

"Right! I'm ready!" Frisk assured him.

Sans nodded and looked at Asriel. "How 'bout you, big guy?"

"Uh. Sure?" he said.

"Perfect."

The skeleton reached forward and touched Asriel lightly. The boy's soul pinged. Then, the skeleton pulled out the light in Frisk's soul. The red beamed for a second and its white marks glowed. A note of magic chimed in the air and Frisk promptly passed out.

Asriel yelped and Chara rushed over to grab the limp kid's hands. Sans looked at his fingers and raised his brows.

"Huh. Weird."

"Frisk?!" Asriel demanded shrilly.

"SANS!" Papyrus squawked.

"I did give a disclaimer," he said.

His brother folded his arms and pouted. Chara put a hand on Frisk's forehead.

"The magic's running through her like crazy," she said.

"Welp. Guess we're started, then." Sans got up and rubbed his bad knee for a moment before he nodded towards the cabin. "C'mon, easier to do a circle in there."

"Wait, we gotta do a circle?" Asriel asked. "How strong is this spell?"

"Eh. Decently tough, I guess," Sans said. He wandered off, waving for them to follow.

Papyrus did so in a hurry, but Asriel was left stunned with his unconscious sister in his arms. Chara put a hand on his shoulder as she got up.

"I know it's weird but, please trust him," she said. "He's… He's good."

The boy wanted to say that was a funny assessment, coming from her of all people, but he held it in. She seemed to know exactly what was on his mind anyway and frowned at him, giving his back a gentle whack.

"Come on," she insisted.

"Okay, okay."

Inside the hut, Papyrus picked up the table and moved it off to the side and Sans got to work, drawing a circle on the wooden floor in salt poured from a metal dispenser he had in his pocket. He marked out a moon and stars, and the dots of notes forming a melody. Asriel stood, adrift, unsure of where to go or what to do. Chara hurried past him, grabbing up some tools and magic appliances to shove into the corner and out of the way. The boy stared after her blankly. He looked down at Frisk and his head spun. He bent and touched his snout to her forehead, and then lifted her, tilting his head to rest his ear against her soul spot. He could feel the extra magic churning around it, but it sounded normal otherwise.

Papyrus put his hand on Asriel's shoulder. The goat boy jolted with surprise, fur bristling.

"Don't worry, new friend," the skeleton said. He patted Frisk's head gently. "I'm sure this won't take long. Sans, don't take long, okay? Our new friend is extremely worried. And I am also extremely worried."

Sans's didn't reply, his focus firmly on his drawing. Large skeleton runes marked an inner circle between sharp, geometric patterns. His dim right eye was flitting all over the place, as if following a bug.

"Uh. He okay?" Asriel asked Papyrus at a whisper.

The skeleton nodded. "Yes, why?"

"His eye's freakin' out."

"His… Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot you didn't know," Papyrus said. "It doesn't see normal things, it just sees moving magic."

"Uh… huh."

"Okay," Sans said as he got to his feet, "plop 'er in the circle."

"What, just like that?" Asriel asked.

"Yup," Sans said without an ounce more of explanation.

The boy gulped. He gently laid Frisk in the centre of the magic runes scrawled on the floor, though she floated rather than touching them. His hackles raised and his ears pinned back. Chara cautiously prowled up to him and grabbed onto his hand. She squeezed his fingers.

"She's gonna be fine." She sounded more like she was talking to herself than to him, but he nodded anyway.

Sans's hands glimmered. He rested them in the air overtop of the kid. The circle he'd drawn began to glow blue and the light in the cabin dimmed around them. The skeleton's soul flared up and a pleasantly chill whirl of energy spun around him, then moved to Asriel as a light tune began to twirl in the air. Frisk's soul lit, as did Asriel's. Sans closed his eyes. The magic knit between the three of them. White, shimmering pinpricks of light glimmered in Frisk's red soul and from the claw-mark scars on the back of her hand. Again, her brother's echoed. The song grew brighter, the three souls playing a round.

Frisk slowly floated upwards until she was around eye-level for the two taller monsters. Chara clung tighter to Asriel's fingers and he squeezed back. Melodic magic wove itself through the air and the threads lightly spooled themselves around the kid into a cocoon. The glow in the salt shifted from blue to purple, and then to a bright, shimmering red. Sans let out a long, slow breath. He opened his eyes. The magic in his left iris was spiralling with colour and the moon mark on his hand glistened with icy light. He backed up a step and put his index fingers and thumbs together in a triangle shape. The music burst into a cacophonous beat, just for a moment, before dropping to silence.

With a flash of light and a shimmer of sparkles, the shell of magic shot inwards, and the kid's body was instantly changed. She was small and goat-like and thoroughly adorable. However, she wasn't Asriel's smaller form's mirror image, despite having a snout and ears a lot like his. She had short, lyre horns like she'd grown back when her soul was recombining, and a tail that was quite a bit longer and smoother than his. The shape of her bangs was still replicated in the fur on her head.

When the red magic faded away, Asriel caught Frisk out of the air. He couldn't help but burst out laughing. She was blue again. A soft, steel blue, like a clear winter sky. Her hair was a bit darker than the rest of her fur, but was also blue. Her horns were white, as were the tips of her ears, tail, and fingers, as well as little stripes that marked any of her most prominent scars, especially the one on her left cheek and the side of her hand.

"Huh. Didn't quite expect that," Sans said.

"She's cute!" Papyrus said.

"Why's she blue?" Chara asked, wide-eyed.

"Ah. That's from Undyne," Asriel said, grinning slightly. "Our, uh, older sister. A big blue fish. Frisk was sorta the human version of this for a few days while her soul was— Ah, I'll tell you about it later." He cradled her in his arms and stroked the top of her snout and her forehead carefully, then leaned his head close to her chest to listen to her soul. "She sounds fine."

"So can we sneak her outside now?" Chara asked.

"One sec." Sans gently grabbed Frisk's hands and brushed his thumbs over the red stripes on her wrists; the magic fell away. "There. Safe."

Chara wilted with relief. Asriel lifted Frisk up against his shoulder and held her carefully.

"Thanks," he said, shooting Sans a grateful smile. "No offence, but I wouldn't normally expect a guy called Sans to pull something like that off."

The skeleton shrugged. "You ain't wrong. Outside o' here, wouldn't have much luck, but I can channel the Soul as long as we're in the chamber."

"Makes him super strong," Chara added. "Come on, let's go."

"One sec, kiddo," Sans said apologetically. "Need you for somethin'."

"What?! But…!" She looked between him and Asriel, and she pouted. "But I want to—"

"I know. But we should probably smooth things out with the Guard," he said. "They can sneak out while we got 'em preoccupied."

"Right. You're right." She sighed and looked back at Papyrus and Asriel. "We'll catch up really soon, yeah?"

"Yes, of course! Don't worry about a thing," Papyrus assured them. "I, the great Papyrus, will definitely keep these two safe while you do the sneaky sneaky things."

Sans offered Chara a hug. She took it gladly. Asriel blinked blankly. His mind tripped up for a moment. A grip on his arm pulled him out of it and he whipped around to see Papyrus smiling at him.

"Relax, new friend! How about you sit down for a little?"

"Oh! Yeah. Papy, I'll send you a signal when it's safe to come out," Chara said.

He stuck his thumb up and grinned. "Perfect!"

Sans headed out, but the girl lingered an extra second, her eyes fixed on Asriel, before she cracked a smile, saluted, and ran off after the skeleton.

Asriel let out a long sigh and his knees got weak. He sat on the floor, cradling fuzzy Frisk in one arm while exhaustedly rubbing his face with his other hand. "This is nuts," he muttered. "I'm nuts."

Papyrus smiled sympathetically. He grabbed a broom out of the corner and began to sweep up the salt.

"I know, this is all pretty surreal, right?" he said. "Were you in my dream? My sister thinks you were, but I'm not sure I recognize you."

"Your…" Asriel's eyes went wide. "Oh! Right, it was your dream."

"Mhm!" he said brightly. "Did Frisk tell you about that?"

Asriel gulped. He looked down at the sleeping kid and he nodded stiffly. "She… She did. Right. Y-Yeah. I was there. I was a plant thing, though."

"Oh! That was you!" Papyrus grinned. "I'm glad your curse is broken, too, new friend."

Asriel cracked a smile. "Same. But, uh…" A shiver ran down his back all the way to the tip of his tail. He looked down at his sister— at her cute, blue, goat-like face— and found the whole thing to be utterly baffling. "This… This is all real. Right? I know I keep asking, but…"

"Yes, it is very much real, though I know it is very strange!" He finished brushing the salt into a pile and lifted it up in blue magic, and then whisked it away to nowhere. "I mean, the whole travelling between dimensions thing is exceptionally weird!"

Papyrus's expression shifted to one of sympathy and he knelt down with Asriel. "I know… this thing with Chara, it's probably very hard to deal with in some ways. But I'm so glad you could see each other again! She had mentioned you before, but when she got all her memories back, you were all she would talk about for a little while." His face flushed. "To be honest, for a second I thought I could never live up to you."

"Live up to… me?" he asked.

"Mhm! Well. I mean. Having such a nice brother as you, that sets the standard very high!" he said.

"Dude, you don't have to…! You're Papyrus," Asriel said. "If you're anything like ours, you're great."

The skeleton snickered. "Thank you. I know. But that's very nice of you to say. So, are you very good friends with a skeleton named Papyrus back in your home?"

"Oh. Yeah. Absolutely," Asriel said. "Did, um…? Did Chara tell you about how I was a huge mess?"

"More like a small and flower-like mess, but yes," Papyrus said sympathetically.

"A-Ah. Well. He was one of the only people who put up with me while I was like that, so… So I'm really grateful to him," Asriel said. "We're, um, brothers now, so that's pretty cool."

Papyrus's eyes lit right up. "Nyeh heh heh! That _is_ pretty cool."

The skeleton straightened up and pulled out his little round crystal. It was pulsing gentle red in a rhythm of threes.

"That was fast!" he said. He hopped to his feet. "Come on, new friend. And keep Frisk close, okay?"

Still in more of a daze than not, Asriel held Frisk tight to his chest and followed Papyrus out of the cabin to a stone platform amongst the strange black-barked trees that lined the edge of the cavern. The skeleton opened a shining orange portal that plopped them in a small, rocky alcove. It overlooked a fresh, green field for as far as the eye could see. Clear, blue sky stretched out endlessly above them. A cool breeze ran through his fur, gently buffeting his ears. Behind them loomed a spire of stone with wafts of magic drifting, aurora-like, from its peak. Asriel was stunned. Frisk's description of this place hadn't done it justice.

Papyrus grabbed Asriel's sleeve to draw his attention and then put a raised finger up to his teeth. He tilted his head to the side and the boy followed his gesture. Asriel gulped. A huge group of heavily armed and armoured monsters marred the scenery, gathered up in a grumpy, huddled mass. That was where Sans and Chara were? Asriel mouthed the question to Papyrus, but the skeleton merely stared back at him blankly, then grabbed his shoulder and pulled him gently to get him to follow.

They tiptoed past the guards and wide around to try to stay out of view. Papyrus put up a hand to get Asriel to wait and then stuck a foot out onto the field proper. When whatever the skeleton was expecting to happen did not, he turned to Asriel with a big grin and waved him onwards.

"Phew! I think we're alright!" he said brightly, his normally ten-volume voice at a conservative eight-and-a-half. He strode ahead briskly. "Buuuut, just in case, let's hurry."

Asriel stepped out cautiously as well, just in case. Nothing alarming happened, though the blades of grass right around his paws seemed to lengthen just a tiny bit and reach up towards him. He had to stop himself from calling out to Papyrus to ask if that was normal, and hurried to catch up.

He cast a cautious glance over his shoulder. The guards' backs were adjusted to still be fully to them. He could see the edge of Sans's black jacket now— he was leading them back towards a portal that would take them inside the Soul's chamber. When a flare of blue flashed and the first one of the group vanished, Asriel let out a sigh of relief and sped up. He let his sister slump over his shoulder comfortably and patted her back with an anxious hand.

Papyrus lead them at a diagonal towards an impenetrable line of trees that slowly loomed up, a wall around the grand, green pasture. When they'd made it about halfway, Frisk stirred, much to Asriel's relief. She smacked her lips a few times and stuck her tongue out. Her eyes cracked open, just barely a sliver.

"…A… Az?" Her voice was raspy. She blinked heavily and sunk in against his shoulder. "…We okay? S'my nose swollen?"

"We're good, don't worry," he assured her. "Feelin' okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm…" Her eyes— now bright red with black sclera— shot wide open as she was greeted by the sight of her own fuzzy blue arm. She yelped loudly. "Ahh! I'm blue?!" Frisk stretched out her paw-like hands, starting wide-eyed at the claws on the tips of her fingers. "Oh my god, was Blueberry a werewolf?! Am I a blue werewolf?!"

"What?!" Asriel burst out laughing. "No!" He pulled her back under her arms to grin into her puzzled face. "It's that spell, you dope! You're like me."

"Wait what?!" she asked. "R-Really?!"

"That is what the spell chose for you," Papyrus said. "Also welcome back, Frisk! Did you have a nice nap?"

"Oh! Papyrus! Uh. Y-Yeah, I…!" She patted her hands over her face and squeaked when she booped her own snoot. "Oh wow, that's full-on a goat face, isn't it?"

"How's it feel?" Asriel asked.

"Hm…" She put her hands under her ears and flopped them up and down. "It's… not bad, actually, I been weirder." She stuck a finger in her mouth and then made a face at the fuzzy feeling of her fur touching her tongue. "Sharp teef."

"Let's see?"

Frisk grinned big. Her gleaming teeth were sort of canine, like his, but there were more of them, and they were much sharper. Asriel laughed.

"Guess that's sorta from Undyne, too."

Frisk reached out for his face and grabbed him to bump the tip of her snout against his. He snickered and she grinned brightly.

"I kinda like it!" she decided. "Oooh, did it…?" She patted herself down. She peeked down her shirt, and then twisted to see her tail. "Alphys." She reached up and felt her horns. "Okay. Mostly goat. Kinda skele."

"Your eyes are more like theirs," Asriel said. "Black with red."

"Is it spooky?" she asked.

"I think it's quite pretty," Papyrus assured her.

Frisk huffed and laughed tiredly, and leaned into Asriel's shoulder. "Welp. This's been a ride."

"Yeah, tell me about it," he said, readjusting her to cradle her comfortably in the crook of his arm. "You look good."

"Hah! Thanks," she said. She put her hands against her cheeks. "But… This is kinda weird, but I don't feel that weird?"

"How it works, I think— judging by how it looked, anyway— is it's like kinda a magic shell," Asriel said. He looked at Papyrus. "Right?"

"Basically yes, it doesn't actually change your shape, just gives you a magic layer of other shapes," Papyrus said.

"Ooh." Frisk traced the scar line marked white in her fur on the side of her hand. "Okay. I kinda dig it, actually." She perked up and looked around. "Oh heck, where's Chara?!"

"With Sans," Papyrus said. "They're distracting the guards as we just sliiiip by."

"They're back inside that big cave or whatever," Asriel said.

Frisk flinched and looked up at Asriel worriedly. "S-So, how're you doing, after…? I mean, you okay?"

"Kinda? I'm still not convinced I'm not hallucinating, though," Asriel joked. He rubbed the back of his head. "It… I mean, don't get me wrong, it was bad. Not how she was, just… reliving it all. We laughed about how friggin' horrible we are, though, so that's something, I guess." He managed a sheepish grin. "It was, uh… Y'know, not the worst. Kinda… nice, I guess. To be able to talk for real without me being a total freak and her being a murder ghost."

Frisk's ears perked a little and her eyes brightened. "Yeah?! That's really good, though!"

He nodded. "It… definitely wasn't anything like I imagined," he said.

"What did you imagine?" Papyrus asked curiously.

"Well…" Asriel blushed. "Either a fight to the death or something really dramatic in a field of flowers or something. With crying and hugging and stuff. I mean, we did that. After the shouting. I didn't really count on needing to do that part, but it felt better afterwards."

"Gasp! So did you think somehow you'd find her again?" the skeleton wondered.

"N-No! No. Not even close. I was like a hundred percent positive that it'd never happen ever," Asriel said quickly. He turned to Frisk. "But how 'bout you? You okay? That… couldn't have been the easiest for you, either."

"I… Um." Frisk still wasn't sure. She felt about fifteen different ways, but at least scared wasn't one of them anymore. She shook her head. "Don't worry about me. I'm super glad we talked. It's weird that she's the same person that—" Her breath seized for a second at the remembrance of blade slicing bone and she put a hand against her chest. "Th-That was in my head for a while, but… But I'm glad to see the real her. B-Because I…! I do like her. It was really good when we hung out. This whole thing's just kinda weird still."

"Tell me about it," Asriel agreed.

"I'm sorry that this history is so bad," Papyrus said sympathetically. "It was hard to believe at first. That my new little sister had been through things like that. That she was a ghost who ended a world so many times and stole souls and fought so many people. But, I always believed that even the worst people could change and be good! And, I mean, she was an angry ghost, which is quite different from a normal ghost. Now she's just a normal sort-of-ghost kid, and I think she's very good!"

"Does she still count as a ghost?" Frisk asked.

"Well, she is technically not actually alive and is just powered by determination," Papyrus said. "So. I guess? She does not have a pulse! Which I have been told is very strange for humans."

"Yeah, that's pretty weird," Asriel agreed.

Frisk tilted her head, flopping her long ears. She supposed that could be why she'd always found the other kid's skin so chilly. "So her… red sword thing, is that ghost magic?"

"We thiiiink so," Papyrus said. "I guess it's different where you're from, but humans can't cast magic. Even if they have some in their soul."

"Why not?" Frisk asked.

"Oh! It's the shells, obviously."

"The… shells," Asriel repeated with a bemused look on his face.

"What?! Humans don't have have shells where you come from?!" the skeleton demanded.

Frisk and Asriel both shook their heads.

"Okay, that is odd," Papyrus said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He stuck a finger into the air. "So! Humans have a hard shell around their souls. It's not all fun and breezy like ours, you see? So the magic— if they have it— can't get out past the shell. When a human soul falls out of a human, a monster has until the shell breaks to grab it. But! When it breaks on its own, all kinds of strange things can happen. Including that human becoming a ghost. So! Ghosts that were human once can do magic. And regular ghosts can, too, obviously. What my sister does is really similar to what big old ghost warriors like Kabooto or Ghoulgamesh can do. Have you ever heard of them?"

"Nnnno," Asriel admitted. "But, I think I know what you mean. Like, weird phantom blades, right? Magic edges on broken old weapons especially."

"Yes! Exactly that! Nyeh heh, I should have said that part first, it would have saved some time."

"But so she's… Chara, she's in someone else's body?" Asriel asked, and he and Frisk shared a worried look. "This world's… anomaly. She looks just like her."

"She thinks that. I don't really think that," Papyrus said. "Humans have come into our world from another one before. Not… Not the humans who live here but just not in the Kingdom, but humans from somewhere else. But normally, their soul just plops in. Usually, it cracks and vanishes, or becomes a ghost before anyone finds it. It's really rare that an other-world human comes here with their whole body. So, I think when she came in she grabbed that red soul that was basically abandoned, somehow made a body that she liked, and hopped inside! But… she still likes to think the worst of herself." He smiled. "I'm working on that!"

"Sounds familiar," Asriel said quietly.

"I could say the same," Frisk teased.

He stuck his tongue out at her and she replied in kind. Papyrus looked at them both blankly and then copied them with a snake-like, orange-magic tongue. The kids yelped and Papyrus yelped too, only for them all to burst out laughing.

Just a little farther and they checked behind them once more. There wasn't a hint of guards left anywhere. Asriel put Frisk down to walk on her own, though she stumbled for a moment. She looked down at her feet. Her oversized boots weren't so oversized anymore. She pulled them off and had paws with four, white-tipped toes each, a little more talon-shaped than Asriel's. She tested them in the grass and looked thoughtful, tilting her head.

"We can get you paw-shaped shoes if you like," Papyrus said.

"I think this is fine, probably," Frisk said. She stashed her boots away in her phone. "We'll see how bad it is in Snowdin, I guess." She stretched. "Dang. This is nuts, huh?"

"I'm just glad it worked, to be honest." Papyrus ducked down on one knee and extended a hand towards her face. "Do you mind?"

"Nope!" she said.

He carefully grabbed her cheeks and squeezed them, and then gently squished her floppy ears. "Ooh. Wowie, that feels real."

"I know, right?" she said.

"Does it feel real for you?" he asked. "Or does it feel like a costume?"

"No, it just kinda feels like me," she said.

"I guess it's lucky that my brother's strange plan actually worked!" A melancholy frown settled on his face. "Sigh." The skeleton sighed out heavily with the word and pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry it came to this, though. I wish it hadn't."

"Don't worry about it," Frisk said gently, her tail wagging on its own accord.

"But if Asriel hadn't shown up it'd be—!"

"But he did. So it's okay," she said steadily. She gave him a squish. "C'mon, Paps, don't worry."

"I like to have more backup plans than that," the skeleton said, pouting.

"Eh, wouldn't we all?" Asriel said with a shrug.

When Papyrus straightened up, the boy gave him a hug, too.

"Don't feel guilty, okay?" he said.

The skeleton was stunned stiff for a moment but his eyes quickly lit up and he gave Asriel a tight squeeze. "I do appreciate that. Thank you."

"Good!" Frisk said. She turned back towards the mountainous stone that held the Soul of the World and shielded her eyes with her hand. "So, um, should we wait for them or—?"

"I think it's probably better to keep up a brisk pace, just in case of any nonsense," Papyrus said. "But I'll definitely protect you if anything happens!"

"Snowdin, then," Frisk said, shooting Asriel a smile as they continued onwards. "It's kinda different from ours, but I think you'll like it!"

Once they hit the edge of the woods, they backtracked for just a minute or so. Papyrus guided them to a little, stone alcove in the trees that contained another warping portal. This one landed them in a hut on the road leading to Snowdin town. Frisk had been there several times, now.

A light dusting of snow was falling from deep grey clouds above. Asriel took a moment to gaze over the fields that stretched out on either side of the path that lead to town. A childlike wonder overcame the big monster as they reached the village itself. He seized Frisk by the hand and dragged her between shop windows, looking at mysterious crystal apparatuses, magic weapons, and colourful concoctions.

He pressed his face up against the window of a store displaying big, shiny orbs holding glittering elemental magic— lightning sparks crackling, fire writhing, and water flowing in a twisting circle. His short tail wagged excitedly. Frisk looked up and stood on her toes. She caught the first glimpse of herself in the sheen of the glass. Her jaw dropped and she squished her ears.

"Ooh, I'm cute," she said under her breath. She ran her hands up over her horns and her red eyes glimmered.

"Lookit this, Frisk!" Asriel's voice was shrill with excitement. "Oh man, I haven't seen stuff like this since I was a kid!"

"Aren't you a kid?" Papyrus asked, peering over his shoulder.

Asriel's face flushed and he laughed bashfully. "Well, kinda. But, uh, I was technically born like, a couple hundred years ago. When I came back, most things like this were totally gone."

"That must've been confusing," the skeleton said.

"Eh, I had plenty of time to catch up," the boy said, waving a hand dismissively. "But, uh…" He shot Frisk a cautious smile. "If we have time, what d'you think, could we…?"

"Yeah, for sure!" she agreed.

"We could start now," Papyrus suggested. "I have a few potions to refill."

"Ooh." Asriel's eyes brightened. "Potions, okay!"

Papyrus brought them to the apothecary shop, where the purple serpent still hovered over her cauldron with a giant wooden spoon. The store looked no different than the first time Frisk had seen it. As Asriel bounced around, pouring over the magical ingredients, Frisk joined up with Papyrus near the back of the place. He was mulling thoughtfully over a few glass potion bottles in eccentric shapes. She fished the round one she had out of her phone and offered it to him, quelling the eerie feeling she had upon seeing her hand with blue fur and claws. She was pretty sure that wasn't going away for a little while.

"I'm sorry, the other one got lost in another dimension," she said.

"Not to worry, Frisk, I have plenty," he said, taking the bottle from her with a grateful smile. "Were they helpful?"

"Oh! So helpful!" she assured him. "Saved our butts."

Papyrus's eyes brightened and he beamed.

"Guys, look at this stuff!" Asriel poked around from behind a nearby shelf, a big smile on his face as he showed off pawfuls of colourful crystals that looked like many-sided dice. "I can't believe it, I haven't seen these since I was, like, a tiny guy!"  
"Boosters?" Papyrus asked with mild bemusement on his boney brow.

"Yeah! They take gold here?"

When Papyrus nodded, Asriel beamed and ducked back around where he'd come from.

"That's it, I'm gettin' a bunch. Ah! Friiiisk, they have alchemy books!" He peeked over the shelf. "Dude. We're saving our culture. Mom and Dad and your dad are gonna be so psyched, you don't even know."

Frisk shot finger guns and a glimmering red star his way. He shot one back, sticking his tongue out, and vanished again, except for his horns peeking over the top of the shelf.

"My, that one issss exsssitable, hmm?" the snake at her cauldron said, shooting Papyrus a smile. "New friendssss again, I sssee?"

"Nnnn….yehhh—es!" Papyrus grinned bashfully. "Yes! New friends! Again! I am very popular, you know!"

"It's true, he is," Frisk agreed with a steady nod.

The snake smiled slightly but her pale eyes lingered for an extra moment on the fuzzy blue kid. Frisk felt a nervous chill coming on and she grinned bashfully with her big, pointy teeth. The monster's posture loosened and she returned to her brew.

Frisk wilted with a quiet, relieved sigh. She scooted around to join her excited brother. He prowled the shelves with eyes gleaming like a beast stalking its prey. He had a wicker basket over his arm, now, and it was already weighed down with stuff. There were three large alchemy books peeking out from the top.

"Wow, you're super into this, huh?" she said.

"Yeah. I mean, look at all this!" He gestured over the little containers.

Frisk had to stand on her toes, but he kept moving before she got a good look and she hurried to keep up. "You know what these are for?" she asked.

"Well…! Not many. Just a couple of the pre-made, uhh…" He grinned smugly. "You don't know anything about any of this, do you?"

"Nope," she said.

"Ah!" Any sense of superiority he held fell and he rubbed his head bashfully. "W-Well, these rocks and plants and stuff, I'm not sure, but I do know about boosters! They're kinda like a shortcut to a decent potion as long as you don't go nuts with it."

"Ooh, useful," she said.

Dried flowers laid in stacks filled the next shelf. Asriel wrinkled his nose and grabbed Frisk's hand to pull her past them to the other side of the shop. They stopped at small boxes packed with leaves and colourful pebbles sorted by type. Asriel lowered his voice and pointed into his basket.

"When I was little, we were at the end of our supply of a bunch of stuff like this. The monsters who knew how to make them died way before I was even born. But they must not've died here. Crazy, right?!" He paused, taking on an air of melancholy. "…Frisk, seriously, this is real, right?"

"Yeah," she said.

"Okay." He nodded. "Okay. Okay!" He took a deep breath. "Sorry, s'just—"

"I know, don't worry," she said. She smiled sideways and shrugged. "Dude, I'm literally a blue goat right now."

"Pffff, true." He ruffled her hair. "Okay. I shoooould go before I grab too much." He headed over to the serpent. "'Scuse me, where do I pay?"

She pointed her tail tip into the cauldron. Asriel counted out what he had and tried to figure out the math.

Frisk's ears perked— a very strange sensation for her— to the sound of tapping on glass. She turned around. Chara was peeking in through the window. The freckled girl waved and beckoned outside. Frisk pointed at herself, and Chara nodded.

Out in the snow, Chara moved to greet Frisk but froze before touching her, clasping her hands tight together instead.

"G-Good thing your fur is kind of bright, hah…" She paused awkwardly. "Um. I'm glad you're up! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, thanks," Frisk said. She held out her hands as if to show them off. "Didn't expect this, though!"

"Right, absolutely not." Chara's eyes darted around the kid. "Azzy having fun in there?"

"He's buying so much. He's really excited," Frisk said with a smile. "It's weird. This alchemy thing with potions seems like it could be so useful, but we just totally don't even have it."

"Yeah. It's strange. I never noticed it was missing," Chara admitted. "But then, I… I usually didn't notice much outside of what the, um…" She wilted. "Frisk. Listen. I… I know this is… unbelievably weird. If… If you want me to give you space. For any reason. At any point. Just tell me, yeah?"

Frisk's ears pinned back slightly. "I…! I don't think you gotta do that."

"But you'll let me know," the girl pressed.

"Um. Sure?"

Chara nodded. Her posture was stiff and her gaze dropped off to the side. She dug her nails into her hands. Frisk reached out and carefully grabbed her, gently loosening her death-grip on herself. The blue kid grinned innocently.

"Fur's not bad, right?" she said.

"Ah! It's…" Chara cracked a smile. "Soft."

Frisk nodded. She tilted her head back towards the shop. "Anyway, um, so when does Paps get one of those big magic pots? I bet it'd be nice to have one at your house, too."

"Oh! That's a cauldron," Chara said, slumping with relief. "When he's eighteen, I think. They don't let you get your alchemy licence until then."

"Licence?" Frisk frowned with confusion. "Why?"

"Because if you get it wrong you can blow up a house."

"Oh."

Heralded by the pleasant ding of a bell, the door to the shop swung open behind them, but Asriel froze in his tracks as he came outside. A big, bashful smile spread across his face and he stuttered on a consonant that was probably the start of Chara's name before taking a big gulp of air to steady himself.

"Howdy," he said.

Chara raised a hand to greet him. "Good time?"

"Y-Yeah! Um. This place is really something else, huh?" His face flushed faintly. "Wh-What would you think about, um, giving m— us a tour a little later?"

A sideways smile spread on the freckled kid's face. "Sure."

"Cool." Asriel folded his arms and leaned up on the wall, trying to look casual despite the thin, nervous line of his mouth. "So. Um. Alchemy, huh?"

"Yep. Alchemy," she said with an amused lilt to her voice.

Papyrus bursting from the shop broke the awkward chill in the air. "Ah! Sister!" The skeleton grinned brightly, but his eyes quickly darted around the street as well. "Nyeh, where's Sans?"

"They made him go back to the castle," Chara said. "He might be there a while."

"What?!" Frisk yelped.

"Do we have to go bust him out?!" Asriel demanded.

Chara chuckled and shook her head. "No, he's okay, he just needs to sort some stuff out with Undyne."

Frisk's ears and tail drooped and she folded her arms, her big red eyes getting misty. "He got in trouble, didn't he?"

"He's the Royal Oracle, he'll be fine," Chara assured her. She winced. "Oh no, don't make that face."

"S-Sorry!"

Asriel tutted and squatted down, but the second he looked Frisk in the eye, his whole expression pulled downwards, too. "O-Oh no."

"Oh no!" she squeaked shrilly.

"Aaaah, sis, you're killin' me!" He quickly rubbed his eyes. "It's like seeing a puppy dog cry, I can't deal."

"Sorry!" She buried her face in her hands.

"Oh stop," Asriel said with a laugh. He ruffled her hair and his smile widened when he caught sight of her tail wagging. "S'okay."

"Let's just get home for now," Papyrus said with a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, Frisk. It isn't the first time."

"Kay," she said sheepishly.

Just before they could leave, the door behind them opened once more and the long, purple serpent poked her head out. She squinted in the brightness of the day and the snow, and then extended her neck out. She was much larger than she'd appeared wrapped around her cauldron, and her long, thin, droopy ears flared out very deliberately to form a visor over her eyes against the gleaming light.

"Exssscussse me," she said.

"Oh! Sorry, did I do the math wrong?" Asriel asked.

"No, no, nothing like that." She coiled and moved her tail forward. In its grasp was a purple blossom that looked almost like cotton candy and a silvery leaf. "You ssssoul ssssang thisss to me." She held them out to him. "A gift. For a firssst time cussstomer."

Asriel began to sweat. He gulped hard and took the gifts carefully in a shaking hand. "Th-Thanks."

"Hyasssinth. And sssssilver maple. Good ingredientssss." The snake nodded and smiled. She receded back into her shop like an eel into its hole. "Oh. And hello Sssssoulbonder." She waved with an ear before laying them flat against her neck again. "Come again, won't you?"

The second the snake vanished and the door was fully shut, Asriel handed the flower off to Frisk and let out a breath he'd been holding in. The kid peered at it curiously. It was actually many star-shaped flowers clustered together, and in a purple very similar to the colour of Asriel's hoodie. The smell was strong and sweet.

"Wowie, new friend, are you alright?" Papyrus asked.

"Y-Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine!" Asriel said. "C-C'mon!" He strode away quickly up the street.

"Azzy, that's the wrong way," Chara said.

"I-I'm just stretching my legs!" He whirled and marched back in the other direction, towards where the house was— the same as back home.

Chara chuckled and shook her head, and then jogged after him.

Frisk quickly stored the flower away for him— in Gaster's phone, since hers was getting close to full. She took just a moment to check her texts. Still nothing. But, her father's name tugged on her memories. Her stomach dropped. She completely forgotten she'd dreamt of him just before coming back to this world. She gulped and forced herself steady. She'd talk about it with Asriel later.

When she looked up from the screen, she noticed Papyrus still hadn't budged. He had a thoughtful scowl on his brow as he stared at the snow, rubbing his chin.

"Something up?" she asked.

"…Maple and… hyacinth?" he said under his breath.

"Is that weird? You look like you think that's weird," she said.

"I…! Well… Nyeh." He relaxed a little. "Maple is not that weird. It's good for protection potions or for inks that change on the paper, things like that. But purple hyacinth… That is a very strange thing to give to someone. Especially a presumable first-timer!"

"Why?" she asked.

"I am an expert on potions at this point and I have never ever not even once had a potion call for that," he said. "I guess I will have to check my books again! Let's go, friend!"

He marched off into the snow in a hurry after the two kids, leaving Frisk behind in his powdery wake. The kid's ears drooped and she looked back at the shop. She wished they hadn't left so quickly. As she went to put her phone away, vertigo made her fingers slip and the device plunked into the snow. She huffed and knelt down to grab it, only for shards of light to shift tones before her eyes once again.

She drew in a sharp, quiet gasp, and scooped the phone up quickly, holding it to her chest. As she straightened up, her head spun and more fragments of odd colours spiked in the air around her. She forced herself to take deep breaths to calm down.

A shard of pitch black appeared, hovering before her, different from what she'd seen before. Ooze of the void seeped from it. Frisk gulped, heart thumping and head aching. She reached out cautiously and pleaded with herself to not faint.

"Dad?" she asked in a small voice.

The darkness shattered at her touch, leaving her fingertips pressed against the glass window of the apothecary shop. Nothing more unusual was to be seen. Inside, past the gleam of her own unfamiliar reflection, the serpent caught Frisk's eye and waved pleasantly at her with the tip of her tail. The kid's face flushed with embarrassment and she bashfully waved back before turning on her heel and scampering off as fast as she could through the frosty snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blue kid: https://www.deviantart.com/disasterblasterex/art/blue-child-857102348


	52. Recombobulating

Asriel met Frisk a block from the house. He rushed to reach her, then bent and pulled her into a hug with a huff. "S-Sorry, I went too fast," he said. "Your eyes go weird?"

"Yeah, you too?" she asked.

He nodded and ran his hand through the scruff of fur between his horns in exasperation. "Any clue?"

"Dunno, but I saw like, a black oozing bit. But it broke when I touched it."

"You touched it?!" he yelped. "Frisk!!" He shook his head. "Oh man, don't do weird void stuff without me, okay? Think it was your dad?"

"I… I dunno, maybe?" she squeaked. "D-Do you remember the dream right before coming here?"

"I… Oh! Yeah!" He perked up, relief clear all over his face. "He said he was gonna try to find us, right? Maybe that was a try?"

"Yeah, maybe." Frisk wasn't sure, but it made her feel a little better to think that might be the case. "I hope so. I-If he does, I think Sans… This Sans can track it back home and he can send us there." She paused and her ears drooped. She didn't know why she suddenly felt so nervous.

"Y-Yeah. Yeah! That's… That's good!" Asriel said.

"I don't think it's gonna be today," she said quickly.

"Oh! Right!" Asriel's posture loosened. "That's… I mean. That's okay, right?"

It wasn't as if they had a choice one way or the other, but Frisk nodded nonetheless. If they couldn't help it, there was nothing for her to feel guilty about, right? She reached for his hand, drawing his attention again as she gripped him tight with both paws. His eyes brightened and a question froze before it left his mouth.

"Just want you to be okay, y'know?" she said.

Asriel smiled and gently booped the end of his snout against hers. "You, too." He got to his feet and tilted his head back down the road towards the others.

Frisk nodded and followed him.

The first order of business upon returning to the house was for Chara to slump in an exhausted heap onto the couch. Asriel copied her. Frisk gave them space. She didn't blame either of them for being tired, though. Even Papyrus was starting to look a little bit grey around the eye-sockets, but he headed into the kitchen to start boiling some water anyway. For the two that lived here, it hadn't been more than an hour or two since they all had to deal with Ungol the spider monster out in the field around the Soul of the World.

Frisk folded her arms. She wasn't sure what to do with herself. Everything felt foreign again. Chara's name, Asriel's size; her own entire body. A dull pain settled heavily in her little noggin and she frowned at the floor. She was adrift in her own stumbling, spinning, troublesome mind. Dark dread crept in at the edge of her vision and she tasted dust in her mouth as her ribcage ached.

"Hey. Frisk?"

Asriel's voice snapped her from her daze, lost in the zigzags of the carpet. She looked up quickly to find him giving her a sympathetic smile, his pale eyes bright. He offered her a paw.

"C'mere?"

Frisk sucked her dry tongue. She took his hand and he pulled her up to sit with him. Their souls pinged against each other. The warmth of it was welcome; the brightness drove some of the dark away. He crossed his legs and plunked her in his lap, then inspected her head like a preening bird.

"These are some solid horns," he said. "Kinda like Avenir's, maybe."

"Really?" Frisk's eyes glimmered. "I-I need to take a better look."

"Selfie?" he suggested.

"Oh right!" She fumbled in her pocket for her phone.

"Jeez, you're outta it," he teased.

"Who's…? Wait. That name's kinda familiar," Chara said.

"Gaster's mom," Asriel said as he put his hands under Frisk's ears and flopped them up and down. "I think he mentioned her a couple times, right?"

Chara's eyes bugged out. "Wh…?" She shook her head quickly. "Um, let's talk about that later, yeah? But how'd you—?"

"Oh! Right. We just met her."

"You… _met _her," Chara repeated with a tinge of incredulity to her voice.

"Gonna take a selfie." Frisk held up her phone and snapped a quick picture of the three of them. She pulled it in to look, but the sight of the photo made her jump and yelp loudly. The phone slipped from her fingers.

Chara was quick to catch it. She looked at the screen curiously. The picture recorded Frisk and Asriel just fine, but Chara was a blurry mess with the only discernible features being eyes like seeping black holes.

"Yeeeesh," the girl said with a grimace.

"A-Are they all like that?" Frisk stole the phone back.

"Probably," Chara said.

"Ah…! I'm sorry!" she squeaked

"Don't worry about it," the girl assured her.

"Lemme see?" Asriel said, taking the phone. He squinted at the horror-movie snapshot and tilted his head to the side. "Eh, you've looked worse, sis."

"Shuddup," Chara grumbled.

He snickered. "You probably gotta switch on Ghost mode." He leaned around Frisk to show her as he went into settings and poked a button on the interface with a cute little cartoon ghost floating above it. "Let's tryyyy…" He snapped a photo of Chara and then checked. "Yup, there we go."

The kids leaned in to look at the new picture. Chara appeared very clearly in this one, though there was a faint, ethereal glow around her and a little red glimmering in her eyes.

"Ooh, I didn't know about that," Frisk said. "Thanks!"

"That's less nightmarish," Chara said.

"You are not nightmarish, sister!" Papyrus called.

"Says you!"

"Yes! Says me! And I am the great Papyrus, which makes meeeee…?"

Chara sighed and rolled her eyes, but there was a faint smile on her lips. "Always right."

"Exactly!"

"His right-ness level is like a sixty-seven," Chara whispered.

"But his emotional right-ness is like a solid hundred, I bet," Frisk said.

Chara stuck her tongue out at her and Frisk replied in kind, and also with a criss-cross of her thumb and forefinger and a red, heart-shaped bubble. The other girl's eyes got big and her cheeks flushed ruddy.

A big, fangy grin spread over Asriel's face and he leaned over, getting into Chara's space. She playfully shoved him, then hopped to her feet as Papyrus returned with arms filled with mugs. She took two from him and passed one to Asriel.

"Chai," the skeleton said brightly, giving Frisk a mug as well. "Nice and warm."

"Thanks, Paps," Frisk said.

Asriel curiously sniffed the spiced, milky tea and then took a deep swig. He perked up quickly and then chugged the rest. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "So, uh, what now?"

"What now in general or what do we do next and what is for dinner?" Papyrus asked.

"Um. I guess both?"

"Unfortunately, you're probably stuck for a little while," Chara said.

"That's not the worst thing in the world," Asriel said.

"Annnnd we are happy to have you," Papyrus assured them. His eyes darted to Frisk. "So don't worry, okay?

"You mentioned your dad, right, Frisk?" Chara said. "Did he say anything else to you? Any hints?"

"Not really," Frisk said, ears drooping. "Just that he's trying to find us. We even just had a dream of him and it was pretty much the same."

"Well, whatever it is, we won't be able to look out there more today," Chara said apologetically. "But we can do a little more tomorrow. And hopefully whatever your dad's doing will eventually show up to help point us in the right direction."

"R-Right," Frisk said with a nod. Nonetheless, she pouted and slumped into her brother. "Sorry, I… don't mean to be a downer or anything. I'm just worried."

"I know," she said sympathetically. "You said time was going screwy back home, right? That was the big thing?"

"I think so," Frisk said. She rubbed her face. "I wish I knew what was happening. A-And I wish I knew how this dream stuff was working, too. I h-hardly saw Sans in there at all ever since all this started and I can't even tell if he's real or if he even woke up since we left."

"What I don't get it why distance would make any difference in dream messages with us," Asriel said.

"Same," the kid said.

"Maybe we drag you to an oneiromancer," Chara suggested.

"An oneewhat?" Frisk asked.

"A monster who works with dream magic," Papyrus said. "Would that help?"

"I… Um. Maybe? That might be good," she said.

Chara folded her arms and frowned thoughtfully. "It really doesn't make sense," she said. "Papy, when you saw them in your dream, it was super clear, wasn't it?"

"Yes, in fact! It was clear enough that I knew Frisk's normal face right away when I saw her in real life," he said.

"So why would…? Ugh. I don't get it." Chara huffed and shook her head. She got up again and headed upstairs, calling back, "I'm gonna find a map."

"I-I'll help!" Asriel put Frisk on the couch before bounding up to join his sister upstairs.

They disappeared into Sans's room.

Frisk didn't budge. She clenched her little fingers into her mug and took a deep swig.

"Why don't you go with them?" Papyrus suggested gently.

"They probably want some time on their own," Frisk said quietly.

The skeleton didn't look even remotely convinced, but he nodded nonetheless. "Well. Nyeh. I'm sure they won't be upset if you change your mind. I'll just be over here, okay?"

"Are you cooking? Can I help?" Frisk asked quickly.

The skeleton's jaw dropped. "Y-You'd want to cook with me?!"

"Yeah, if that's okay," she said.

"Nyehhhh, yes, of course!" he assured her, his eyes glimmering. He twirled around and went straight back into the kitchen. "I will get us set up! How does spaghetti work for you? It's my speciality!"

Frisk smiled. "That's perfect," she said.

\- - -

Sans's room was a disaster zone, not unlike the parallel Asriel was familiar with. However there was an odd, empty doorframe of impenetrable darkness on the opposite wall that was unnerving to look at. Chara stepped over junk on the floor without even looking at it, a path memorized through the socks and scattered blankets.

Asriel's eyes wandered over the drawings stuck to the wall that were the only things serving as decorations. Many were childish and colourful, but others were sketched by a more experienced hand. He could pick out skill progression in those. An image in coloured pencil drew his eye. It depicted a blaster skull snoozing soundly, nestled amongst wispy greenery and soft flowers. A faint _CDreem_ was scratched in, hidden amongst the grass.

He smiled as the warmth of nostalgia pulled him back to their bedroom, eons ago, scribbling on sheets with splashes of ink; staining their hands with coloured pastels. Chara had an eye for art and skilled, precise fingers, even when she was just five or six years old. Asriel had always been impressed by it. He remembered their father saying they should be proud of whatever they made; sign their name to it. Asriel always did with gusto, writing each letter in his name with a different colour of the rainbow whenever he could. Chara, though, would always tuck her signature away, hidden somewhere amongst her lines like a shy cat in the grass. At first, just the letter _C, _easily masked in blooms or pebbles. The _Dreem_ came later, but not by too much.

Asriel gently ran his fingers over a bare patch on the paper before hurriedly turning away, eager to not accidentally catch it on his claws. "He won't mind I'm in here, right?" he asked.

"No," Chara said. She sat down on her knees in front of Sans's bedroll and shoved the corner up so she could stick her arm underneath, the cloth and blanket weighing much more than logically possible.

"Uh…"

"Believe it or not, there's a system," she said. She looked back over her shoulder and frowned slightly. "Where's Frisk, did she not come up with us?"

Asriel turned to look behind him in case she'd snuck in, but there was no blue kid lurking quietly. "Guess not."

Chara grimaced. "Ah. She probably needs a little space."

"You think so?"

She nodded. "That's okay. Completely understandable. Don't be mad at her if she decides she hates me, okay?"

"Th-There's no way she hates you!" he said shrilly. "Why would you say that?!"

The girl sighed and rolled her eyes. "Azzy. C'mon, don't be naïve."

"I'm not! You don't be so pessimistic," he said.

She grinned slyly. "You learned a new word."

"Shhh shh," he said, waving his hands at her. He knelt down on the floor at her side. "I guess, what I mean to say is… just relax about it, okay?"

Chara shrugged. She pulled a big, weathered sheet of thick parchment folded perfectly with sharp edges. She turned to lay it flat on the floor and unfurled it to reveal an intricately detailed map of a city in a massive ring. The ink shimmered with a faint magic glow, running down roads and rivers, coalescing in bodies of water from the Outer Edge to the Inner Circle. A blank box with a simple question mark above it sat below the legend.

"Whoa, that ink…" Asriel said quietly. "Is it moving?"

"Yeah," Chara said as she patted her pockets down, pursing her lips slightly, her brow furrowed. "It's new-ish. They're starting to make cartoons with it now. Hey." She looked up at him. "You got any?"

"What? Cartoons?" he asked.

She nodded. "I watched some. When I was, uh… You know." Her face flushed. "Not myself. And I just thought…" She shrugged and got to her feet, looking around the room thoughtfully. "Ah, never mind."

Asriel's soul warmed. "Of course, you'd love those." He grinned sideways. "I do, actually. Got a series or two on my phone."

"What?!" Chara squeaked. "Really? Can I…?!" She looked embarrassed. "If you have time."

"I have time," he assured her.

Seeing her grin made his face light up— and as she turned away in a bashful huff to search the room for something, his smile only grew. He got to his feet and trailed her on quiet paws, watching as she pulled up blankets very systematically. He felt like he was seeing a mirage.

"Whatcha lookin' for?" he asked.

"Pen," she said.

A box popped up under a starry blanket that couldn't possibly have hidden it and she knelt down to pop the lid open. When she straightened up again, she had three pens in her hand. She turned and bumped right into Asriel and took an alarmed step back. He snickered.

"Sorry," he said.

"You could at least give me some space!" she protested.

He scratched his cheek bashfully. "…I kinda don't wanna, though."

She sighed and put her hands on her hips, looking up at the monster incredulously. He had almost two feet up on her, but she still had such a presence to him. She was older now than when he'd known her, her red-brown hair a little longer; her frame a little stronger. A big, dopey smile spread over his face. She tilted her head. He bent down and enveloped her in his arms. She scoffed quietly.

"We're going to have to keep doing this, aren't we?" she teased in a soft voice.

"Y-Yeah. I think so. I mean. I…" He pulled back and held her face gently in both hands. "I still can hardly believe…! And that you don't hate me, I can't—"

"How could I ever hate you?" she asked.

"You definitely did," he said. "I mean, it's okay, it wasn't you, it was—"

"It was me," she said quietly, gently holding onto his paws. "But if I… had been normal, I don't think…" She shook her head. "Ah, well, n-no use wondering. I was bad. And I don't need you to forgive me for it, but—"

"Of course I forgive you!" he assured her.

She jerked back and looked at him with big eyes. He smiled sideways.

"C'mon. Like I said. I was just as bad. Honestly. Actually, you probably had even less of a choice in this crap than I did. So, how could I not?"

"Azzy, I…" She smirked tiredly and let out a dry chuckle. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Hah… It's not fair, you got so big without me."

"It's a time goof-up, I'm actually about the same as you."

"Pfff." She closed her eyes and rested in his arms for just a moment longer before pulling away. "Okay, okay. Can't get stuck like this or we won't get anything done, yeah?"

She returned to the map and Asriel crept up behind her, eyes bright and alert. She checked the three pens— shook one of them like she was charging a soda to fizz- and then passed the other two to the boy. She leaned over the map and, in the blank box, started to write in shifting blue ink. _Oneiromancer_. Asriel was glad she was doing it, because he would never have guessed how to spell that. Almost as soon as the tip of her pen left the page, the word unravelled into line that wound its way across the map like a snake. The map itself shifted, too, redrawing itself as a closer and more detailed version of a chunk of city in the Inner Circle, roads spreading as if painted by falling droplets of water.

"Oooh cooool!" Asriel said, wide-eyed.

Blue ink circled a few points on different streets. Chara lifted up the map to peer closely at the tiny text on it and nodded to herself.

"Can you remember Nettle, Blackberry, and Silverthorn?" she said. "It'll revert once the ink dries."

"Don't have to." He pulled up his phone, leaned in over her, and took a quick shot of the map. "Got it."

Chara chuckled. "I keep forgetting about those." She sighed and carefully lay the map down on the floor. "Well. Guess that's an excuse to head to New Home, huh?"

"…We're not gonna run into—?"

"No." She shook her head. "Asgore in this world is… He exiled himself. Toriel is tracking him down. Which is why she isn't… Y'know. Here."

"Right. Right right," he said quietly. He rubbed his head. "So, um. You ever been to one of these oni… Oneer…"

"Oneiromancers."

"Right, that."

"No. Never saw the need."

Asriel tilted his head. "So. Um. When Papyrus reached us, how'd he do that?"

"We were having a dream problem that I think Frisk and… your brother, he also had. Where they were stuck, right?" Chara said.

"Yeah, same," he said with a nod.

"That's a relief." Her eyes went wide. "I-I just mean that you know about it, not that it— I mean, it was crap, wasn't it?"

"So much crap," Asriel agreed.

"We'd started to see things that weren't real for us, but were definitely real somewhere else," she said. "It was happening so much, just about every night. Poor Papy. Sans and I broke out of the loops, but he never could, but if it was a nightmare, even if his mind was still trapped in that moment, he'd be at least lucid enough not to just reenact what happened. And it was more likely so see at least the echo of someone or something real. So. I'd try to give him nightmares, hoping that maybe if someone else lucid got in…"

"So you got lucky?"

"Partially. The… one time you got in? I had this soul synced with his when he was asleep," she said. "Maybe it was enough. But I can't be sure."

"Hm." Asriel tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Actually. Frisk has that, too, with the nightmare thing," he said. "If she's stressed, it's usually easier for her to get in and connect and force it to do what she wants after a sec. She found me that way when this crazy robot guy shoved me in a box."

"Oh? Who?" Chara got a dangerous glint in her eye.

"Um! N-Nobody, it's fine," Asriel stammered quickly. "A-Anyway! Problem is, she can hardly sleep right now and when she does, it seems kinda… weird? We've seen Gaster, but—"

"I still can't believe he's her dad," Chara cut in. "I wonder if I would have been easier on them if I'd known…" She smiled ruefully and laughed at herself. "What am I saying? Of course not. How is he, by the way? I bet he was surprised to see you."

"I think I was more surprised to see him!" Asriel said with a laugh. "Since, uh, he accidentally erased himself from time for ten years and nobody could remember he ever existed."

Chara's eyes widened. "Huh. That's… kind of terrifying."

"Oh man, you shouldda seen him— this weird goopy melt mess, apparently, Frisk drew him and it was like a horror movie. So crazy," he said. "Glad he's back, though! Kinda funny. Seeing Papyrus and Sans as his kids. Super obvious in retrospect." He tilted his head. "…Is he here? He couldn't help us, could he?"

"Ah. No. It's… better not to mention him," she said, lowering her voice.

"Aw. Crap. He was bad, huh?"

"Very bad. Also, very dead."

"Damn." Asriel's ears drooped. "Yeah, the one in the world before this one was a huge jerk. It's just weird 'cause ours is really nice, y'know?"

"Mhm. It's… complicated, for sure," she agreed.

"Welp." Asriel sighed. "If you could help Papyrus to reach us 'cause you were from where we were, does that mean if… someone from here was over there, they could…?" He shook his head quickly. "That's stupid, never mind. If that could happen, we wouldn't be stuck here, right?"

"I was gonna say," Chara said.

The goat boy let out a huff. His shoulders slumped and his ears drooped. "What do I do?"

"I don't know. Wait? Sorry," she said.

"She's gonna go crazy," he muttered.

"She has you. She'll be alright."

"Ugh, I wish this was just a normal trip," he said, a little warble in his voice. He tentatively reached out and took her hand. He held it in both of his, rubbing his thumb into her palm. "…I still can't believe this."

Chara cracked a tired, patient smile. "It's… not too bad, though, is it?"

He shook his head. "I hoped when it was stupid to. But I'm kinda glad I did, now."

"Hah. I did that, too," she said. "I didn't think you'd ever be… without the leaves."

"Man, I won't even eat leaves now!" he said with a determined frown.

Chara snorted and let out an involuntary giggle. "So I guess I won't be sneaking my salad to you under the table anymore, huh?"

"Nope, you gotta eat your own greens now," he said.

She sighed dramatically. "It's all magic, anyway, I don't see why I can't get my green from something that actually tastes like it's intended to be food."

Asriel snickered. He rubbed his head. The question of what they were going to do about this whole situation intrusively kicked him in the mind and his smile fell. Here was his sister, back from the grave, broken from the confines of the path they'd been locked to; alive and well after he was so certain he would never see her again. But, downstairs was his other sister, suffering from one of the things he knew scared her most in the world, knowing full well a big part of that fear was entirely his fault. Back home was his brother, who'd offered him understanding he'd never expected or felt he deserved, and who might still be in a coma for all they knew.

"Hey. You okay?" Chara asked, staring at him probingly.

"I don't know what to do," he said.

The girl nodded understanding. "Well. What do you want to do?"

"I… I want… I want to stay together," he said softly. "But… I want to go home, too."

"I know," she said. She held his hand. "Listen. Like I said. We'll worry about that later."

"Can't help it," he said, forcing a weak smile.

She nodded. "We have some time, either way."

"Right. Yeah." An icy chill of guilt ached in his chest just as strongly the relief that washed over him. "I guess… I want to help."

"Then give that girl a hug, idiot," she teased. Before she could say more, she sniffed involuntarily. Her brow furrowed and her nose wrinkled. "Oh. Oh no."

"What?" Asriel sniffed, too. The house smelled of wafting oregano, so nothing unusual at all. "Smells like sauce."

"That's what I'm worried about!"

Chara bounded from the room and downstairs again, with Asriel close on her tail. They arrived at the threshold of the kitchen to see Papyrus and Frisk hovering over the stove. Metal cooking utensils were strewn about all over the counters. The skeleton stirred a huge pot with a massive grin on his face as Frisk, on top of a chair, sprinkled herbs from a jar into the sloshing, simmering, orangey-red sauce. Chara's jaw dropped.

"Hello, sister, welcome back!" the skeleton said brightly. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"A-Aren't you making spaghetti?" she demanded.

"We are indeed!" Papyrus said.

"But… not from… Undyne's recipe, right?" A cautious, hopeful smile spread on her face.

"No, we are trying Frisk and her brother's recipe today!" Papyrus said. "Which is the same one she tried to show me in the dream! Though we didn't get too far past the pasta sauce assembly, if I remember right."

"Yup! Same one," Frisk said.

"Oh. Ooh! That's…! That's good!" Chara could hardly contain her relief. "Okay! So there's no secret ingredient of intense flames or secret suplexing method or—"

Papyrus cackled. "Of course there is, or it wouldn't be—!"

"The secret is actually letting the sauce cook real slow for a bit," Frisk said, smiling up at the skeleton.

"What?! Really?!"

"Yup!" She checked her phone, then hopped down from her chair and dragged it across the floor, plunking it strategically between the sink and the stove. "Lots of simmering and it's gonna be real good!"

A big metal pot of spaghetti bubbled on the dark stovetop and Frisk grabbed the handles and lifted it, but only an inch— she was strong enough, but not tall enough. Asriel darted in to pick the pot up for her and dumped it out into a strainer already waiting in the sink. The steamy water glurgled down through the marsh of pasta and twirled away down the drain.

"Thanks, dude," Frisk said with a smile.

He plucked out a noodle and blew on it before slurping it up to give it a taste— gently salty and not too squishy. He patted her affectionately on the head between her horns, then puffed out his chest and put on noble airs. "Not to worry, my dear sister, one day, you too will be so tall you can strain your pasta in the sink, like all good pasta-crafters that have come before you in the long, noble tradition of… noodleage."

Frisk snickered. "Hope so!" She turned to Papyrus. "Technically you're not supposed to make them this early before the sauce, but I figured since we use magic to reheat them, it won't be gross, right?"

"Hm! I will assume that is correct since I have heard nothing different! It's very interesting! In my usual recipe, we just crank that one all the way up until the water's gone!" Papyrus said. "It's funny how the same dish can have many different methods, hm?"

Frisk tried to conceal a grimace behind a grin and nodded, while Asriel put a hand to his mouth, wondering how on earth the skeleton would even get the noodles off the bottom of the pot at that point.

Chara snuck into the kitchen and fished out a forkful of spaghetti. She hissed at the heat and ate the noodles quickly, making a dismayed noise and fanning her mouth. "H-Haaaht! Aagh!"

Papyrus tutted. "You knew it was too hot, and yet…"

The girl grumbled, fumbling for a glass. She slammed the faucet handle and poured herself some cool water— far too much for the cup— and downed it all in one gulp. She stuck out her tongue. "W-Well, it tastes okay! I think."

Asriel snickered.

Frisk smiled proudly and she reached for a block of cheese and a cutting board. She grabbed the grater, but one look at it told her that it had been, at some point, used in an attempt to shred down something it should not have— a tree, perhaps, or maybe a rock. Frisk sighed and instead picked up one of several knifes beside the stove, but as she intended to slice, her hand froze. Her heart beat painfully; her ribs ached across her chest. Her breath was short and she trembled, the blade rattling in her hand.

"Hey. Frisk. You okay?" Chara asked.

Asriel pushed in close and quickly slipped the knife from Frisk's hand, rubbing her back gently and carefully moving her aside. He could feel the warble in her soul at a touch. "I'll do this part," he said. "You must be tired, huh? Maybe sit down or something."

"Ah…! Th-Thanks." Frisk's face flushed with a shameful blush. "S-So, um…!" She had to gulp back a wave of nausea that dried her throat. "Paps, the, um, cheese goes on top at the end, okay?"

"Okie dokie!" he assured her. "Thank you very much for your recipe, friend!"

Shivering, Frisk quickly retreated to the living room. Chara frowned. Papyrus took his wooden spoon from the pot and placed it to the side.

"She looked so cold all of a sudden, didn't she? I'll go get her a blanket. Watch this, will you?" he said before leaving in a hurry.

Asriel reached across the stove to turn the heat down to low underneath the sauce. Chara grabbed his sleeve.

"She okay?" she asked under her breath.

Asriel nodded. "Yeah, just, uh… Holdin' one of these…" He held up the knife. "Sometimes it triggers some, uh…" He blushed. "Ah! N-No, um, never mind, don't worry about it."

Chara flinched. "…S-So, what, does she just never cut anything?"

"Not much. Butter knives are good. Side of a fork. I dunno." He shrugged. "Like I said. Don't worry."

"That's… That's crazy," she said, frowning. "I never meant to…" She sighed. "This wasn't a mistake, was it?"

"Wouldda happened whether you were here or not," Asriel said.

Chara sighed and grabbed the knife out of his hand. She gently pushed him aside. "Let me do this. You go hug her."

"You sure?" he said.

"I'd do it myself if it wasn't literally the worst idea ever," she said. "Go."

Asriel nodded. He paused and wrapped her in a hug first before slipping into the living room.

Papyrus was just finishing wrapping the fuzzy blue Frisk in a warm grey blanket. He patted her head affectionately. "You are doing very well, my small friend! Stay warm for now, alright?"

"Y-Yeah, thank you," she said with a tepid smile.

"Any time!" He straightened up and patted Asriel on the shoulder as he returned to the kitchen.

The boy sat down with his sister, scooping her up onto his leg. She sighed and leaned into him.

"So embarrassing," she said quietly.

"Nah. Deep breaths?"

"I'm okay." She put a hand to her chest. "It's… It's really dumb, huh?"

"I mean, yeah, of course it is, anything that makes that happen is dumb," Asriel said.

Frisk snickered. She ran a hand through her hair, but it inevitably returned to her chest, her fingers absently rubbing a diagonal line across it. Asriel tilted his head.

"Is something hurting?" he asked.

"Not really," she said.

He let out a contemplative sound as he pulled her into a hug and rested his chin on top of her head. Their souls pooled together and her wobbly anxiety came through strong. As sudden as a strike of lightning, it occurred to the boy why exactly Frisk might have been having an extra hard time. Her anxiety around holding real blades didn't just come from nowhere, after all. He groaned and put a hand to his face.

"I'm an idiot," he grumbled.

"No you're not," she said.

"Yes, I am." He sighed heavily. "Wanna get some air?"

"I'm okay," she said again.

"Hey." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "She gets it. You won't hurt her feelings. Okay?"

Frisk blushed. She slumped. "I-It's fine. I'll get over it."

Asriel grumbled and gently flopped her ears up and down. She snickered.

A sharp knock at the door made them both jump. Frisk's fur stood on end, which was a very strange and tingly sort of sensation.

"I'll get it!" Chara called. She rushed from the kitchen, looking even more pale than usual, and flung to door open.

All that greeted her was an unnervingly long set of skinny bird legs that stretched from big talons on the steps up past the top of the door frame. A black puffball of a creature ducked down into view— owl-like, with a postal hat and a long, prehensile tail. Stolas, the monster from the mail kiosk. A gold-tinted visor covered his one massive eye and he clacked his beak.

"Hello, little ghost!" he said. "Urgent mail, addressed tooooo… Hoo. Someone here. With a name I have never seen before."

"Who?" Chara asked.

"Hoo indeed! It says…" He held out a slightly battered envelop. "_Fuzzball the goat boy._"

"Oh! Ah…" Asriel carefully slipped out from under his sister and headed for the door. "Howdy. I think that's me?"

"As it appears to be!" The owlish monster passed the letter over and tipped his hat with his tail. "And that'll be all! Have a nice day, kids!" He straightened up, the bulk of his body vanishing until he went down the steps, striding away through the snow like his legs were stilts.

Chara closed to door and looked up at Asriel with confusion. "That was weird. He never makes deliveries during the day."

"Super urgent, then," Asriel said, slitting the envelope open with the claw on his thumb. He pulled the letter out and unfolded it.

It was scrawled in round, barely legible handwriting.

_to the fuzzball prince_

_kinda need a knight in shining armour. you wanna bust into the castle and rescue me?_

_(for legal reasons this is a joke. also come on your own)_

_sans_

"Uh… I think Sans needs help?" Asriel said.

"Is he okay?" Frisk asked shrilly.

"Dunno. Um. How do I get to the castle?"

"Portal. Use this." Chara took off her dove pendant and slipped it into the monster's waiting paw. "Just think really hard about wanting to get there."

"Wait, what's going on?" Papyrus called.

"Sans got in some situation again, I guess," Chara said, rolling her eyes.

"I knew it," Frisk said shrilly, getting to her feet. "We g-gotta go get him, right?"

"He said just me," Asriel said. "For some reason."

"Just you?!" the kid echoed, wide-eyed. "Wh-Why?"

"Trust him," Chara assured her. "If he said he only wants Azzy, there's a good reason."

"But I can't just leave Frisk behind," he said swiftly.

Though Frisk's eyes were sad and her brows were bent with worry, she shook her head. "I-It's okay! If he needs help, go get him," she said, and then lowered her voice and put a hand to her chest. "And then if you need help, I can feel it, right? So. I'll come get you."

Asriel nodded. "S'not like he'd lead me into a trap for some reason, right?"

"Pfff, oh, it's a trap, for sure," Chara said with a wink. "Just not the traditional kind." She took the letter from him and skimmed it. "Hm. Bet he's stuck in a lecture from Mistral or something. But… why you? Did he say something?"

Asriel shrugged and shook his head. "We didn't really talk that much except when I was hyperventilating."

Chara frowned, her eyes narrowed, and folded her arms. "Inscrutable as usual."

"If you're going," Papyrus said as he emerged from the kitchen. "Eat this, first." He presented Asriel a bowl of noodles and sauce with a chunk of cheese on top and a pair of chopsticks. "It's full of nutrition! So if should give a nice health boost, if I'm correct, which I definitely am."

Chara winced, but Asriel shovelled the spaghetti into his mouth with gusto. It wasn't quite like home's, but the nostalgia was enough to give him a little pep.

"Got it," he said, passing the bowl back as the freckled girl's eyes bugged out. He pulled out his phone and texted Frisk the letter _a, _and hers buzzed in response. "Okay. We're good. I'll be back soon, I guess."

Frisk nodded. She hurried up to him and hugged him tight. "Careful, right?"

"Yeah," he said. He grinned, flashing his bright fangs, while shooting an iridescent magic star from the coolest finger-gun stance he could muster. "Hey! Don't worry 'bout me! I'm the strongest monster, remember?"

He headed out in a blaze. Frisk grasped her hands tight. Chara pursed her lips, and Papyrus looked between the two of them worriedly.

"So…"

"We're following him, right?" Frisk asked quickly.

Chara cut her eyes at her and smirked with a hint of pride on her face. "Of course we are."

Papyrus rubbed his head. "Naturally. But, the portal…" He sighed and headed for the stairs. "I'm sure I have some Royal Tokens around here somewhere."

\- - -

The portal hut outside of town worked exactly as Chara had instructed. In a burst of red magic, Asriel found himself stumbling into a great, gleaming hall of pale stone before a large set of stairs draped in a purple and gold rug, with fluffy dogs in draconic helmets guarding either side of a massive, stone door. One of the monsters was white and spitz-like, while the other had spots and resembled a short-haired collie.

Asriel carefully stepped out of a ring of magic and crystals where the portal had been and put Chara's pendant in his pocket. It _tinked_ against something else metal and Asriel pulled out the heart-shaped locket he kept there, too. His soul buzzed and he rubbed his thumb over the shiny face of the heart. He hid them both away safely.

The boy didn't have a single clue where to look for Sans or what was going on, but the only way out of the room he could see were those doors at the top of the stairs. He ascended quickly, only to be blocked by the two dogs, who crossed their spears in front of him and looked up at him with big, dark eyes.

"Uh. I need to get by. Please," he said. "I'm looking for Sans?"

The dogs blinked silently back at him. Neither budged. Asriel began to sweat. A good head rub would be an easy out, but both dogs were wearing helmets with cheek guards. The boy flinched. He could think of nothing else, so he grabbed the closer pooch— the shorter, white one— by the head and booped the end of his nose against hers. The dog's eyes got huge and her tail began to wag. He couldn't help his from doing the same. He channelled his sister and offered a hug.

"You are a good dog," he said. "And I'd really like some help. It's really important that I find him. I-If that's okay."

Though the dog behind him shook his head, the one staring into his eyes accepted his hug. Asriel grinned. He patted the shorter monster's back and then turned to the collie dog and offered the same. Though skeptical, the pooch pouted and let Asriel hug him.

When the boy let him go, the two dogs huddled up and confurred together in soft voices that Asriel pretended he couldn't hear. When they straightened up, they nodded.

"The throne room. Up ahead," the collie dog said, pushing the door open. "Be polite, though, okay?"

"Yes! Thank you," Asriel said quickly. He dashed ahead into the next chamber, calling back over his shoulder, "You're the best dogs!"

The collie's tail wagged and the spitz grabbed her cheeks and blushed.

A vast hallway stretched out before Asriel, with more stairs and a giant set of doors at their peak. He raced through as fast as he could.

"Sans?" he called. He lifted his ears, but didn't hear a reply. He knocked, but all that answered him was the echo of his own fist.

He pushed back the heavy doors with a grunt. Another massive room opened up before him, but his attention was instantly drawn straight across to the stairs before the towering throne, where a familiar skeleton was held up in the air, crushed by one massive claw of a beastly, armour-clad monster. Its huge, toothy maw was snarling into Sans's face.

Asriel froze. "S-Sans?" His voice was small.

His vision tunnelled, his pupils narrowing to slits. He bared his fangs. He couldn't bear it. His soul surged bright and he sprinted across the room, ramming his shoulder hard into the armoured monster. It staggered, dropping Sans to the ground. Asriel headbutted it. His horns clanged against its plate, sending it sprawling and rolling away. The boy dug his claws into the floor to slow his momentum and stood defensively before the dazed skeleton. He snorted fire from his nose.

"Leave him alone," he growled.

Whatever the other monster was, it righted itself in a hurry, letting out a shrill, tinny roar, orange soul surging brightly in reply. Though the wind of its minty breath blew Asriel's ears, he didn't budge. Movement caught the corner of his eye, as did the clunking of many armoured boots on tile. He didn't dare look so as not to take his eyes off the monster before him. Iridescent magic glimmering in his paw, he braced himself to fight, only for his arm to be suddenly locked in place by a block of ice. Faster than he could jerk away, he was chilled entirely as water shot up from the floor and froze him into a solid chunk, with the exception of his snout. He'd never been so cold in his life; it almost took his breath away regardless.

Through cloudy blue, Asriel saw the armoured monster backing away as another strode into his field of view. He growled, his soul burning in his chest. There was no way this was holding him back. But he needed more heat. At just the wish of it, fire coursed beneath his fur, loosening his limbs from their icy vice. Flame seeped out between his teeth. It erupted from deep in his chest, igniting straight from his fur in a wild fireball, shattering the ice and leaving only shards where it had been. He blazed white hot and burned out like a comet, his entire form steaming. Dazed, he staggered back and panted, brushing fur out of his eyes with a shaking hand.

"Ooh. Heh. Hey, nice one kid."

His eyes shot up to see a monster that, despite her silver stripes and dark scales and glowing baubles on her ears, was undoubtedly Undyne. She was grinning, but her smile fell quickly as she locked eyes with him.

"Asriel?" she asked with uncharacteristic shrillness to her voice.

Asriel squinted. He coughed. "Y-Yeah?"

The fish monster gawked. She stormed over to him and wrapped him in a crushing hug, popping his back. He wheezed as the air was knocked from him, but he cautiously returned it. She clenched her fingers hard into the fur of his neck and touched her forehead against his. He could feel the nostalgic ache in her soul even if she hadn't meant to shoot it out.

"Um. But. Your Highness…" The big, sharp-toothed monster asked in a disarmingly girly voice, gently tapping Undyne on the shoulder.

"At ease. You guys were way overzealous, though," she growled. She drew back, holding Asriel by the shoulders with an awed look in her eye. It took her a moment to continue, turning to her guard with a scowl. "S-So, get! All of you! And leave the Oracle."

Asriel gulped. He whirled around to see a shocking number of armoured guard monsters heading out of the throne room. He was suddenly very glad that Undyne had broken the fight up. He wilted and awkwardly raised a hand at the monster he'd headbutted as she waved at him on her way out.

Sans was sitting upright now with an amused grin on his face. His wrists were bound in silver cuffs, but he didn't look the least bit concerned. Asriel dropped to his knees and grabbed his hands.

"I-I'm sorry."

"Yeesh, kid, didn't expect all that," Sans said. "But, uh, definitely 'precicate the effort."

"Dude, did they actually cuff you?" Undyne asked, kneeling down, too.

"Little too much trouble for one day, I guess." He winked, and then casually detached one hand, slipping the manacle easily from his arm before doing the other. He tossed the cuffs over his shoulder, where they clattered sharply on the stone floor. "S'okay, I get it. Since I did do the whole betray a monarch thing once, and the siren was pretty urgent."

"You did what?" Asriel asked.

Sans shrugged. "Long story. Ask pigeon sometime."

"What the hell happened?" Undyne demanded. She looked at Asriel. "A-And you! What the hell?! How are you…?!" Her ears drooped. "…You're… Hah. No. Your horns are wrong. But your face…"

"He's Asriel," Sans said. "Just, uh… different. Frisk's."

"Wait, you're from…?! You're that kid's brother?!" Undyne's ears perked up a bit. "Man! That's good news, huh?! Uh! Welcome, I guess! From the Queen. Uh. Sorry that mess was what you first saw here. My guards are good but they're overprotective as hell. Annnnnd they should not be arrestin' the damn Royal Oracle unless you got some assassination plot going on!"

"Eh. They thought I might." Sans shrugged. "S'okay, no hard feelins. Actually, give 'em a medal."

"I thought…" Asriel's voice warbled. He shook his head and huffed out a sigh, rubbing his hand through the fur on his brow. "I'm sorry. But I… I mean, I know you're weak, right? I thought she m-might…"

Sans tilted his head. He cracked a sympathetic grin. "Oh. Yeah. Don't worry 'bout it, alright?" A knowing glint shone in his eyes. "Don't mind ya doin' that little bit of projectin', too. Think it helps both of us."

Asriel's ears drooped. He was right, though. Seeing Sans in trouble after everything that had happened kicked something inside him into gear. He guessed maybe he missed that bonehead back home more than he thought.

Sans patted the boy's hand, though Undyne looked puzzled. She got to her feet and rubbed the back of her head, then absently kicked one of the ice shards off the carpet.

"So what's the deal?" she asked again.

"Oh. Uh. Right. Meant to tell ya," Sans said as he stood up and stretched his arms out. "Plan worked. Obviously." He jerked his thumb at Asriel. "But, uh, kiddo's red bands went berserk. So. Cast a Decept, she looks like a blue goat now, wiped the bands; should be all good."

Undyne blinked. "Huh. How'd you get it on a human, though?"

Again, Sans pointed at Asriel. "They share a hunk of soul, seems like. Drew from that."

"Damn, okay. Cool. Cool cool." She huffed and shot Asriel a bashful grin. "Sorry for freezin' you. And, uh, for the weird hug."

"No, no no, it's okay!" Asriel said quickly, hopping to his feet. "Do, um…? Did…? I guess you knew the other… me?"

"Yeah. Long time ago," she said.

His ears drooped. "Sorry."

She shook her head. Though there was a sad look in her eye, she smiled. "It's kinda nice to see you, anyway."

He smiled sheepishly, his tail wagging. He turned to Sans. "You're okay, right? Can we go back? Frisk was super worried."

"Ah. Not yet. Believe it or not, that, uh, wasn't what I asked you here for."

"Huh?! What d'you mean?!" Asriel yelped.

Sans held up his hand and counted down from four. As soon as his index finger curled, he grinned and winced as the doors to the throne room were kicked in with a bang.

"What is going on here?!" A skeleton in silver and green armour stormed in with a deep scowl marring her face, her cheekbones flushed with a pale pistachio colour.

Asriel put himself between Sans and the newcomer, but Undyne casually raised her hand to greet her.

"Hey, Mist," she said.

Mistral spluttered as Sans merely grinned wider.

"Seen ya too many times this week, huh?" Sans asked.

"Of course it had to do with you! Unbelievable!" She put her hands on her hips. "And by that I mean a thousand percent believable. What's this I heard about a death siren?!"

"Jeez," Asriel grumbled.

"It's all settled," Undyne said.

"And what about the assault of Sergeant Buttercup?!" Her intense eyes focussed in on Asriel. "And who is this ruffian?! Did he—?!"

"Pardoned," Undyne said.

"Pardon?!"

"Yeah, pardoned," Undyne said, clapping Asriel on the shoulder. "It was a misunderstanding. He's new. He thought Sans was in mortal danger. And nobody really got hurt, right?"

Mistral rubbed her temples. "Your Majesty, people are going to take note of this preferential treatment someday."

"Yeah, well, hopefully Toriel will take the throne back by then," she said, brow furrowing. "Listen, Mist, I know you weren't there, but these guys… There's a reason that bonehead keeps his position, and it's not just how good at it he is, alright?" She cracked a smile. "Trust me?"

Mistral grimaced. She let out a heavy sigh. "I know, I know." She shot a narrow-eyed glare at Sans. "You are incredibly lucky."

"I know," he said.

"Honestly, first with that kid, and then your siblings' destruction of property— which was TODAY, might I add, and—!"

"Aaah, listen, Mist, great t'see ya, but…" Sans grabbed Asriel's sleeve and began to pull him for the door. "I got some work I gotta do with this kid, alright? Talk to ya later."

"What?! But you—! I am not finished—!"

"Yeeeeah, sorry, we're super busy," he said. "Right, kid?"

"Super busy!" Asriel repeated.

Undyne stifled a laugh behind her hand and grabbed Mistral's shoulder before she could charge after them.

"But! Hey." Sans winked. "If you get a sec, maybe you could head to our place? You're good at Decepts, yeah?"

"…Yes?" Mistral looked confused. "Why?"

"Talk to my sister 'bout it," he said. "Bring some crystals and stuff."

"Why should I—?!"

"Byyyye, Mist, see ya later! See ya, your Highness." Sans pulled Asriel from the throne room and and slammed the doors behind them with a shock of blue magic.

Asriel looked back, wide-eyed. The skeleton heaved out a sigh and grinned up at him.

"Thanks, pal, y'did good. Y'saved me at least half an hour," he said, shooting him a wink. "Knew I could count on ya."

"Wh…? Wait. Was that all?!" he demanded.

"Yup."

"Y-You didn't need me to fight off the guard?!"

"Nope." He smiled sympathetically. "Though I appreciate the thought." He chuckled. "You're a lot like your sis, hm? Kinda throw future junk off a little whenever y'show up. That's alright." He winked. "Keeps things interestin' for me."

"…W-Wait. Are you psychic?!" Asriel yelped.

"Eh. Mildly." He winked. "C'mon. Figure while we're out we'll get y'attuned, alright?"

"Uh… Oh. For your… CORE, thing?"

Sans nodded.

He brought the kid back to where portals opened up in the circle of crystals. With a snap of his fingers, a spiral of blue magic unravelled before them. He gestured for Asriel to step into it. The boy gulped, but did so, and stepped out into a large foyer of an austere building where the walls were covered in dog statues. He didn't even have time to be confused before Sans nudged him and strode past him, leading him to a small door across the room.

Down some stairs and they came to a room of polished purple stone with crystals jutting out all over the walls. Asriel's fur stood on end. Somehow, in distant, low vibrations, he felt Frisk's hum steeped in the air.

"…What is this?" he asked.

"Room for magic work." Sans plunked down onto one of the large cushions on the floor and patted another one. "This's easy. Y'ever done an attunement?"

"Y-Yeah." Asriel sat down quickly and tried to steady himself.

"Cool." He stretched. "Figure, might as well get this done right away. So you can chill out the rest of the time here. Works for ya?"

"Ah. Y-Yeah," Asriel said. He glanced around at the shimmering crystals. "Um. So. Why'd you want me to come alone?"

"Less complicated," he said. "Plus, uh…" He tilted his head and a cool blue light shone in the skeleton's left eye. "Got a question or two for ya."

Asriel gulped. "Okay."

"Now. I know this whole thing, it's gotta be a real shocker for ya, right?" He rested his elbows on his knees and laced his fingers together. "But, uh… what d'ya intend to do? 'Bout Chara?"

"Wh…? What d'you mean?" Asriel asked, his voice cracking.

"She's your sister. Y'love her, right? I get that." He rested his chin on his hands. "Y'given it much thought?"

"I-It's too soon," Asriel said quickly. "I… I have no clue."

The skeleton nodded. His brow creased with the faintest of frowns. "S'just that… she's been real good for my brother, y'know?"

Asriel's eyes went wide and his soul doubled its speed. Of course Sans was worried. Here Asriel was, a relic of Chara's old life, crashing into their world like an avalanche.

"I w-wasn't gonna try to…! She…" He flinched. "She said she… was locked out, so… So I wasn't going to try to convince her to…!" He had to take a deep breath. "I'm not here t-to break up your family. I just really don't know what to do."

Sans nodded again. "It's tough, hm?"

"I don't even know where to start," he said quickly. "I…! I feel like I'm going to puke! That's she's here and…! And…!" His ears drooped. "I missed her so much. B-But… But you guys, you… took really good care of her. You had to have."

Sans smiled, a hint of bashfulness in his sharp-toothed grin. "Welp. Yeah. Love 'er, y'know?"

Asriel sighed. He put his face in his hands. Sans reached across and patted his head gently between his horns. The boy grimaced. His shoulders shook. He knew he couldn't take her from them. But he didn't want to leave her, either. He bit his lip as his soul ached cold and rough through his chest.

"I-I… I don't know," he croaked.

"Same," Sans said quietly. "…We'll figure it out together, alright, kid?"

Asriel sat up, preemptively brushing his palm over his eyes. He nodded. "Th… Thank you."

Sans cracked a smile. "Welp. I mean, she loves ya so much, y'gotta be worth it, right?"

The boy snorted heavily and had to wipe his eyes for real this time as hot tears bubbled up in them. "I-I hope so," he said.


	53. Feelin Blue

A Royal Token was a large coin, glimmering gold, about the size of a sand dollar. The four winged Delta Rune marked both sides, the sun's circle represented by a perfectly round and polished cut of amethyst on the top side. It had a ridged edge that would play a tune when inserted into a toll booth or a slot on a music player. Tossed into a portal's pedestal, they would make an easy path straight to one of the public courtyards of the palace, opened when Toriel— and then Undyne— had taken over. The coins were not exactly hard to come by: for a small price, they could be had by the dozen, though palace workers and families thereof were usually provided with a surplus. For all of that, it was a wonder that the great Papyrus, the very perceptive expert finder-of-all things, could not locate a single one in the entire house.

Frisk had already been alarmed by _something_ from Asriel once, and a text to him remained unanswered despite the fading sense of danger deep in her soul. She paced the house anxiously as Papyrus dug through one of Sans's strange, phantom rooms beyond his blank doorframe. Chara sat on the arm of the couch in the living room, watching the fuzzy blue kid wear a groove in the carpet. She bit her lip and folded her arms.

"Papy, d'you want me to just go to Waterfall and buy some?" she shouted.

"Nyyooooo, I'm sure I can find them!" he called back. "It's just such a mess!"

"H-How far is the castle? Maybe we can walk?" Frisk asked.

"Uh…" Chara gave a slanted smile. "To be honest. That'd take weeks."

"Weeks?!" Frisk squeaked.

"By train, though? Three days."

Frisk's eyes went wide and she squeezed her floppy ears in dismay. Chara tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Of course, we could just warp to the New Home," she said.

"Oh yeah?!" Frisk's ears perked.

"But. Most public portals are still pretty far from the castle. Security stuff," she continued. "So that's still a decent amount of walking we gotta do to even get to the Inner Circle."

"O-Okay," Frisk said. "How far is far?"

"Well, if Papy carries you, I think he could cover that ground in under an hour. Hm. I wonder if I gave them to Kid, actually." Chara hopped back to the floor and called up to her brother, "Forget it, I'll go see if I can borrow some."

She headed for the door, grabbing her blue, pink, and green jacket on the way. She had one foot in a boot as she opened the door, only for Mistral to almost bonk her on the head with a fist, knock interrupted. Frisk darted around the other side of the couch and ducked down behind it, her heart pounding.

Chara looked up at the armoured skeleton with big eyes. "Oh no, what now?"

"Hello to you, too, Soulbonder," Mistral said. "Nobody's in trouble, if that's what you're wondering. Your brother asked that I pay you a visit."

"He did?" Chara tilted her head, and then waved the skeleton inside. She quickly kicked her one boot off again. "Why, what's going on?"

"He was slightly unclear. He was in a hurry with a goatish sort of boy." She tilted her head. "…Which is a little suspicious, now that I think about it."

"Having to use the word _hurry_ applied to our brother is incredibly suspicious," Papyrus joked as he emerged from upstairs.

"Ah. Papyrus. Astute as always," Mistral said.

"That goat's Azzy. He's… He's family. Was everything okay?" Chara asked.

"Seemed so. There was a minor fight, but according to our Queen, it was based in misunderstanding. No harm done."

Frisk drooped with relief. Mistral folded her arms.

"In any case, I'm here about a Deceptive Cadence. Used on a human."

Chara's brow furrowed, one eyebrow raised, and she rubbed the back of her head. "Why?"

"Well. It's unprecedented, isn't that right?"

"It definitely is that," Papyrus agreed.

"Right, I guess." Chara turned back to the couch and was instantly smiling wide with amusement. "Frisk. We can see your horns."

"O-Oh!" Frisk straightened up from her hiding place, cheeks darkening with embarrassment. "S-Sorry. Um, hi, Mistral."

Mistral blinked. Green flickered up into her eyes and she clenched a fist and pressed it against her mouth. "Oh no, she's adorable," she mumbled under her breath. She coughed as if to clear her throat and then straightened up. "That's… all but foolproof, human. I'm impressed."

"It was thanks to Sans," Frisk said.

The coloured glow of the skeleton's eyes dimmed. "Ah."

"But, um, you said you saw Az?" she said. "He was okay, right?"

"Yes, of course, why would he not be?" Mistral wondered. "The castle is incredibly safe."

"Okay." Frisk nodded. "Right. Cool." She pulled her phone from her pocket and texted Asriel again, just in case, before stashing it away again. "So, uh, what did you want to see? Just…" She held out her hands. "This?"

Mistral strode across the room and picked up the small kid under her arms, eyeing her over curiously. She plunked her onto the couch. "May I take a chair?"

"I'll get you one!" Papyrus said, heading for the kitchen. "Oh! And some freshly made spaghetti, while you're here!"

"Th-That won't be necessary!" she said shrilly.

Chara smiled smugly, and the skeleton began to look sweaty.

"Oh, don't you worry, it's no trouble at all. You'll love it! The new creation of Master Chef Papyrus and my great assistant, Frisk!" He returned with a chair balanced on one hand and a bowl of liberally sauced pasta in the other. He gave them both over to the other skeleton. "Feel free to take off your armour, if you like."

Mistral accepted the noodles with the same level of caution as if they were on fire and put them aside as she sat down in front of Frisk. She took off her gauntlets, leaving bare bone up to her elbows. She extended a hand to the kid, who grasped to her carefully. The skeleton had fingertips that ended in claw-like points— more defined than the skeletons back home had, but seemed to be par for the course for the ones here. Unlike any Frisk had seen before, however, Mistral had a pale green, oval gemstone imbedded into the back of each hand. The stones were almost identical to the one on her forehead.

The skeleton carefully felt through Frisk's sleek blue and white fur, letting out a small contemplative sound. Chara and Papyrus leaned in around her with curious eyes.

"So, um, you know a lot about this kind of spell?" Frisk asked,

Mistral nodded. "Yes, in fact, it's one of my specialties. Yours feels… interesting. Very lifelike."

"He couldn't have just sent you here to look at this for curiosity's sake, though, could he?" Chara asked.

"Technically. The Queen sent me," Mistral said. "She asked that I give any assistance you need. Sans was vague, as always, but he did seem fairly purposeful." She focused her attention on Frisk. "May I feel your soul?"

Frisk nodded and set her soul glowing brightly, though it made her fur tingle down to its ends— the most intense goosebumps she'd ever felt. Mistral laid her fingers on the red shining through the kid's t-shirt and her eyes brightened.

"Ah! I see!"

"See what?" Chara asked.

"There's an instability when the resonances interact. That must've been it," she said, and then let out a sigh. "Why could he not have just said that?"

"It's Sans," Papyrus and Chara said almost in tandem, with unequal levels of resignation.

Mistral touched the back of her hand to Frisk's forehead. "Something stronger, if you don't mind."

Frisk took a deep breath and let the red energy pulse from her soul out into a glowing light that hovered from her hands. In an instant, the magic shell hugging her body flashed over blue and disappeared, leaving her appearing as normal as ever. Her friends yelped and Frisk's heart sunk at the sight of her bare skin.

"Aw man," she whined, putting a hand to her head. She already missed the floppy goat ears. "I can't believe I screwed it up so fast!"

"Not to worry, human. That was fully intentional." Mistral tapped the crystal on her hand, which now swirled with cool blue and flecks of purple amongst the pistachio green. "The spell is stored here. I can return it soon. I understand, now."

"Y-You do?" she asked.

"Aah. Sans probably thought that the Decept wouldn't hold if she used magic like that," Chara said. "Guess he was right. At least… Outside of the Soul, yeah?"

"I wonder if there's a potion of magic stability I can brew up," Papyrus pondered.

"There may be, but I think this is why he asked me to come," Mistral said. "Since you seem to be so prone to using your magic, human."

"O-Oh." Frisk blushed. "Right. I… I guess it would've happened eventually, huh?"

"Exactly." Mistral reached into a green, cloth pouch attached to the belt around her hipbones and pulled out a Royal Token, some bits of metal, and a few shimmery chunks of crystal in different colours. "Let's seeee…"

"Let me get my book!" Papyrus suggested, bounding away upstairs. "Don't forget to try that spaghetti, it is extremely good!"

Mistral's bones flushed and she gave the bowl of pasta the side-eye. She ignored it, placing her things aside on the couch, and then picked up Frisk's hand, her claw-tips gently feeling out her fingers. "Such an unusual feeling. I still have trouble understanding how human magic is even a possibility."

Frisk shrugged. "I'm just kinda weird like that, I guess."

The skeleton drew back and picked up the token. She plucked out the amethyst and stuck her finger through the metal, stretching it out like clay and spinning it to make the hole larger. Frisk's eyes went wide and she leaned a little closer to watch. The magic in Mistral's fingers dimmed the gold of the metal as she formed it into a ring. She slipped it on to Frisk's index finger, though it was much too large. With a squeeze, she shrunk it down so it fit. Then, she took it off again.

"Alright. I will tinker with this a little. Go about your business," Mistral said.

The two kids looked at each other. Chara folded her arms and Frisk timidly looked away, rubbing her head. She crossed her legs on the couch and leaned towards the skeleton.

"Um, could you…? I mean, could I watch?" she asked. "That's crafting magic, right?"

"Mhm." Mistral nodded, her eyes locked in focus on the metal as she refined its shape with careful fingers. "Are you very familiar with it? Are humans able to do things like that?"

"I… Hm." Frisk tilted her head. "I'm not sure. I have friends who can, but they're all monsters."

"It must be odd," the skeleton mused. "To be a magic human amongst monsters."

"U-Um. I guess," Frisk said quietly. She couldn't help but pout.

"I'm that, though," Chara pointed out.

"You are a unique case, though," Mistral said. "You are more akin to a spirit than a true human. This kid, though…" She looked up at Frisk and she couldn't help a surprised look on her face. "Oh! I'm sorry, did I upset you?"

Frisk shrugged sheepishly. "N-No, it's… I guess it's just…" She shook her head. "Nah, I… I was just… thinking about my dad, never mind."

Though Mistral looked confused, Chara scooted closer ever so slightly.

"Miss him, huh?" she said.

"Yeeeeah," Frisk said quietly.

Papyrus emerged from his room upstairs, his face buried in a thick, well-worn tome. "I am still searching, friends!"

"Don't bother with it, I have it handled," Mistral said.

"Oh." He looked over the pages and raised his brows. "Did you try the spaghetti?"

"Uhh…"

"Did you find what you thought was weird about the h… hi-ya-sinth?" Frisk asked.

"Oh! Right! You have it with you, don't you?" he asked, bounding down to join her. "Can I borrow it?"

Frisk nodded and pulled the purple bloom from her phone to hand it to him, much to Mistral's surprise. Papyrus held the flower tenderly by the stem and examined it small, star-shaped flowers curiously. He flipped through his book, letting out a contemplative _hmm._

"Azzy didn't want it?" Chara asked.

Frisk shook her head. "He, um… kinda has a thing about flowers. Picked flowers, mostly. Or ones in pots. Or dry ones."

Chara's cheeks flushed faintly. "O-Oh."

"That's a shame, they're really nice," Papyrus said. He thumbed through his book. "Purple… hyacinth. Ah! Here we goooo…" He blinked and frowned at the pages, then looked between them and the flower curiously. "Huh."

"What?" Chara asked. "What's it for?"

"Not too much," Papyrus said, "but it is able to evoke deep feelings of guilt and regret, apparently. Well. That's a massive downer, isn't it? I wonder why the heck she would give him that, of all things."

Chara reached over to take the flower from her brother. She gently brushed her fingers along the petals and gave the blooms a gentle sniff. "…Maybe it's not that deep." She passed it back to Frisk. "Maybe she just thought it matched his sweatshirt."

Papyrus didn't look convinced. "Maaaaaybe."

Frisk carefully stashed the hyacinth away. Mistral took her hand again and slipped the readjusted metal band onto the kid's finger. She nodded to herself and put it aside, reaching instead to gather up the crystals. She opened her hands, each one laid out in her bone palms: glittering hunks of red, purple, foggy white, and several different shades of green.

"Do any of these resonate well with you?" she asked.

Frisk blinked. She wasn't sure exactly what that meant. She liked the look of a chunk of amethyst, though, so she pointed that one out. The colour reminded her of her mother. Mistral nodded and stashed the others away in the pouch on her hip. She rolled the gemstone between her hands and the rough edges smoothed out.

"Whoa. Does that take a lot of magic to do?" Frisk asked.

"Not for me, it doesn't," Mistral said with the hints of a prideful smile on her face.

"She made the ones on herself, too," Chara volunteered. "When I first met you, you only had the one on your forehead, right?"

"That's true," Mistral said. "They're useful. I do recommend them."

"As long as you don't mind having them embedded into your body, yeah?" Chara teased, winking.

The twinge of a shiver ran all the way up Frisk's spine to the base of her neck at the thought of it.

"It's really no trouble at all," Mistral said. "Well. I mean, once they're attached. The actual attaching itself can come with some complications. Still, I feel the use far outweighs temporary discomfort."

"I think we're okay sticking to enchanted jewellery for now," Chara said with a sideways smile. "Right, Papy?"

"Mhhhmmm." Papyrus wasn't actually listening. He was still buried deep in his book, frowning at it with a sense of confused incredulity.

Mistral shrugged. "Your loss."

The skeleton's fingers were quick and deft. The hum of her soul drifted around the room, slow and melodic. She worked the amethyst like plasticine, pulling off strips and bending them with only the faintest of pressure and a glitter of magic in her fingertips. She socketed them around the metal band until the gemstone made up most of its surface, aside from a rim at the top and bottom and a thin line between each stone— five in total. She fit the ring onto Frisk's finger and then tapped the green gem on the back of her hand against the kid's forehead. Instantly, Frisk was blue and monster-like again. She yelped with surprise and sneezed, clapping a hand to her snout. Chara burst out laughing.

"Jeez! W-Warn me, will ya?" Frisk squeaked.

"You're fine," Mistral said dismissively. "Now. Burst once more."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Very." She pointed to the little ocarina around Frisk's neck. "Is that bound?"

"Oh! Um. Yeah," Frisk said.

"Try with that this time, let's see if the results are different."

Frisk gulped. She grasped her ocarina. She'd played the hovering nightlight spell enough times that it was still clear in her mind. She ran her fingers over the holes in sequence first, then lifted the instrument to her mouth and blew out the notes slowly and clearly. Red magic gathered from her fingers and her eyes gleamed with it. The second the pale orb of light manifested, the disguise on her body shattered. This time, though, the magic glow focussed itself into the stones on her ring, colours swirling along the band as they had in the stone on Mistral's hand.

"O-Oh!" Frisk's eyes went wide and she lifted the ring to get a better look at it.

"Hey, wouldya look at that," Chara said, leaning in. "That's not so bad, right?"

Mistral smiled proudly. "And with your little flute, it seems to give you at least until the spell is done, which is certainly useful." She took Frisk's hand and pressed her finger against one of the purple gems. "Press there and focus to recall it. You should be able to do this four times, after this one."

Frisk nodded. She did as the skeleton said and, again, her magic form covered her body. Her teeth itched. She flicked her tongue out, smacking her lips. "Whew, that's weird."

"Now, not all spells will be able to sustain five charges," Mistral explained. "But. Five is a good, steady number. Four corners and a centre pillar, if you follow me." She stuck a finger in the air, pontificating. "You will not know this, human, but let me elucidate on the importance. We use five for many things in symbolic magic! It is more stable than six and four, and allows for more leeway for error. It also easily represents the five elements— air, water, fire, earth, and celestial— and therefore summons to you energy and good luck as well! Plus, a quintuple measure is very strong, used in many traditional Hymns— this magic that I've used is a cousin of Hymns, to be sure! So, I feel this is the most appropriate and useful vessel ring I could gift you with."

"Uh." Frisk's eyes had glazed. She looked to Chara, who seemed to be about to fall asleep. She shook off her confusion and smiled gratefully. "Thanks a million. I'm sure it'll come in handy. How much do I owe you?"

"Hm? Oh! Nothing at all, human. The Queen already covered everything, anyway." The skeleton rubbed her chin. "Though, why she is consistently sticking her neck out for you does confuse me a bit."

"She owes us," Chara said, blinking hard to force herself awake. "And maybe stop calling Frisk _human_, yeah? The whole point is that she's not supposed to be one right now."

"Oh. Yes, of course." Mistral rubbed her head bashfully. "That makes sense."

"It'd be nice, maybe, to not be human for a little," Frisk said under her breath.

"Aw, don't say that, friend," Papyrus said. "You are a wonderful human!"

"It's hard to be the only one, sometimes, though," Chara said. She reached for Frisk's hand, but quickly withdrew with embarrassment all over her face.

Redirecting herself as quick as she could, Chara got to her feet and stretched. She tilted her head to the side and her neck cracked loudly. "Well. That ring should work as a Token, too, right? Wanna head to the palace, still? Make it like a trip or something. Y'know, touristy junk, if you want?"

Frisk looked back at her with confusion, and Chara's face flushed. She absently rubbed her cheek.

"We don't need to rush. But we could grab Azzy. Since we know he's okay. And just… chill out for a little. Maybe…? Maybe look at the stars?" She tilted her head. "Or are you too tired?"

"N-No, I can go," Frisk said quickly.

Papyrus slammed his book shut with a loud snap, startling the kids. "Nyeh. Then let's definitely go. I have some questions for our new friend, too." He hopped to his feet. "Let me just pack us a pasta snack!" He pointed to Mistral's bowl and stuck his thumb up. "And don't forget yours, Captain!"

Mistral froze. Chara grinned slyly.

"I'll try it if you do," she whispered.

\- - -

Asriel was warm. Cozy. A bleary world shifted and dark faded with heavy blinks. A huge yawn. Asriel smacked his lips sleepily and his tongue flicked over his big, sharp fangs. The low light cooled the living room as gentle white puffs of snow brushed past the grey windows.

Flexing his fingers, the boy stared at his long claws, hit over and over by just how surreal it was; how wonderful it was.

Day two. He was still alive.

His mother leaned around him, cradling him in her arms as she snoozed. They'd dozed off talking about the past again. He was sure they'd do that for weeks.

Toriel was soft and warm. His sense of smell was something he'd really been lacking, though he hadn't realized it at the time. The way sweet spices always seemed to cling to his mother's pristine fur was so comfortable and nostalgic. Of course she'd have let him do this as a flower, but he wouldn't have allowed himself such a luxury. There was still guilt. Probably always would be. But, for the time being, he let himself have these quiet, peaceful moments, even if he didn't deserve it.

Asgore not being there with them was hard, even though he wasn't really so far away. But, Asriel conceded, it was mostly his fault his parents weren't together any longer. He wasn't about to whine or cry about it, and it certainly wasn't even remotely a surprise, but what was a surprise was how much his new soul ached over it. He cupped his hand over his chest and felt the soft, telltale hum of it beneath his fingertips as the heartache deepened it. He wasn't sure that he'd ever get used to that. Despite that, there was comfort in that red surging inside him. There was a strange joy in being able to feel so upset.

He yawned. What time was it? Alphys was making him a new phone, but it wasn't ready yet. His mother's wasn't within reach. With a little lift of his ears, he could hear the click-clacking of bone fingers on keyboard. That didn't tell him much. Either way, he wasn't sure about going back to sleep. He carefully slipped himself from his mother's arms and kissed her softly on the side of her snout before heading upstairs.

Papyrus spent a lot of time on the UnderNet while everyone else slept. Maybe too much. But, when Asriel joined him, the skeleton instantly disengaged from the computer and gave him a big smile. Papyrus's eye sockets always had this starry sheen about them when he caught sight of the goat boy. Asriel instantly relaxed.

"Good morning, little brother!" Papyrus said brightly. His grin grew wider and brighter. "Gosh, I really like saying that. I hope you enjoy hearing it at least half as much as I enjoy saying it."

Asriel chuckled, and tilted his head to the side. "Course I do."

"Nyeh heh! So! What can I do for you?"

"I, um…" Asriel wasn't sure. What did he want, actually? "Nothing, I… I guess I just… kinda wanted…" To check the time? To make sure he still existed? "To say hi?"

Papyrus snickered, a knowing look in his eye. "Hello to you, too!" He tilted his head. "Your claws look a little longer today, don't they?"

"Uh. Yeah. I think so." He rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "I might have to file them a bit, if it keeps going. Kinda wish I knew."

"I know. It's all very strange. You've become a weird super-unique-red-soul Prince, but that makes it kind of exciting, doesn't it?!"

"I guess." Asriel cracked a smile. "I guess anything new's kinda cool, huh? It's… It's nice."

"You are absolutely right!" Papyrus jumped from his seat and grabbed the kid's hands. "Speaking of which, you are just going to love what we do out there! Do you remember the town?!"

"Um." Asriel's face flushed. "N-Not so much."

"Then this is even more exciting! You! Get to see! Everything! For the first time, fresh and new!" He stood up, waving a hand in the air, making a grand gesture to an even grander invisible display of the place in his memories. "And the town! It's going to be even better this time, I know it!"

"You sure? Dad won't just do it exactly the same?" Asriel joked.

"Of course not! There were some little things we learned here and there that could definitely be improved upon. But! It'll be nice to see it again." He rubbed his chin. "It's so strange to think that it technically never even existed, hm?"

"I'm, uh…" Asriel grimaced. "I'm sorry." He sighed. "About all of that."

"Oh! No no, don't be!" Papyrus said swiftly. "Besides, this time is infinitely better already!"

Asriel raised a brow. "It's not even there yet."

"Yes. That's true. But you are. If you had never destroyed the town, we would never have become a family!" Papyrus grinned. "So. As I said. Infinitely better." He winked.

Asriel's soul buzzed and his ears pinned back. He couldn't help a smile. "…Thanks, Paps."

"You are very welcome, little brother!" Papyrus offered him a hug, and the boy gladly accepted it. The skeleton gave him an affectionate squish, then released him with a playful ruffling of his fur. "Now, I know it is maybe a tiiiiiny bit early for you, but how would you like to see some of my plans for very elaborate and adventurous mazes? I'd love to set them up all over town. I've already plan-crafted about a dozen. If you're planning to stay up, that is."

"Sounds great," he said. His ears perked. "Oh! Lemme check if Frisk is up, she'd be into it."

"Okay, but don't wake her," Papyrus said as Asriel headed for the door. "I will be more than happy to go through them more than once!"

Frisk was pretty inconsistent about where she'd sleep. She was a lot like Sans, in that way. She obviously wasn't in the room with Papyrus, and she hadn't been on the couch either. Sans's room was the next best guess. Asriel knocked and quietly peeked inside.

Surprisingly, Sans was awake but Frisk was not. The kid had fallen asleep on him at some point, but he was sitting up, reading a book by the light of his blue eye.

"Sup?" he asked quietly.

"Ah, nothin', I was just checking…" Asriel raised his hand. "G'night."

"Hey." Sans put his book down and beckoned to him. "C'mere a sec?"

Curiously, Asriel snuck in and, as Sans gestured to it, sat down on the mattress. The skeleton put his hand on Frisk's head and very carefully parted her hair. There was a little, pale bump on her head.

"So, uh, she bang her head real even-like or is she growin' horns?" Sans asked, the grin on his face strained as he tried to hold in a laugh.

"Wh—?!" Asriel tried to quiet himself. He carefully touched Frisk's head— definitely horns. "How the heck…? Y-Yeah, that's… Damn."

"Guess it's that soul stuff, huh? We don't really know what it'll do to 'er." Sans said.

Asriel's fur bristled. He gulped heavily. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Sans's brow furrowed, then quickly took on an apologetic tilt. "That ain't a dig, kid."

"I… I know this scared the shit outta you," he said quietly, drooping where he sat. "It's my fault."

Sans shrugged. "You two are safe. S'all we could really ask for." He gently poked the kid in the forehead. "Hey. Dingus. Listen up. The whole plan was for you to be here. Nobody expected it to go super smooth. But this… it ain't bad, alright?" His eyes flitted down to Frisk and he smiled fondly. "You know me, I'm expectin' catastrophic failure about a hundred percent of the time. But this? This is good."

Asriel perked up despite himself. His tail gave a little wag. "Horns aren't so bad. I mean, who knows, maybe that means she's… kinda part goat now?"

"Just hope she's not gonna start full-on headbuttin' me when she goes for the headbonk," he joked.

"Eh, just when you deserve it," Asriel said, sticking his tongue out.

Sans sighed. He shrugged and winked. "Welp. That's fine. I'll invest in hard hats."

Asriel snickered. He rubbed his eyes sleepily. A strange ringing started in his ears. He shook his head and stuck his hands under them, blinking heavily. When he looked again, Frisk was gone. He frowned in confusion and looked around. "…Hey. Where'd she go?"

"Hm?" Sans looked puzzled. "Who?"

"Frisk." Asriel got up. "Wasn't she just here?"

Sans's eyes went wide. The blue in the left flickered. He drew back with confusion all over his face. "She was just here?"

A headache instantly chilled Asriel's mind and he got to his feet, an alarmed nausea aching deep through him. "Frisk?!" he called. "Bro, don't tell me she learned to tele…"

Sans was hardly listening. His hand was covering his eye as it flickered, the blue iris shivering unnervingly in its socket. Asriel gulped and he knelt down again, holding the skeleton's shoulders.

"Dude, you okay?!"

He was frozen. Muttering. Barely audible, but repeating the question over and over again. "Where is she?"

Asriel's ears pinned back. That wasn't like Sans at all. "S-Sans, what…?!" He squeezed him. "I'll… I'll find her. I-I'll get Papyrus for you!"

Asriel rushed out of the room, but the house around him was all the wrong colours. He blinked hard. Papyrus stuck his head out of his bedroom.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Sans isn't feeling well. I-Is Frisk with you?" Asriel asked.

The skeleton frowned. "Frisk? Who's Frisk?"

Asriel staggered like he'd been punched in the gut. His mind was spinning. "Who's…?!" He rubbed his head. "Something's wrong, I… Hang on."

Before he knew it, he was outside in the snow with no idea how he got there. He stumbled over his paws, eyes skimming over a world drained of colour. Grey. He backed into someone and spun to see one burst of yellow in a lizard monster with a soul beaming pale green and black.

"Man, your Highness, you have to get home," she insisted quickly. "Your parents were looking for you and your sister. They were super worried."

"Wha…? Um." Déjà-vu struck him. "R-Right. Thanks." He turned away in the grey world, trying to reposition himself.

Every angle of the main street looked identical. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. In and out. Again. Once more. Focus.

His mind felt like a key clicking into a lock. It was a dream. Of course. He let out a sigh of relief. It was an amalgam of days, in way. He'd almost forgotten about this strange, grey version of home. Had he been here today? A day ago? He was exhausted. He wanted to rest. But why didn't Papyrus recognize Frisk's name?

Dark, heavy dread crawled up his back. A strange burning sensation gripped him, and a chill ran through every inch of his body, from the tips of his horns to his toes; down every strand of fur. White hands flickered in the dark. The edge of a four pointed star seared his mind.

With a gasp of breath, Asriel's eyes shot open. Blue magic shimmered near his head and he frantically tried to assess where he was. Rough crystal walls. Pillows beneath him.

"Whoa, kid, chill out." Sans's voice.

Asriel looked up. The skeleton— not his brother, but very similar— shot him a consoling smile. Sans had a hand on the boy's head, gently cooling him with a reassuring ebb of blue.

"Wh…? What happened?" Asriel asked, his voice croaking.

"Finished attunement and y'dozed right off," the skeleton said with amusement. "Felt your soul goin' nuts, figured y'needed the snooze. Y'alright?"

"Y-Yeah." Asriel sat up, rubbing his head. "Thanks. Sorry."

"See anythin'?" Sans asked.

The kid blinked. "…Yeah. Why?"

"Heightened magic. Sometimes dreams go wonky. And I figure," he said with a wink, "yours might be wonkier than most."

Asriel nodded. "I saw… the morning of the second day with my body back. Just… normal stuff. But then… Frisk went missing and the world turned grey. I-I saw that before, when…" He sighed. "It's a long story."

Sans gestured for him to continue. "Abridged version?"

"I got attacked by a weird skeleton that I'm pretty sure is a guy named Gaster," Asriel said. "He shot me outta myself into like, a weird timeless state? Back home but barely any colour. But I snapped out of it. And I think this guy wants to fight me?" His hackles stood on end. "You don't have any save stars here, do you? Like, weird rips in time?"

"Not really," Sans said. "So, uh. If y'see one, that probably ain't good."

"R-Right. Um. A-Anyway, that's what… my dream was, really," Asriel said. He rubbed his head. "I hope that's not a future sight one or I'm gonna be real mad."

"Same," the skeleton said with a laugh. "So this… Gaster. He's not yours?"

"No no no, definitely not," Asriel said. He lowered his voice. "…Uh. Chara said… the one here, he was bad? And also he's dead?"

Sans nodded. "Yup, and, uh… also kinda memory-wiped from most people, so if y'wouldn't mind…"

"Right. Sure. Don't worry," the boy said. "But it couldn't be him, could it?"

"Anythin's possible… 'Cept that," Sans said with a sideways smile. "Weird that they're just consistently such creeps, huh?"

"Ours isn't," Asriel said.

"Y'sure?" Sans teased.

Asriel nodded. The skeleton chuckled.

"You're lucky, then," he said. "Seems like he's usually a big smartypants, huh? Put that to use in a bad way and we end up in a pretty rough spot."

Asriel couldn't even imagine what this guy had done, but he wasn't eager to find out either.

The boy blew out a sigh and rubbed his head, then reached for his phone. He meant to let Frisk know he was done, but quickly found she'd texted him several times. He hurriedly answered with what he'd been up to, and almost instantly received a text heart in reply.

"_we were lookin for u lol_" Frisk said. "_we're at some fancy room in the casstle. gonna go to the cortyard" _She paused. "_chara says hi_"

_"hi"_ Asriel smiled to himself. _"ok i'll meet u guys there soon i think" _He turned to Sans with a questioning look. "Are we anywhere near the castle?"

"Yes and no," he said. "Why?"

"Frisk said we should meet them over there. In, uh, a courtyard?"

"Hm." Sans looked pleased. He put a hand on his bad knee and forced himself to his feet. "Sounds good. Got one more thing, before we go. That okay?"

"S'not like I have any other choice," Asriel said teasingly. "I have no idea where I am. Or where anything is."

"Heh. Fair enough." The skeleton winked. "Won't take too long, it's just outside."

_Just outside_ was up the stairs, through an empty, open foyer, behind a locked door on their right, and down a long, arched corridor. The ceiling was high and formed a peak, and every few paces alternated between a stripe of clear and gold stained glass on their left and a dog carved into the wall on either side, like lines of small, peaceful guards with balls of sun or crescent moons clutched in their paws.

Asriel paused to look at the sunset outside. Warm rays of light dyed a grassy yard that stretched out as the building they were in cradled it in the curve of its stone walls. Scattered monsters of all shapes wandered the grounds. Some clutched books or staves, chatting with friends and mulling about, though most of them were heading away from the building. They were all in coats or robes with wide sleeves and stand-up collars, each one marked by thin-lined patterns in light colours on the hems or back. Many of them were suns or moons with little flourishes, and what looked a lot like the geometric patterns of simplified magic circles. One goblin-like monster with his back to the window had a lily pad on the back of his moss green robes.

"Somethin' interestin'?" Sans asked.

"Enchanted robes, right? I haven't seen stuff like this in a long time." Asriel looked at Sans curiously. "I know when I was little, my teachers usually had… Wait, is this a school?"

"Sure is. Alphys's Arcane Academy." He winked and continued onwards. "Kinda a mouthful, huh?"

"Alphys has a school?" Asriel hopped to keep up. "Those are all guys that go here? Where'd you get that many of those things? Don't tell me you got a ton of magic weavers, too?" His eyes got big. "Wait, no war, so you must, right?!"

"You guys got real messed up, huh?" Sans said. "If you're that excited 'bout coats."

Asriel nodded quickly. The skeleton smiled sympathetically.

"Alphys makes 'em all herself. No idea where she gets the energy. Magus robes, I think she called 'em. Kinda cool, right?"

"Yeah," the boy said quickly.

"Pigeon's got one in the works for herself. Just decided she liked how they look and started goin' at it. Said she'd make one for Papy, too, if she gets it right. You know she's a real wiz at sewin', huh?"

"I'm totally not surprised," Asriel said. "She learned how to knit in like one afternoon. And I still can't get it."

Sans chuckled. "So. Uh. Hate to ask. Don't have to answer. How long's it been on your end? Since she'd been, uh… gone."

Asriel tilted his head. It took him a minute trying to reorganize timelines in his head. "Well. Time got rewound like a year-ish? Almost a year. I think. So that'd be…" His brow furrowed. "I guess it's been more than a year. But I last saw… I mean. The last time she, y'know…" The words caught in his throat. "Stabbed me? That was… almost three months ago for me. I think." A wry smile strained his face. "Sorry, that's a little confusing, right? It feels like forever." He laughed bashfully. "Today feels like forever."

"Oh yeah?" Sans said.

"I kinda stretched like a day and a half out by a lot," he said. "I was home, then somewhere else, then home but like a ghost, then back in time, then here. Sheesh."

"Back in time, huh?" The skeleton raised his brows.

"Did Frisk not tell you about that?" Asriel asked.

"Heh. We only had a couple minutes with 'er before y'dropped in."

"Oh! Right. Right right." The boy rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry. I'm all…" He mimed like there was an explosion coming from his head, emphasized by tiny, harmless flames from his fingertips as he made a sound to match.

Sans snickered. "Welp. Don't really blame ya." He winked. "I'll give ya a break. We can recap later." His brows raised. "You're surprisingly chill 'bout bein' knifed, though."

"Oh, ah…" Asriel's face flushed. "Y-Yeah, I guess. I mean. It, um, happened a lot, and not just 'cause of what happened to her, so, ah… Y'know how it is."

"Not really," Sans said.

"Oh!" Asriel's ears perked. "You didn't…? You didn't do the time loop crap?! With the time kids and the murder and the—"

"Nnnnope."

"Th-That's…! That's good! That's great!" Asriel said shrilly, his eyes brightening. He coughed and lowered his voice. "S-So you didn't… die, like a million times?"

"Welp. Not quite that many." Sans winked. "Did hit a few rough spots here and there, though. Just, uh, don't mention it to my brother, huh? Pigeon's done real well keepin' the both of us bitin' it on the down low."

"R-Right! Yeah. Of course." Asriel nodded quickly. "Won't say a thing, I promise."

The skeleton nodded approvingly.

The end of the hall opened into a large chamber where students were wandering around or hanging out on a set of large steps that lead up to the second floor. Sans took Asriel to a small but heavy looking wooden door to their left, leading out into the grassy yard.

The school was massive. Turrets like those of a castle peered down over them from the main bulk of the building, a veritable fortress around them. Asriel paused, shielding his eyes against the sun as he tried to take it all in. When he looked back for Sans, somehow the skeleton had made it almost all the way across the yard without him. He stood in front of a large, crystalline structure that was hard to look at with the setting sun beaming down on it.

Asriel hurried to catch up. As he got closer, a strange, claustrophobic anxiety sprung up deep inside him the second he realized the place was a greenhouse. Big, green fronds and glistening flowers of all kinds pressed up against the glass. He gulped.

"Here?"

"Yup," Sans said.

"Wh-What, um, d'you need me for?" Asriel asked.

"Nothin'. I just gotta pick up some stuff for Papy. Figured, since we were here…" Sans shrugged, and then gave the boy a curious look. "Y'nervous?"

"What?! N-No, I—!"

The skeleton pulled the door open. The sweet scent of flowers wafted out around him. Asriel wrinkled his snout.

"Y'can wait here if y'like," Sans assured him as he wandered inside. "Won't be long."

Hot embarrassment burned under Asriel's fur. His ears drooped. He folded his arms tight and leaned his back up against the greenhouse wall. It was such a simple thing, but all those plants gathered together like that— the thought made him itchy. It was like he could feel them staring at the back of his head. He gripped his claws gently into his arms and drew in a deep breath. That was nonsense, of course. He didn't want to be such a wimp.

A faint giggling caught his attention. His eyes darted up and he noticed a group of students giving him the once-over, looking mostly amused and slightly starry-eyed. He gulped. The second one of them took a step in his direction, he rushed inside the greenhouse.

The stench of the flowers was instantly overwhelming— a mix of strong perfume, sickly sweetness, and faint, dark spices. Asriel coughed and put a hand over his nose, but breathing through his mouth just left a floral taste on his tongue. He rushed through the condensed jungle after Sans, at the other end of the greenhouse. A few tables and shelves there were split into sections with nameplates stuck to them. The one Sans stood near was labelled_ PapyChara_. The skeleton had a shoulder bag now, and he was plucking root vegetables from a few of the pots and stashing them inside it.

"Eyy, decided to brave it, huh?" Sans said.

"I think some guys noticed I wasn't dressed right," Asriel said. "I didn't wanna get kicked out."

"Fair." Drawing his claw in short lines near an herbal plant, the skeleton sliced a few leaves away and bundled them together before putting them in his bag, too. "Can y'hold it? Almost done."

"Yeah." Asriel sniffled and wiped his snout. "Ugh. Can I help speed things up?"

"If you're willin' to grab somethin'." Sans pointed to a larger bush with red berries growing from it. "Handful of the berries a couple sprigs."

Berries. Easy. Asriel nodded. He hurried to the bush, trying his best to avoid the sunflowers growing from the pots behind him. The berries were round and smooth, and came off easily. He used his claws to carefully take a few small branches from the bush, too. The leaves shifted slightly towards him, but he didn't feel a breeze. He sneezed.

Something soft and solid brushed into his back, and Asriel turned only to be confronted by a wall of sunflowers, leaning in as if to glare down at him accusingly. He couldn't help a bleat of alarm, staggering back into the bush and toppling over awkwardly. Were the heads of the flowers following him? Was he going crazy? The feel of the stiff leaves repulsed him and he struggled upright, only to see stark red all over his hand. His head spun with bafflement and panic for a second before it occurred to him that it was the juice of the berries. He cursed under his breath and wiped his palm on his pants.

His soul flashed over blue and he was helped up to his feet by a careful lifting of magic. The flowers shifted slowly to follow his movement. He cast a look at Sans, who was clearly trying very hard not to laugh. The skeleton's finger was raised up, blue shining off the tip for just a moment longer. Asriel snorted out a small flame and turned back to the bush, wiping his hand again. The fur of his palm was still stained pink.

"You set me up for that or what?" he grumbled.

"For what?" Sans asked. "Y'alright?"

The genuine confusion in his tone gave Asriel pause. He pouted.

"Never mind. Why're the plants here so weird?" he asked.

The skeleton bent to pick up a few of the berries that hadn't been squished, along with the sprigs from the bush that Asriel had dropped. "Dunno, what's so weird about them?"

Asriel looked over his shoulder and squinted at the sunflowers suspiciously. "It's like they're following me."

"Uh." Sans grinned sideways. "I thought _you _were doin' that."

"Heck no," the boy said.

"Hm. Maybe they like ya."

"Ugh." Asriel went back to gathering fruit, moving quickly and trying to ignore more foliage leaning towards him. "I wish they'd l—"

"Leaf you alone?" Sans interjected with a grin.

The boy let out an involuntary, amused snort. "Sh-Shuddup," he said. "Hey, d-don't make me, um, back-petal on the helping you out thing."

Sans's eyes lit right up and he chortled loudly. He thumped him on the back. "Thanks for _stick-in_ around."

Asriel snorted again. He could hardly beleaf how much this skeleton was like his brother, even though it made sense— he had the same name and almost the same face. He winced at his internal monologue and rolled his eyes at himself. If he wasn't careful, he was going to become unberryable. He stuck his tongue out and plucked fruit faster, dreading that it was already too late.

\- - -

It had slipped Frisk's mind completely, but this excursion was technically her third time at the castle that day, though it was the first time she'd been there at all without having been arrested first. She'd only really seen the throne room and the halls leading up to it up until now. Queen Undyne had left for the evening, much to Mistral's chagrin. As the skeleton knight left to do her rounds, Chara showed Frisk around regardless. She knew the names of every guard, of every piece of art on display, and even knew about a secret door hidden on the steps up to the throne itself.

Outside, the setting sun cast a cozy orange glow over an airy, open courtyard sheltered between castle walls. Polished stone walkways were broken up by gardens of silver-tipped tea bushes. Blue and white flowers much like the hyacinth bloomed in patches reminiscent of a pointillist painter's ocean. There were monsters here, but most of them were heading home through a set of portals between five-foot obelisks made of foggy white crystal.

As it emptied, Chara strode about like she'd been to this place a thousand times. Her gait was smooth and easy as she perused the garden, checking the leaves of bushes and carefully shifting pebbles away from the base of flower stems. Papyrus, too, seemed very comfortable. He took a seat next to a small fountain close to the main building, once again buried deep in a large tome of alchemy. Frisk was left adrift at the edge of the grass, feeling suddenly awkward with a snout and tail, unsure of what to do with herself; her ribs still aching.

"Frriiiiiisk?" Papyrus called to her and waved her over. "I have something for you!"

Puzzled, Frisk headed for the skeleton and hopped up on the bench beside him. He grinned, putting his book aside.

"Here." He scooped her up and hugged her tight, glowing warmly for her. "I think you need this."

The kid's shoulder's slumped. "Could you tell from all the way over here?" she joked.

"Of course I could!" He petted her head gently. "It has been a very strange day. Are you uncomfortable? You looked uncomfortable."

Frisk couldn't help but laugh. "I guess I just feel a little bruised is all."

"From the spell?!"

She shook her head. He sighed.

"Sigh. I wish I could heal you properly."

"Nah." She settled in with him. "Hugs are like feeling healing, though, so this is good."

Papyrus snickered and squished her a little tighter. "Was it… hard? Where you were?" he asked. "I mean, before you came back."

Frisk was confused for a moment, but she nodded. "It was pretty crazy," she said. "There was a lot of super dangerous junk." She sighed. "And I had to say bye to some new friends, so that kinda sucked." She grimaced. "I-It… It was way in the past. O-Of my world, somehow, I think? So… So, I'm pretty sure they're dead."

"Dead?! But…! Couldn't they… not be dead?" Papyrus asked shrilly.

"Not… Not one of them. The others, I dunno, but it was like a thousand years ago and there was a war of humans against monsters and almost all the monsters died."

"O-Oh." Papyrus frowned, staring thoughtfully into the distance for a moment. He gave Frisk another squish. "Well! You never know, I guess." He sighed. "I'm sorry, friend. This… None of this is normal for you, is it?"

"Oh gosh, not even a little bit." She scratched her chin. "I mean, unless you mean crazy weird stuff going on and freaking me out, then that's totally normal. That happens to me all the time."

"Booo. Well. I know it's probably strange to be blue and goat-like at the moment, but I hope that you can finally start to have a relaxing time here. You know, now that you don't have to worry about getting arrested."

Frisk nodded and smiled tepidly. Her mind was on too many things to really relax, but maybe she could at least rest her body for a while. That'd be nice.

She sat with Papyrus a little while longer before getting up to wander the garden. The scent was pleasant, like tea on a sea breeze. Frisk tried to relax. She picked out Chara from a few bushes down and watched her as she busied herself tending to one of the bushes that's leaves were a little twisted on one side. Frisk couldn't help but contrast her to the Chara in her memories, and tried her best to force a replacement. She was nice. She was normal. She wasn't the same as the angry ghost she'd once been.

Logically, Frisk was fine. She understood. She wasn't upset. But her body was tense, and her soul buzzed in tandem with her heartbeat. Her thoughts were on Sans. He, Chara, and the anomalies had been so locked together for so long… She took a moment to breathe. From the corner of her eye, noticed she'd caught Chara's attention. The girl cracked a little smile and looked like she was about to say something before hurriedly busying herself, brushing her hair out of her face with an uncertain hand. Frisk's ears drooped. She waved and Chara perked up, sticking her hand into the air, too.

"I'm just getting us some fresh tea leaves," Chara called. "We can dry them out and they'll be really nice, what do you think?"

Frisk headed closer. "Do you make a lot of tea like, straight from the plant like that?"

"Just started to get into it, to be honest," Chara said.

Frisk nodded. "Do you do sun or shade? I don't really get the difference but Undyne… Undyne back home, she's been trying to see the differences between all kinds of drying places since the barrier came down. Something about the flavour?" She rubbed her head. "She keeps getting me and… well, everyone, really, to do like, taste tests? But she doesn't tell us which is which."

Chara snickered. "Sounds just like our Undyne. Didn't she just have you doing that, too?"

"Oh! Heh. Yeah. Guess so," Frisk said.

"To answer, we do sun, usually." She smiled and patted the bush fondly. "You take the news buds and leaves, right? Leave 'em out for a bit. They seem to grow year round at the castle."

As Frisk rounded the hedge, she saw Chara delicately shearing some leaves from the bush with the curved blade of a pruning knife. She gulped heavily and her head began to ache.

"You, um…" Her throat was dry. "Do a lotta garden stuff?"

"Yeah. I find it relaxing," she said. She smiled to herself. "And… it always reminds me of my d… dad. It's nice to have that connection." She shot Frisk a sympathetic look. "Hey. Is there… anything you'd like to do like that? To make you feel more at home? I mean, besides spaghetti."

"Um." Frisk's first thought was of honey and herb soda bread. Her second was of a large, sweet pie. Then, the thought of being curled up in a certain skeleton's lap, listening to his calm, low voice as he read a wordy story aloud, clobbered her in the head and her eyes welled up. She quickly wiped them on the back of her hand. "M-Maybe we could do some baking?"

Chara smiled. "Sure." She tilted her head. "Something wrong?"

Frisk shook her head quickly, her ears flopping. She squished them against her head with her palms and puffed out a sigh. Chara snickered. The sound sent the fur on the back of Frisk's neck on end. She took a deep breath.

"Th-Think I'm gonna look around a little bit," she said.

"Sure," Chara said, a faint, worried tilt to her brow. "You sure you're okay?"

Frisk turned and hurriedly marched away towards some of the buildings "Yup!" she said.

Frisk waited until she was behind another bush before putting her face in her hands and letting out a long, whining sigh. She felt like such a jerk. Her chest was tight and breaths in hitched in her throat. She rubbed her temples.

"Oookaaay. Okay. It's fine. It's fine. I'm fine," she muttered.

She clenched her hands together. Her fingers were shaking. The glint of a knife flashed in her memories and the echoes of an unsettling laugh stung her ears. She drew in a deep breath to try to steady herself.

She wandered the perimeter of the courtyard, trying to catch her breath and hoping Asriel would join them soon. All the way at the end opposite the portal entrances, there was an arch and a tunnel that lead to a small, stone alcove. A gleaming dog statue within caught her eye. It stood guard between two small, expertly pruned trees with purple and silver leaves that shielded it like umbrellas. Frisk's eyes lit up. She turned and waved to Papyrus and then pointed down the hallway. He replied with a thumbs up.

Though there was roof between the courtyard and the alcove, the latter was just as open to the sky as the former. The light gleaming inside didn't come from the sun— as it set, it would have left the place quite dim if not for a cool, shifting glow that seemed to come from within the statue itself, like moonlight shining off water. The dog was huge, with a curled tail and three eyes marked with white gemstones. Frisk took a photo of it. There was something comforting about having big, cute dogs seemingly watching over everything.

Frisk made the mistake of looking back at the pictures she had. Vera, Zapf, and Avenir, all added to that well of heartache. Even those dogs from the flying dog fortress joined it. This big statue looked a lot like Foredog. She wondered how far she'd made it. She hoped they'd all had nice lives.

A tearful mess once again, Frisk wandered onwards, vision blurry, as she clutched her phone close to her heart. She stumbled into a wide hallway lit gold by the sunset pouring through its windows and curled up in the corner closest to her, sniffling. Her breath hitched in her throat and came out shaking. She rubbed her hands over her face, wishing desperately that she could stop being so upset. She opened up her list of texts to Papyrus and began to type. It was weird, staring at her white and blue fingers as they hovered over the keys.

_hey. im not doin so great_

Her claw stalled over the send button. She deleted the text. If he got it, he'd only worry. She sighed and rested her cheek on her fist and drew in a deep sniff. She opened up her messages to Sans instead. She didn't know what to say. She sent another heart.

She wiped her eyes again and took some deep breaths before she got up to take in her surroundings. Where she'd parked herself was behind a column, but beyond it was a place that stopped her heart. A golden hallway, stretching out to join more of the castle beyond. Its walls were lined with stained glass marked with the Delta Rune and the floors were amber tiles.

Frisk gulped. She felt like she'd been here a million times. Her heart began to thump and her ribs ached. She put her hand to her chest and her memories flashed a strike of red cut through a white t-shirt. Not hers. Her brother's. She gulped heavily and tried to shake it off despite the blood rushing in her ears. Just a coincidence, she told herself. It was a castle; stained glass was normal, right? And it was the position of the sun that was matching the colour. Sunset was perfectly normal. It happened every day. She couldn't let herself be triggered to panic by something like that.

She closed her eyes and breathed in and out, deeply and slowly. She imagined Sans's voice; his words reassuring her.

_It's okay. You're fine. Breathe deep, okay? In and out. Count it. Nothin' wrong with you, alright?_

Frisk tried. Without his soul synching to hers, it was harder than she'd like to admit. Even so, her tears began to dry.

Just when she began to catch hold of herself, a hand on her shoulder startled her and she spun around to Chara looking her in the face. Frisk's eyes went wide and anything the other girl was saying was lost as all Frisk's senses were overpowered with the sight of a red eyed girl slicing a knife through her ribs.

Frisk yelped loudly and topped back onto her tail and fell over, the clunking of her horns against the floor rattling her brain. She sat up, rubbing her head. Chara looked down at her, hands up, eyes wide and concerned.

"Holy shit, are you alright?" she demanded.

"I-I… I'm…" Frisk gulped. "Y-Yeah, I'm okay."

Chara didn't look the least bit convinced. "You don't look okay."

"Um, d-don't worry about me," Frisk said quickly. She pushed herself back onto her feet. "What're you doing here?"

"Well, you did sort of wander off," she said. "It'd been a little while. I was worried."

"Oh. Sorry." Frisk's ears drooped. "I just, um… N-Never mind. I'm okay."

Chara folded her arms and she frowned. "Frisk."

"Yeah?" Frisk asked shrilly.

"Don't lie, okay?" she said. "I know you're not alright at all."

Frisk's ears drooped. She shook her head. "I'm fine! R-Really! It's just…! It's just stuff in my head, it's not a big deal."

"No. Stop. I don't wanna hear it," Chara insisted. "I can tell. You're scared. Of me."

"I'm not!" Frisk said.

"You are. I'm sorry," she said.

"I-I'm not, really!" the kid insisted. "It's just…" She flinched. "It's just memories, it's okay, it's not a big deal."

Chara's expression softened. She sighed and rubbed a hand through her hair. "Okay. Look. Let's get it all out, okay?"

Frisk looked confused. "Get what out?"

"I killed your brother. I killed all of them. I know it's messing you up. I could see it in the garden; I can see it now." She frowned. "Anything you want to say to me, say it. Seriously. I mean it. Yell at me."

"I don't—"

"Scream at me. Call me garbage."

"Chara, I don't—"

"What is it you want, then?" Chara demanded. "Frisk, I…! Whatever you want to say, I deserve it, okay?! You can just say it. I can take it!"

Frisk's ears drooped and she bit her lip. All her thoughts were on Sans. She clenched her hand into her shirt and she gulped. Chara's eyes took on an almost frantic glint.

"There. You figured it out," she said. "Well?"

"I can't j-just lay everything on you, it's n-not fair," Frisk squeaked.

"It's a hundred percent fair," the freckled girl insisted, frowning deeply. "It's my fault. It had nothing to do with you. And you're still stuck with it. Just tell me what you really think."

The blue kid stalled. She grasped her hands together. She didn't want to. She almost said nothing, but Chara's gazed was intense and insistent. Frisk sighed.

"I… I dunno, maybe just… one thing?"

"Anything," Chara urged her. "D'you need to scream at me?"

"I-It's not like that, but…" Her throat caught. Her voice was a lot weaker than she wished it would be. "C-Can I… ask you something?"

"Yes! Of course," she said. "Hell, if anyone deserves answers…"

"It's a… bad question, maybe," she said. She gulped, hard. Her eyes had already started to tear up. "Why…?" She took a deep breath to steady herself. "Why did you torture Sans?"

"Direct, at least." Chara put a hand to the side of her head. "But you know there's no good answer for that."

"It's just, he's… He's… good, you know? I know you weren't all there, but… But how could you have… just left him there. Alone. F-For so long, you just…" She clenched her fists. "I felt… so many times that you and one of those other time kids stabbed him. I…" Tears started to stream down her cheeks. She wiped them quickly. "I just… I… I'm sorry, I just… I can't stop thinking about it."

Chara's gaze was steady, but sympathetic. "I was evil. Bored. Sick of him ruining my plans. Any one of those. All of them at once." After a moment's hesitation, she reached out for Frisk's hands and the kid let her take them. "Of course he didn't deserve it. You either, y'know?" She _tsked_ gently and held Frisk's fluffy cheeks. "Aw, look at you… You really love him, huh?"

Frisk nodded and hiccoughed, tears catching her off guard. She couldn't get a word out without buckling. Chara held her and stroked her hair.

"S-So much. I… I… l-let him take my soul, I f-felt every… Every time he… I j-just want him to be safe. A-And happy. After everything." The kid's stomach flipped. She was suddenly sick with grief and roiling with such contradictory feelings about the girl cradling her that she began to weep, her voice catching in her throat. "Y-You killed mom and P-Papyrus and everyone, and s-s-sometimes when I dream I st-still feel their dust on my h-hands like I d-did it and I c-can't… I c-c-can't…"

Chara flinched. She stroked Frisk between her horns with a soft, careful hand. "I know. You never wanted to hurt anyone, and you're still stuck with… that."

"I j-just l-love them so much and I can't understand… I c-can't understand."

"I know. I know. It's not fair," she said softly. "Nothing's ever fair. I just… I just wanted to save monsters and I turned into _that. _I saddled you with everything. I… became everything I hated, y'know?"

"I-I'm sor—"

"Don't feel sorry for me," she said. "It was my fault. I poisoned my own soul."

Frisk grimaced and clenched her hands into the other kid's shirt. "You r-really… thought that would work?"

"I really did," she said softly. "Hey. You big crybaby." She lifted Frisk's face in her hands. "It's thanks to you I got any of myself back. You broke the cycle, or the time loop, whatever. I owe you everything for that. Me and Asriel and Sans do. And it doesn't make anything better to say it, I know, but I am sorry. For what I did to you, to them; to Sans." She smiled weakly. "I have one, now, too, so I get that being protective thing. Kinda thought you were nuts, how much you liked him on our rounds, but now I can't do without the ol' bonehead. Guess that's not fair either, huh?"

"I-It's… It's good, though." Frisk sniffled. "It's good you g-guys are happy. I-It's not about f-fairness. Nothing's fair. I d-don't think I d-deserve anything because of _fair_."

"Well. Too bad. You do," Chara said. "Hey. We're going to fix this. And get you home. Okay? Back to your family." She leaned forward and kissed Frisk on the tip of her snout.

The kid squeaked with surprise and put her hand to her nose. Chara laughed loudly.

"Hah! Sorry. Used to always do that to Azzy when he wasn't paying attention," she said. "He'd make a noise like that, too."

"Th-That's okay!" Frisk huffed and she wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Don't. Nothing to be sorry for," she said. "You deserve my answer, even though it's garbage and not really good for anything." She sighed. "I didn't want you to get so messed up. This is my fault."

Frisk shook her head. "I… g-guess I was just feeling… a little blue."

The girl stared at her. Frisk grinned sideways sheepishly. Chara snorted and barked out a loud laugh. She mussed up Frisk's fur and flopped her ears up and down.

"You nerds deserve each other," she teased.

"I… I hope so," she said.

"You do. After all this… Yeah. I think so." Her face fell. "You… really have killing him _and_ dying as him at the same time?"

"Y… Yeah," she said.

"Yeesh, how do you even get through the day?!"

Frisk laughed tiredly. "I just… do, I guess. It's… easier when I'm with them. It's, um… It's hard. To not know if he's even okay."

Chara nodded with a downcast look on her face. "There has to be something we can do."

Frisk shrugged tiredly. She wiped her eyes again on her sleeve.

Chara sighed. "Really hopin' that oneiromancer thing comes through right about now." She rubbed her head. "Hey. I'm… gonna stick with you through this. But you don't have to like me. You can hate me. Don't feel bad about hating me."

"I don't hate you!" Frisk huffed out a laugh. "Th-That's what's confusing. I don't hate you at all."

"That is confusing," the girl agreed, grinning faintly.

"I mean… I guess I don't like past you that much," Frisk said.

"Same." Chara nodded.

Frisk scoffed. She grabbed Chara's hand. "But you, right now? I… I like you. And I-I've… never had much chance to like humans before."

"What?" Chara blinked. "You're… saying _I'm_ your gateway into humans?! But you're _my_ gateway into humans! Yeesh, I don't think you couldda picked someone worse, I still hate 'em!"

The kids both broke into laughter. Chara flopped Frisk's ears again and smiled.

"You do look good as a weird goat, though," she said.

"Thanks." She sniffled and rubbed her nose. "I-I'm sorry I was so stand-offish before, I—"

"No. Shut up. Don't apologize," Chara said. "It was a hundred percent reasonable. It's… only been a couple hours. I shouldn't have pushed. Even… Even if after this, you don't wanna like, hang out, or—"

"I do wanna hang out, though," Frisk said, eyes wide.

"Eh?" Chara blinked. "Y…? You do?"

Frisk nodded. "I mean, if… I-If you do." She tented her fingers and smiled bashfully. "Maybe, if you feel like it, w-we could even do sword training again? W-With Asriel this time, maybe?"

"Yeah?!" The freckled girl's eyes lit right up and she couldn't help a grin. "That'd be nice."

Frisk's eyes brightened, her heart lifting. She held out her arms, but Chara put her hands up.

"Wait," she said. "Before that. I think you owe me something."

Frisk tilted her head. The other girl stepped back and pointed at her cheek.

"Hit me."

"What? C'mon, that's nuts," Frisk said. "I'm not hittin' you."

"If we're gonna be friends, you have to," she said. "It won't make us even, but it's only fair." She scrunched her eyes closed tight. "Just one good punch! Do it for Sans."

The blue kid titled her head. She couldn't help an amused smile from crossing her lips. "For Sans, huh?"

"Yeah." Chara nodded resolutely. "It's not even close to justice but I want you to take it."

Frisk tried not to laugh. Chara was pretty stubborn, wasn't she? She guessed determination was sort of her thing, too. She sighed. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

"No."

"I could just sneak out."

"Don't you dare!"

Frisk tilted her head the other way, her ears flopping. She took a step towards the other kid and stared at her thoughtfully for a few seconds. Then, very quickly and gently, she tapped both Chara's cheeks with her fingers three times. "Okay. Done. You feel all beat up yet?"

"Wh…?" Chara opened her eyes; there was a faint sheen of red in them. "What d'you mean, that wasn't anything."

"Nuh-uh, that was six whole smacks," Frisk said.

"Frisk." Chara pouted. "Come on. That was lame."

The kid grinned and shrugged, shooting her a wink. "Welp. Guess I'm just actually super weak. So. We good?"

Chara stared back at her incredulously. Frisk merely smiled in return, unwavering. Chara sighed, but she chuckled and rubbed her fingers through her hair.

"Okay. Okay, if you're good, we're good."

Frisk beamed. She crushed Chara into a hug with strong arms and the girl wheezed and laughed. She clung to Frisk's shoulders and patted her back gently.

"I don't think I'll ever understand you," she said softly.

"That's okay," Frisk said. When she pulled back, her face was flushed and she wore a sheepish smile. "Th-Thanks for talking to me about, y'know, the bad stuff. Believe it or not, it really helps."

Chara blinked. "Yeah?"

Frisk nodded.

She wasn't sure what words to use to explain what was going on in her head. Her body felt drained; like the aftermath of an endorphin hit rather than stressed and grief-stricken. The memories were still there, lifelike and terrifying. The pain of Sans's wounds still ached in her bones. But, there was more going on here now. Chara didn't scare her at all. She wondered what Sans would think. Maybe it would be hard, but her brother wasn't much for holding grudges, was he?

"It's… not something that I can forget," Frisk said. "But… knowing you now, it… makes it easier in here." She gently tapped on her temple. "Like, I'm kinda a mess most of the time, but it's kinda crazy how much not being totally scared of you helps."

"Really?" Chara's honey-coloured eyes shimmered brightly.

Frisk nodded. She grinned bashfully. "B-But I might have to cover my eyes if you're chopping something."

"You…? Oooh." Chara smacked herself in the forehead. "The pruning knife! How could I be so stupid? I should have hidden it."

"I-It's okay!" Frisk said quickly.

"But… swords are okay?" she asked, tilting her head.

"It's more the shape. And the size," Frisk said. "The closer it matches to… you know. That. That's where my brain starts doing stupid stuff."

"Damn." Chara patted the kid's shoulder gently. "Sorry to make cooking so hard for you."

Frisk snickered. "I get an excuse for someone else to cook with me, I guess."

"Sister?! Frrrriissskk?" Papyrus voice bounced down the hallway, drawing the attention of the two kids.

Chara nodded back towards him. Frisk hurriedly used her sleeves to dry her eyes. Together, they headed back to the room with the dog statue, and Papyrus met them with a relieved, crushing hug.

"Is everything okay?!" he demanded.

"Yeah, s'good," Frisk said.

"But you were clearly crying again!" he yelped.

"Better get used to it, I cry all the time," she said, sticking her tongue out playfully.

Papyrus huffed, but Chara chuckled.

"It's… okay. We worked out some stuff,' she said. "I… I think we'll be okay."

Frisk nodded.

"Oh good!" Papyrus's eyes glimmered. "Speaking of being okay! Sans and your Asriel are back!"

Frisk perked right up and Chara cut her eyes at her, giving her a sly grin. She thumped her on the shoulder.

"Go get 'im, then," she said.

Chara didn't have to tell her twice.

Asriel was waiting in the garden with a puzzled look on his face, but he grinned when he caught sight of Frisk. She ran to him and he bent down to pull her into his arms. He snickered.

"Your tail is going like crazy," he teased.

"Huh?!" Frisk twisted to look at it and scoffed at the sight of it. "W-Well, I'm glad you're back!" She leaned around him and waved at Sans, who was chilling on the bench Papyrus had been sitting on. "You okay?"

"Sure," Sans said. "Mist found ya, right?"

Frisk held up her hand to show the ring. Sans grinned and stuck his thumbs up.

When Frisk pulled back, Asriel squished her ears and let out a sigh.

"You look kinda rough, sis," he said.

"Breakdown as usual," she said, rolling her eyes at herself. "I'm okay. Me and Chara had a good talk."

"Oh yeah?" His ears perked up. "I… I'm really glad about that. Seriously. I…" His brow furrowed as he considered his words. "That you two… can get along at all, I'm… kinda blown away. I'm really happy."

"Hey, Azzy!" Chara called from near the archway, putting a hand in the air and waving.

He waved back.

"What happened to your hand?!"

"Oh, uh." He looked at his palm and snorted. "Berries."

"Oh." She jogged closer, gave him a quick, affectionate squish, and then ran to Sans and grasped him so tight she nearly yanked him off his feet. "You're a jerk!"

"Nice to see you, too, pigeon," he said with a laugh. "Miss anything?"

Chara nodded. She turned away and beckoned towards the portal. "C'mon, let's get outta here. I know a place."

\- - -

Chara's place was out on a hill in the middle of nowhere, a half-hour walk in the dark from the nearest portal hub and through a forest of willowy trees. It was quiet except for the birds and the wind, and they all took the time to get everyone caught up with what happened while they were apart. Sans received a solid bonk on the head from his brother for his part in it, but he didn't seem to mind at all.

The crescent moon was bright tonight, more than enough to see by once they'd cleared the tree line. The view from the hill was forest for miles, with the small, flickering glow of lights from a walled town so far that not a single building was clearly discernible. Beyond that was the gargantuan wall that surrounded the whole kingdom. It was far enough to not impede the view of the starry sky, but the towers and huge trees and roots wrapping its surface could still be seen.

With Asriel's help, they lit a fire and had a hodgepodge dinner of pasta and dumplings out under the stars. Frisk finally took the time to explain exactly what had happened in the time she had been gone. She got emotional, of course, but the intense fascination from the others surprised her and kept her going until the end of it. Sans and Papyrus were especially intrigued by what she could them them of Avenir. That was the name of their grandmother as well, though they had never met her. Frisk could even show them photos of her.

As the night grew long, Papyrus summoned a small, bowed lute and sat it on his knee, playing a low, relaxing song that seemed to stem from his own hum. The tune carried clearly on the night air, and Sans was almost instantly asleep, his arms folded behind his head as he laid out near the fire.

Chara clunked a log into the flames and then sat down with Asriel and Frisk, who were huddled together, staring up at the stars. Frisk held her ocarina in her hands, her fingers moving over the holes in notes equivalent to the ones Papyrus played.

"So you got that out there?" Chara asked quietly.

Frisk nodded. "Yeah. From my grandma."

"That must've been cool," she said.

"Yeah. I… I wish I couldda… I mean. I wish she'd got to meet real skeletons, though," Frisk said quietly. "I still can't imagine how weird it was for her. Heck, it was weird for me to know that… Like. Dang."

Chara chuckled. "I'm sure she was happy." She shifted over and leaned back against Asriel's shoulder, looking up at the pinpricks of light dotting the blackness spread out above them. "You notice how different they are?"

"Right away," Frisk said. "It's so weird, 'cause I always—"

"Used them as a compass?" Chara asked.

"Yeah! Exactly," Frisk said. "…You, too?"

Chara nodded. "I'm used to it now, though." She pointed at a small cluster of five stars. "That guides you to north. If you can remember that, you're good."

Asriel looked between them. His tail wagged and he couldn't help a grin. He scooped Frisk into his lap and then flopped his arm around Chara's shoulders. She snorted and settled in.

"For getting stuck," he said quietly. "This is… actually kinda good."

Frisk cracked a smile. "Definitely not bad."

"Hey." Chara reached over to Frisk and gently tapped her little, fang-shaped flute. "Why don't you try playing?"

"Oh! I dunno, I don't wanna use a charge if I don't—"

"No, you dope, just normally," the girl teased.

Frisk raised her ocarina and gently blew into it, the note harmonizing well with that of the skeleton's lyra. Papyrus's eyes glowed bright and he beamed, slowing down his song but never missing a beat. He beckoned towards himself with a gesture of his head. The kid got up from Asriel's legs and moved over to sit with the skeleton. She watched the way he tapped his feet and drummed her own paw along with him.

"Go on," he said with a confident smile. "I can make it sound nice, whatever you do."

The kid snickered. Cautiously, she played, the tone as clear as she could get it, matching the notes in his simplified melody or playing an accidental harmony. It meshed with the whistle of the wind and the crackling of the fire. Papyrus was absolutely aglow. He summoned a flat slab of bone under his boot for percussion and, keeping the same tempo, added a little complexity in the strings he played as Frisk's notes stayed the same.

Asriel watched with a big grin spreading on his face. He pulled out his phone to film the two, and Chara leaned around to watch the screen curiously. After a few moments, she carefully held his free hand. He snorted, pulled it away, and crushed her into a one-armed, vice-like hug. She wheezed and stifled a laugh under her hand, nudging him the hard in the ribs with her elbow. He snickered and released her, and she settled back against his shoulder. Asriel's soul was warmed to the core. It was strange to him, to have her shorter than him now, but when he jokingly rested his elbow on her and she swatted him away, he figured it might be worth it.

"…Maybe… this might actually go okay," Chara said quietly.

"I think so," Asriel said. "Shh."

"_Shh_ yourself." She folded her arms and smiled to herself, a tiny, warm flicker of red lighting her eyes like the fire nearby. Tears welled up, but she let them dribble down her cheeks.

Asriel's ears drooped. "…C-Chara—"

"Shh," she said again. She gulped and her voice dropped down to a whisper. "The music's nice."

"But you're—"

"Shuuush."

The boy stared at her blankly as tears moistened her face. She didn't even move to wipe them. He sighed and put the phone down gently in the grass. As it continued to film the stars above, he pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on her head.

"…Yeah," he said softly. "Yeah, it's nice."


	54. big dumb pile of hypocrites

Consumed by limitless dark, Gaster fell, and fell, and fell. Down, through a universe of deep silence. Aching cold. Bones numb, eyes useless. Frozen, coiling tendrils of obsidian flowed around sharp, white ribs. The vertigo was unbearable.

Then, it all came to a stop. Faint white noise crackled in his skull. The creaking of wood. The distant, rhythmic drip of water. The soft snorts of someone large lost to slumber. A melody drifted in his mind. A deep pulsing and a soft, howling refrain. He could see its notes despite its blackness in the deep of his skull.

For the first time in what felt like eons, disorienting, foggy images formed hidden in shadows. The skeleton couldn't open his eyes, but magic coalescing in his hands showed him more than nothing. It took him longer than he'd like to admit, staring through his hand at abstract shapes and darkness, before he realized what he was seeing was the edge of a quilt and the nebulous space underneath a bed.

It was still a while longer before he could move. He stiffly dragged his arm up to rest it across his chest. His bones rattled and he slowly raised his hands to rub his face, kneading above his eye sockets with insistent fingertip. He grumbled quietly as he managed to sit up, his spine and joints stiff.

Forcing his eyes open was a chore. His eyelids of bone ached like they'd been cracked. He still couldn't see much, but he tried to get his bearings regardless. He carefully felt over the blankets around him. Soft. Quilted. The top layer was thin, but warm. The one below it was more akin to a duvet.

He stayed there a while longer, warming his bones, before he sluggishly swung a leg out of bed. He had to brace to gather the energy to stand, but once he did, the ground beneath his bare boney feet felt solid enough. He sighed with relief and, rubbing his eye, lethargically wandered towards the door.

The house beyond this room was dark, too. Must've been night and not just his eyes. It didn't matter much, he had the layout memorized.

He traipsed down the hallway and through the house, softly humming the strange song that was stuck in his head. Droplets from the faucet in the kitchen plunked slowly into the sink at even intervals. He reached for a tall glass and then filled it, turning off the drip-dripping properly this time as he chugged the cool water.

The scraping of wood on tile gave him a mild start and he turned to see the form of a chair approaching him from the hallway. It stopped abruptly and squeaked like a little girl. Gaster tilted his head. In fact, he could see a small someone right behind it.

"_Cò tha ann?_" he asked groggily. He rubbed his head and frowned at himself. "Ah. Who's there? Behind the chair?"

Another squeak. "S-Sorry!" A hushed girl's voice.

Gaster smiled to himself. He snapped his fingers to call a light but nothing happened. His bones felt odd, but only on his right. He frowned at himself for a moment before calling a magic orb up with his left, instead. That worked just fine, casting a faint blue glow around the surfaces of the kitchen.

"Counter's too high, is it?"

"Yeah, um… I-I just wanted some water." A small, pale face peeked out from behind the chair. Human girl. Stripes painted on her cheeks. Ellie.

Gaster reached to grab her a glass from the cabinet, only for his eyes to settle upon his right arm. He froze stiffly in his tracks. His bones were deep, dark grey from the tips of his fingers all the way up to his elbow, where a pattern at the border between colours seemed to indicate something akin to the splashing of paint. His soul roiled uncomfortably, but he kicked himself from his stupor and grabbed the glass, despite his dark finger bones rattling sharply against it. He filled it for the kid and passed it down to her.

"Thanks, mister skeleton," the kid said with a sheepish smile. She drank deeply. "How come even the water is nicer here?"

"I couldn't say," he said apologetically.

"Ah, it's a secret!"

Gaster chuckled. "It means _I don't know_."

"Ooooh." Ellie sipped, slurping loudly, much to her own amusement. She looked up at him with big, shiny eyes. "Do all dads snore?"

Gaster blinked. "Uh. I—"

"Daddy snores. And the big King, he's a dad, right? And he snores even louder," she said. "But June doesn't snore. Do you snore?"

"I—"

"Are you a dad?"

"I am. You've met my sons, in fact."

"Then I bet you snore!" she asserted with a grin.

Gaster chuckled. It was a small sample size, but an amusing hypothesis nonetheless. He paused, a bashful look passing over his face.

"Ah. I apologize for asking, little one, but you wouldn't happen to know how long I was in bed, would you?"

"Ummm…" She frowned thoughtfully as she finished her water. "I thiiiink… you got to sleep all day? The King said you were feeling kind of sick," she said.

Gaster nodded.

"Are you feeling better now?" she asked.

"I am, thank you." He tilted his head. "Are you? It sounded like you had quite the adventure before you arrived."

"Well! Yeah. I… I guess I kinda wish I could tell grandma I'm okay and stuff but she'd be really mad I'm with daddy again." Her eyes sparkled. "But! It's really nice, though! She said he turned into a mean man but really he didn't! And it's fun and nice to be back together, I really like it. And we got to see so many cool things, nobody'd ever believe it!" She grinned. "I thought it was a dream for a bit. But now I get to play here and see the giant city and eat snacks and have brown hair again soon!"

"That does sound rather exciting." He held out his hand and she gave him her empty glass. He put it in the sink. "Would you like anything else here?"

Ellie shook her head.

"It's still late, isn't it? Should I walk you back to your room?"

"Wellllll…" She hesitated, but then smiled bashfully and nodded. "Y-Yeah, I keep bumping into the walls."

Gaster grasped his ball of light in his hand. It shone through the hole like a lantern before he passed it off to the little girl. She gasped sharply and cautiously cupped her hands underneath it.

"Coooool," she said under her breath.

With a little light on their way back through the house, Gaster caught Asgore dozed off in his chair near the fireplace. The skeleton followed Ellie to the bedroom the humans occupied and flickered the light out as he opened the door for her. She waved brightly before hopping back inside and tackling her dad an instant before Gaster closed the door.

A creak in the floorboards caught Gaster's attention and he sensed a movement, but in turning around, was caught up in a tight hug from strong, furry arms.

"H-Hello to you, too," he choked.

"Thank goodness you're awake," Asgore said. He was beaming, big fangs gleaming; his mane of golden bed-head making him look like a shaggy lion. "I thought I heard you. Come. Come, come."

Asgore carefully released the skeleton and pulled him back into the dining room. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair to brush it out of his eyes. He flicked the lights on, though he kept his voice low. "How are you?"

Gaster squinted in the light. He rubbed at his eye socket with the heel of his hand. "I… am not sure."

"I'm glad to see you." Asgore gently took the skeleton's blackened hand. "I'm sorry we could not stop whatever this was, old friend. Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't. Though… I can't seem to cast properly with it," he said.

Asgore's eyes bugged out. "Wh-What? But that's…! How is that possible?"

Gaster shook his head. "Never mind, I will figure it out later. The rest of me is fine." He cracked a tired smile. "I'm sorry for stealing your bed."

The huge monster chuckled and shook his head. "Don't worry. Oh! And I'm sure you'll be pleased to know, we copied all your notes out onto paper for you."

"You…" Gaster looked at his dark arm again. "Oh! That's… a great idea, actually, thank you."

"It was Tori's. The second she saw this darkness spreading," he said. "Papyrus should have them."

Gaster's eyes glimmered. A small, relieved sigh escaped him. "So… everyone's doing alright? Was Undyne okay?"

Asgore nodded. "Thankfully." His ears drooped. "I… think there may be much more going on than I'm being told, but I feel as if the boys don't want to worry me. Or, even worse, they don't want to bother me. Or. Perhaps it's still that Tori can't stand the sight of me more often than not. Which, to be fair, I understand."

"Asgore," Gaster chided.

"Oh! But! There was some good news," he said. "We're sure we know our son's name."

Faint blue and gold light flickered in Gaster's eyes. "_Cnámha m'anam._ That's…" He froze, a chill sinking deep into his bones. He'd seen them. It'd been a dream, but they'd been right there before him. He'd asked their names and they'd given answers, but he couldn't recall a single syllable of it. "That's good news. What is it?"

Asgore smiled proudly. "Asriel. We're sure."

The name instantly conjured warm nostalgia deep within Gaster's soul. He could see the boy's face in greyscale; the much brighter version from his dream. His voice was strange, but something about the way the name resonated in his memories felt very correct. He smiled.

"Dead on." Though he was sure he knew the answer, he couldn't help but ask, "Any luck with my daughter?"

"…I'm sorry, old friend," Asgore said, face falling.

"Don't be."

"It must be so difficult," the King said quietly. "Returning after all this time to meet her, only to have this happen."

Gaster winced. "…It's entirely my fault."

Asgore clapped a hand onto his shoulder. "Don't say things like that."

"It's…" A heavy sigh slipped past his teeth. "It's completely accurate. My return caused Sans's illness." He drummed his fingertips against each other. "If I'd stayed gone, nobody would be the wiser. And none of this would be happening."

Asgore's mouth fell open, but he said nothing. Instead, he wrapped Gaster in his arms and held him close, cradling the back of his skull. He nosed his friend's skull with his big, soft snout. "I know what you're thinking. But… please. Don't."

Gaster's soul ached. It was loud enough that he was sure Asgore heard it. His shoulders slumped. What place did he have in this world aside from repairing messes that wouldn't exist without him? His time had long since come and gone. "I… I just hope everyone will be alright," he said quietly.

"They will be. I'm sure of it," Asgore assured him. He drew back, holding the skeleton by his shoulders, his hands strong and warm. "Come on, Gaster. I think you've been away from home for far too long." He smiled. "And I will come with you. I think we could both use a nice, long stroll, what do you think? Some time to chat?"

"I think you're right," Gaster said.

Gaster gathered up what little of his things were still in the house and Asgore grabbed a tin of his homemade tea and placed his crown upon his head before they headed out. They took the long way, down through New Home and the main drag of Hotland. Asgore had many stories about the humans who had come to stay, and though they were mostly mundane, Gaster was glad to hear them anyway. The way his daughter interacted with monsters was always going to be atypical, so learning about the way normal humans who had lived regular human lives up to this point coped with the sudden culture shock was both fascinating and a good distraction for the skeleton's troubled mind.

Once the pair reached Waterfall, all hints of exhaustion had vanished from the skeleton. His dark arm felt strange, even as he rolled his fingers over each other. It set vertigo roiling in his soul whenever he looked at it, though. He kept his hand in the pocket of his sweater as much as he could.

Deep in the caverns, as they neared Gerson's store, Gaster was given pause by a cave's deliberately carved opening close by. A faint purple light flickered from crack beneath its door. He didn't recall seeing a home here in a hundred years or so. He wondered, but only for an instant— when a memory of a certain, benign interloper with a purple soul shot through his head. He couldn't be certain, but when Asgore took note as well, the skeleton did his best to hurry his friend on his way instead of curiously inspecting a door that may have just flashed back into existence.

Night was calm in Snowdin town, wind whistling, snow drifting peacefully over the streets, the pillowy banks fluffing up as they gathered soft flakes. Seeing the house, the first on the street, its skull-and-crossbones flag flapping, Gaster felt much lighter than he had in ages. It was very late, so he was prepared to wait to reconnect with his sons until morning but, upon entering the house, he was shocked to see the living room full up with familiar monsters packing the couch and floor, lit only by the sharp glow of a grey TV screen.

Though Toriel was conked out with a small, purple crocodaur in her lap and Alphys sat curled up under a blanket against the arm of the strangely red couch, Papyrus was there and wide awake, as was a rather groggy-looking Undyne. The fish monster sat on the floor with Sans, a healing hand on his head, where he was bundled up in a quilt cocoon.

"Oh my, looks like we've crashed a party," Asgore joked, keeping his voice low and quiet as they stepped inside. "Howdy, everyone."

"Dad! King Uncle!" Papyrus was instantly beaming. He bolted over and crushed Gaster into a hug, knocking the wind from him. "Oh, what a relief! Welcome home!"

Gaster didn't know what to say, but the warmth of his son's soul made him buckle. He held him as tight as he could.

Asgore smiled fondly. He turned his attention on Undyne. "My girl, how are you doing?"

"Eh. Not bad." She carefully got up and stretched. "Things've been nuts, though."

"I was worried about you," he said, clapping her on the shoulder. His expression softened with concern and he gently cupped her head, rubbing her hair. "How's your head?"

"Been worse," she said. She pointed at the TV. "Paps was in a movie, apparently."

"Oh! Was he now? That's very exciting."

"It was quite good, if I do say so myself! Which I do." Papyrus said, trying his best to keep his voice soft despite his enthusiasm. "Sans was trying to memorize it." He pointed to his dozing brother. "Though. That plan has mostly fallen through. It was just in case sending it to the mysterious time phone of Crabapple Kid doesn't work. He was sure she'd love it! I mean, who wouldn't, really?"

"…Crabapple Kid?" Gaster repeated.

"Oh! Yes. Crabapple Kid, that's my sister, until any of us can remember her name," Papyrus said brightly. "I had a vision from one of those star looking things that showed me her with— Actually, that doesn't matter all that much." He grabbed his father's hands. "What matters is that you are here and awake and why is your hand still that colour?"

"Ah." Gaster flinched. "I'm… not sure."

"Y'alright?" Sans stirred, looking up at his father with heavily lidded eyes.

"I am. You?"

Sans shrugged.

"We, uh, had a pretty screwed up day, overall," Undyne said. She pointed to Suzy. "Kid's house vanished, Toriel ended up back in the Ruins with weird memories, me and Alph basically forgot everything about her, Papyrus was in this movie he can't remember, and Sans—"

"Looked like someone thought it'd be real funny to shoot void hoses out my eyes," Sans interjected with an amused smile. "I teleported. Probably shouldn't have. Oops."

"Sans…!" Gaster stifled himself and knelt down to grasp Sans up by the shoulders, but the short skeleton instead snatched his father's hand and rolled up the sleeve on the dark arm before any protest could be made.

Papyrus gasped and clapped his hands over his mouth and Undyne's eye widened as she whispered an incredulous swear under her breath. Gaster winced.

"We got a lot to go over, huh?" Sans asked.

"…We do," Gaster agreed.

"Not right now you don't." Toriel looked at them, a faint smile on her face as her violet eyes gleaming in the artificial light. She looked at Gaster and smiled fondly. "Welcome home, hun." Her gaze shifted to Asgore and her tone took on a faint chill. "Asgore." She got to her feet slowly, cradling Suzy close, and then gently scooped Alphys up as well. "Let me tuck these two in first. Then we can begin."

Undyne's brow furrowed. "But Alphys—"

"Her work has been intense. We can get her caught up later, alright?"

Though the blue monster didn't look certain, she remained stiff and bowed her head in deference. Toriel smiled gently.

"Don't worry, my child, I'm more than willing to give my time to it. Papyrus, do you mind?"

"Ah! Not at all." He bounded upstairs with her to open the door to his bedroom, and then vanished inside behind her.

When the two monsters returned, those who were awake gathered in the living room to recount everything that had happened while Gaster was unconscious, from the shifting of New Home to Toriel's hundred-something year regression and the reversal thereof. Especially distressing was Suzy's displacement, but what she'd done outside the Ruins was of intense interest to Gaster. He speculated that what had happened to his arm was related to the dark in his soul, and hoped that the same thing wouldn't happen to the child.

While they conferred, Sans was mostly distracted by his father's unusual bones. He prodded the arm with his fingertips, ran his magic through it; shoved the SOULSCN app against it. It didn't seem to produce much of a reading at all.

Asgore's knowledge of the strange happenings had been limited by circumstance, but now he sat with his arms folded tight, a steady, thoughtful frown on his brow as he took it all in without a single question uttered to interrupt. When the stories had finished, the King looked to Toriel as if for permission. She held out her hand. He stroked his beard and cleared his throat.

"My friends. This… This is all so much. The work you've all been doing is amazing. I'm sorry I haven't been much of a direct help with this, but know that you have my full support, in whatever form you wish for it to take," he said. "Tori, after all that, you're sure you're alright?"

"If I wasn't, I may have tried to throw you out already," she said with a sly smile on her face.

"Mooooommm," Papyrus whined, much to her amusement.

Asgore rubbed his mane. "And, you, Undyne? You… still don't recall meeting Toriel before?"

"Uh." Undyne's ears drooped and she smiled with awkward embarrassment. "N-Nah, not yet! But, uh, we seem to get along okay, so I think it'll be fine until this is all fixed. I still got my eye on what I need to." She shot Sans a knowing look. "Even if it's the wrong one."

Sans shot finger guns her way and she scoffed quietly. Papyrus grabbed her arm, clinging to it as if somehow to protect her.

"Sans even tried to blue-magic-zap her head a few hours ago," Papyrus said. "Which is a type of strange memory-jogging magic, by the way, for anyone who didn't know. But it didn't seem to do anything. So either he is getting even weaker or this whatever-is-happening is getting stronger."

"Or it's both. Or it reacts with her different than with Tori." Sans's brow tilted apologetically. "No clue."

"Is there no rhyme or reason to what's changing?" Asgore asked. "…Is it affecting the human world as well? Or…" He gulped. "Even farther?"

"Eh… Sans spaced a little up top, but not much else," Undyne said.

"Fainted a few times," Sans agreed. "But I'm not sure I saw—"

"Oh!" Papyrus stuck his hand up high. "I saw something, I think! A human's red dress turned blue. In the first town we stopped in."

"Damn! So it's… already out there? Is it spreading? Or is it everywhere?" Undyne asked. She rubbed her head and growled. "Shit, I don't understand any of this!"

Gaster frowned to himself. He tapped his teeth. "It could be it radiates from the CORE, or a similar focal point. I'd have to look into it."

"Does it matter?" Sans asked. "Maybe, uh, just focus on the kids. Get them and this whole mess gets cleaned up."

"True," Gaster conceded.

"But in the meanwhile, citizens will still need help. Especially if they are shifting between being sunstarved and not," Asgore said. "I will do my best to keeping finding those in need, but I also have our guests to watch over."

"What if we just give them all walkie-talkies," Papyrus suggested. "The humans, I mean."

"Some sorta emergency needing-the-sun phone booth wouldn't be too bad either," Undyne said. "Maybe Alphys could—"

Sans flinched. "Uh. Sorry to bust in, but this… All this stuff, it's gonna be reversed. Keep that in mind, huh? And, uh, at the risk of soundin' super selfish. We need Alph on our stuff."

"That's alright," Asgore assured him. "Undyne, if you're comfortable with it, I'll take some of your soldiers and form a patrol or two. To see if we can keep a lookout for anyone in danger."

"Yeah, 'course, go ahead," Undyne said.

"And perhaps watch out for monsters with memory issues as well," Toriel suggested. "If what happened to me happens to anyone else, they will certainly be left incredibly confused, as will their families."

"Excellent idea," Asgore said with a nod. He sighed. "I… I still have such trouble understanding this, to be honest. That such a small child can ground so much. This… cannot be our world's natural state, can it?"

Sans's eyes darkened. Papyrus shot him a worried look, but the short skeleton smiled sideways.

"Wasn't always like this, nah," Sans said.

"Maybe it wasn't the smartest to trust all this to a tiny kid," Undyne grumbled.

"We don't have a choice," the skeleton said. "And it ain't her fault."

Gaster frowned deeply. He clenched his hands together tightly, black and white fingers interlocking. That song murmuring in the back of his mind was louder now, pressing into against temples from the inside. His eyes dropped to the floor and his soul spluttered sharply. "This is my fault. I… will do all I can, to make it right."

"Oh, Gaster." Toriel reached out, her large hands engulfing his. "Everything you've ever done has been in the service of helping our people, we know that."

"Things go wrong. Horribly wrong. I understand," Asgore said quietly, putting a comforting paw on Gaster's shoulder. "But all we can do is keep working towards a solution. You've always been good at that."

"Then…" He stood up from his seat. "I should get back to the lab."

Before he could take a step, his soul lit up in blue and he was given a gentle toss back into his seat. All eyes were instantly on Sans.

"Nah. Sit." Sans pointed at the TV. "It's late. Watch Paps's movie."

Gaster shook his head. "Sans, honestly, I need to—"

"You need to relax. I can hear your soul scratchin' from here."

"Wait, was _that_ what that was?" Undyne asked, wincing. "Jeez, Doc, that's really rough."

"It is pretty bad, in fact," Papyrus said quietly.

"Forget about my bloody stupid soul. The longer we wait, the worse this gets for everyone," Gaster insisted.

"And nobody wants this crap done more than I do. But you're the one who's gotta do this next bit. With the NOCTURNE, right?" Sans said. "And the last thing we need is you rushin' in headlong while you're barely awake and gettin' taken out for who the hell knows how long again."

The old skeleton frowned, the blue falling from his soul as he leaned towards his son. "We don't have the time time to waste."

"Don't have it to risk, either. Chill for an hour or two."

Gaster grabbed Sans's arm tight and lowered his voice. "Sans. We. Do. Not. Have. Time."

Sans's eyes darkened and his grin widened slightly. He stared back at him, steadfast. "You do."

The magic prickled, frosty between the two, and Gaster gritted his teeth, his irises flaring. Sans raised his brows. Papyrus looked between them wide-eyed, but before he could interject, Toriel got up. She cupped Sans's head and bumped her snout against his brow and then turned to Gaster. She grabbed his shoulders and smiled sympathetically.

"It's so difficult, isn't it?" she said. "I understand your urgency. Honestly." A deep melancholy shimmered in her eyes. "But, let's pause. Let me spend an hour healing you, at least."

"Oh! Yes, Gaster. We can't forget about this strange thing with your arm, can we?" Asgore said quickly. "It'd be best to at least give Tori a chance to stabilize you a tiny bit before you get going again, don't you think? I'll make you some tea in the meanwhile. I brought an awful lot of it, after all."

"I can help, too," Papyrus said quickly. He lit his hands up and grabbed his fathers; the warm, golden magic coalesced in the holes in Gaster's palms. "Caring for yourself is a very important part of caring for other people, you know! And of doing good science work, too, I bet! And…" He grinned sheepishly. "I really am very happy to see you here, even if it's just for a little bit."

Gaster looked around him at the concerned faces, then at Papyrus, and he couldn't keep his shoulders steady. He wilted and pulled his son into a hug. Papyrus cackled and squeezed him tight, and with a glow of his soul, the mood in the room instantly lightened.

"…A-Alright." Gaster took a deep breath. "Alright." His eyes brightened. "Paps, I'm sorry, you're right. And I would love to see your film."

"Nyeh heh heh! Excellent! I think you're really going to enjoy it!" He whirled on Asgore. "Would you like to see it, too? I mean, who knows when time's going to go all wibbly-wobbly and it won't exist anymore."

"I…" Asgore looked at Toriel, and she nodded. "…Would love to stay!" He got to his feet and lightly clapped his hands together. "Alright. Let me make us some tea. And we can get started."

\- - -

_BLACKLETTER, _the film Papyrus starred in, was about the adventures the eponymous hero, a rogue with masterful archery skills and a penchant for clever sabotage and thievery, but always for a good cause. It was set in the time before the barrier in a mysterious land ruled by humans, despite not having a single human actor in the movie. However, for an MTT production, the sets weren't as bad as usual and the script was a hair above average. Nonetheless, Papyrus played the part of the daring and very slightly edgy hero quite well. The actual quality of it didn't matter much, though— it was now Sans's favourite film.

Most of the monsters had already seen it at least twice by now, if not three times (if they hadn't fallen asleep), and it was almost three in the morning. Gaster sat sandwiched on the couch between the two massive royal monsters, transfixed by the flashy action scenes and tense stealth segments. He couldn't help it; he was swelling with pride. As promised, Toriel healed him for the entire duration of the film. It felt like it was helping, but Gaster, still couldn't get that strange melody out of his head.

By the time the credits rolled —which quickly became redundant since Mettaton had listed himself under transparently fake company names for many behind-the-scenes jobs— Asgore had just barely dozed off on the couch. Papyrus carted the heap that was Sans away to the kitchen for more tea, and Undyne followed. Toriel brushed her hands over her eyes and shuffled up onto the arm of the couch, stretching.

"How are you feeling?" Toriel asked Gaster quietly.

"Better. Thank you," he said.

"You were smiling a lot," she said.

He chuckled. "I'm happy I stayed. It… It was important to him." His face fell. "It's… difficult, but… I can't wait until this is all over and our family is whole again. I… I'm really looking forward to getting to know them properly. And Papyrus, as well."

"He was quite young when the accident happened, isn't that right?" Toriel asked.

Gaster nodded. "Eight."

"Only eight." She sighed softly and shook her head. She winced as she tried to suppress a yawn, her snout wrinkling up like a shar-pei's .

Gaster chuckled. "Thank you for your help. Why don't you get some rest?"

"I think I might." She stifled another yawn behind her hands and then slid to her feet. She bent down to gently bump the end of her snout against Gaster's forehead. "Good night, my friend."

Toriel excused herself, heading upstairs. At some point nobody could quite pinpoint, a third door had appeared between the other two, where a painting of a bone usually hung. The painting was nowhere to be seen. Toriel paused in front of the mysterious door, scoffing quietly and rolling her eyes before continuing on to the final of the three.

Gaster stayed through the rest of the credits, then got up from the couch and gently helped the slumbering King to lay down, though the couch was too small for him and his limbs dangled onto the floor. Nonetheless, Gaster grabbed a blanket from behind the furniture and draped it over his dozing friend before turning off the TV.

In the silence, the song echoed in his skull, and guilt pulsed in his soul. He grimaced and headed towards the kitchen. Papyrus and Undyne chatted quietly inside, and the skeleton turned to his father with a big grin.

"So?! What'd you think?!"

"It was fantastic, _a stór_. I'm glad we got to see it."

"He can do that bow for real now, too," Undyne said.

"Absolutely right!" Papyrus beamed and stuck his hand in the air, calling up a bone bow from his fingers in a simple motion. "See?!"

Gaster's eyes got big. "Just like that?"

"Yes! It was surprising to me, too." He let the weapon vanish into sparkling dust again. "But! It's also incredibly cool so I'm hoping very hard that I don't forget how to do it, now that I know."

Undyne smirked. "It's kinda good to see someone gettin' something cool outta this crap, at least."

"Plus Suzy!" the skeleton said brightly. He tapped his teeth. "I hope we're still friends after this. Dad, you remember Crabapple Kid mostly, right? She'd be up for making a new small purple friend, right?"

"I… I'm sure she would," Gaster said, his soul aching. "Ah. Sorry to veer, but have you seen your brother?"

"Oh. Yes. He rolled down the stairs by accident," Papyrus said, pointing into the strange doorway beneath the very tall sink. "And he said to just leave him for a while."

"He was fine," Undyne said. "It's real weird down there, though."

Gaster raised his brows, and Undyne gestured towards the stairs as if inviting him to look. The skeleton took the hint and headed down through dim light, only to emerge in a room he'd never seen before. It was strangely cave-like and had an elaborate shrine to a white dog at the back of it. Sans was sitting against the wall by its side, the bone around his sockets a deep grey and his eyes half-lidded. He raised his hand to greet his father.

"Hey. Sorry for bein' a pain in the ass," he said.

Gaster shook his head. "I need you to be. Always have."

"Heh." San's eyes brightened. "Thanks for takin' the break. I know Paps was pretty thrilled."

"I'm glad I did." The old skeleton folded his arms. "I'm just worried about you."

"I know." Sans grinned sideways. "'Preciate you not callin' my bluff."

Gaster snorted and rubbed his head. "You still haven't told him, have you?"

"Nah." Sans's shoulders slumped. "…Gonna. Not yet."

Blowing out a quiet sigh, Gaster approached the shrine and looked up at it curiously. "So. When did this get here?"

"Sometime after we went topside, I guess," Sans said. He pointed to a little donation box in front of the white dog's portrait. "Dog's tryin' to give us the shakedown."

Gaster scoffed. "I suppose it suits the tone." He pulled a gold coin from his pocket and plunked it into the slot. A little gold shimmer glittered against his fingertips. "For luck. Has Papyrus tried placing that red orb here?"

"Not that I know of," Sans said. "How's the arm?"

"Well. I'm sure I'll find this _humerus _once this is all over and done with, but at the moment…" Gaster smiled sideways.

Sans snickered. He tilted his head. "Still can't cast?"

Though he couldn't help but flinch, Gaster held out his dark arm. It was still bizarre to look at. He rolled his fingers and tried to call up a simple light. He felt something, but the magic didn't flow from his fingertips. He frowned, drumming his foot.

"What's that?" Sans asked.

"What's what?"

"That song you were hummin' just now."

Gaster stared back at him blankly. "Was I…?" He curled his fingers and pressed them against his chin as he frowned deeply, his confusion palpable. "That's odd."

"Wuh-oh," Sans said jokingly. "Don't lose it on me."

"Oh, it's far too late for that," the old skeleton joked with the faintest of warbles in his voice. He huffed and rubbed the back of his skull. "I'm not sure what to make of it, to be honest."

"It ain't doin' sound right," Sans said. "Kinda like the black in Suzy's soul. But she could definitely use it."

"So maybe it just takes more adjusting." Gaster folded his arms. "I should really get back to work."

"Never learn, huh?"

"If I recall, you're no better."

Sans snickered. "Welp. Got me there. Bein' stuck in a loop in kinda my M.O."

Gaster flinched. He paused to consider his words carefully. "I… know you've been through the unimaginable. And what you've done, it's… I know you put everything before yourself, but this is no way for you to live."

"Well I got news for ya—"

"Sans."

The short skeleton twirled his index fingers around each other and grinned wide. "You and me, we're an ouroboros of hypocrisy."

Gaster sighed heavily. He rubbed his temples. "I know. Fine. Forget that. Can we at least discuss next steps?"

"Sure." Sans patted the floor beside him. "Whatcha have in mind?"

The strange shrine room was chilly, much more noticeable while sitting on the floor. Gaster propped his back up against the wall. There was a soft barking song coming from somewhere that he hadn't noticed before. He chuckled.

"This whole thing is bloody strange, isn't it?"

"Tell me about it," Sans said.

"So, what I figure… If I can just…" Gaster clasped his hands together. "I believe if I get the NOCTURNE going at this point, with all the work Alphys and you boys did, we should at least be able to find out where the kids went. And then if we could get them a signal, and they signal back…"

"Sucks that you couldn't actually see it when you grabbed 'er, huh?" Sans said. "You're, uh, sure it was real, right?"

"I'm leaning on ninety-percent sure," he said. "Plus. Whenever I've seen her in a dream, she's acted surprised, and I know for certain it's not a memory. I do believe it's a real connection."

"…Hm. Yeah. Guess that makes sense," Sans said. "No more where you're in the head of some hateful freak, right?"

"It hasn't happened again," Gaster said. "But, I admit, if it'd allow me to speak to her directly, I'd gladly take it over nothing." He shook his head. "I still can't even imagine what lead her to a version of the world where she would have to confront… me, like that. Where I would…" He grimaced. "It's shattering."

"I know." Sans rested an arm across his knee. His gaze was suddenly far away. His expression twisted downwards for a moment before he chuckled weakly at himself. "Shit. I miss her."

If guilt had a sound, the shrine would have been a cacophonous mess. Gaster grimaced and got to his feet.

"I really should get to the lab," he said.

"Couldn't wait 'til mornin'?" Sans asked.

"I want… I need to work. I have to help you," he insisted. He heard the sound of feet on the steps and lowered his voice. "I know your point about recuperation is valid, but if I… if I cannot help my own son, what do I do? What good am I?"

"CEASE IMMEDIATELY!" Papyrus's eyes flashed in the shadows of the steps and his posture was rigid and alert like a dog at the sound of a whistle. He raced to his father's side, grabbed his shoulders and spun him around to stare defiantly into his eyes. "Nyooo, no no no, you do NOT talk about yourself like that!"

"P-Papyrus?" Gaster croaked.

"I don't know where I've heard someone say that before but I know that I have and I will say to you what I'm sure I've said before!" He crushed his father into a hug. "It makes no sense and how could you actually think any of that?! You're a million percent wrong and you're good for a lot! So don't you dare. Alright?!"

The old skeleton's eyes flared with colour and he cast a nervous look at Sans. His son merely grinned and shrugged. Gaster sighed and hugged Papyrus as well.

"I'm going to try, Paps," he said quietly.

"If it's too hard, just believe in me, who believes in you!" Papyrus said. He pulled back and jabbed his thumb into his own chest, winking. "I will believe in you non-stopped!"

Gaster cracked a tired smile. He nodded. "I will do my best. Thank you."

"Hey, bro." Sans pointed at the dog shrine. "Don't mean to, uh, _terrier_ you guys apart, but dad had the bright idea to plunk that red thing down here. Who knows, maybe some mystical dogs are down to play ball. Or, uh…" He winked. "Fetch, more like."

"Brother. You're horrendous," Papyrus said with a starkly unamused face.

Sans laughed loudly, and despite what he'd said, Papyrus pulled the shiny orb from his pocket. He looked at the shrine with a suspicious squint and placed the artefact down in front of the portrait of a white dog. Light from nowhere shimmered across it and it let out a soft tinkling sound, then it remained still. Papyrus huffed out a sigh, and his brow instantly furrowed. He lifted his shirt and pulled an identical white dog from his ribcage once again.

"Nyeh! I can NOT believe you can't find a less annoying place to appear in!" he protested.

The dog licked his face and Papyrus grumbled quietly. His father couldn't conceal the shock from his face and Sans burst out laughing again. He held out his arms and Papyrus gladly deposited the dog into them.

"What d'ya think, is it a dud, bud?" he asked.

The dog licked him right on the mouth.

Papyrus sighed heavily. "SIGH." He reached for the orb again. As soon as his fingers grazed it, it shot a beam of gold light into his forehead and his bones flashed over the same colour for a split second. He reeled back, blinking with shock. "NYEH, what was that?!"

"Papyrus!" Gaster grabbed his shoulder. "What—?!"

"Sheesh, weird, you okay, bro?" Sans asked.

"Hm? Oh! Yes, completely fine, it was just strange is all." Papyrus shook his head and pointed at the little dog Sans held. "Dog! You're strange. That is all." He jerked his thumb back over his shoulder. "I'm going to go help Undyne set up the garage as her just-for-now house. Dad, you aren't heading out right this second, are you?"

Gaster looked at Sans, who shook his head. The dog also shook its head. The old skeleton sighed quietly.

"I'll rest until it's properly morning, at least."

"Perfect!" Papyrus said bright. He seized his hand. "Come with me! I'll get you settled, too!"

Gaster didn't resist as Papyrus dragged him up the stairs. Sans held the dog's paw up and waved with it, and his father couldn't help a snort of amusement.

Sans stayed where he was for a while, squeezing the dog's cheeks and thinking about nothing. When he got up, he left the pup with a magic bone to gnaw on and headed upstairs, where the King was snoring on their couch. He checked the clock. Almost five in the morning. He mostly hated that.

He trudged upstairs, pausing at the sigh of mysterious door number two. He opened it. It was a narrow room with the same zigzag carpet as outside, though in orange and yellow instead of blue and purple. The walls were covered in blue wallpaper with a faint pattern of bones on it. There was a small cot with squishy patchwork blankets on it against one wall and another dog shrine overseeing the room from its farthest point. This one was much smaller than the one in the basement. Two candles that smelled like soup were lit on either side of the centrepiece: a chubby, triangle-eared dog holding a crescent moon in its front paws. Sans chuckled and rolled his eyes, backing out and telling himself he'd let someone else deal with it.

He headed for Toriel's room and knocked lightly on the door. When he heard her voice say something in reply, he wandered on in. She was at her desk, cheek slumped onto her fist as she stared, glassy-eyed, at the journal laying before her.

"Hello, hun," she said, her voice low and drowsy. "Doing alright?"

"Was here to ask you that," he said.

She nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I've certainly been better, but I feel fine now, if not a bit… is existential the right word. Probably, hm?"

"Can, uh…? Can I ask what it was like?"

Toriel sat back in her seat, brushing her ears from where they flopped forward. "It was… normal. For a while. Seeing you, when I did not remember, it was truly like meeting you for the first time. When my memories returned, it was almost like waking from a dream. Now, though, that time in my life is a little more refreshed in my thoughts, if that makes sense."

"So it's not… awful," Sans said.

She shot him a warm smile. "No, hun, it's not. Please don't worry so much."

He shrugged and grinned sideways. "You know me, regular ol' ball of anxiety."

Toriel snickered. "Oh stop. Go to bed." She leaned back in over her journal, scrawling a few more things with in her measured, flowing handwriting. "Oh. Check on Suzy for me, would you?"

"Gotta walk all the way over there, huh?" he said.

"Yes, you do."

Sans did just that, slipping silently into Papyrus's room. Alphys was snoring softly in the bed on the right side of the room. She'd rolled awkwardly at some point and lost her blanket. Sans grabbed it and pulled it up over her shoulders— wasn't the first time, for sure. Papyrus's race car bed cradled the crocodaur. Sans wandered over to check on her, though fragments of shattered time speckled his vision very suddenly. He was too tired to care much.

Suzy had her claws clenched tight into her blanket, her chompers bared in a grimace. Sans lit his hand with a cooling blue and set it against the kid's forehead. She slumped and settled, her weight pressing into the mattress. Just as he was about to leave, Suzy's eyes shot open, her irises blazing with purple light. She reached out for him and snatched his hand.

"I-I'm real right?" she asked breathlessly. "I'm here? I d-didn't disappear, right?"

"You're alright," Sans assured her. He squeezed her fingers. "See? You're right there. Chill. S'too early, huh? Go back to sleep."

"Right. Right, sure," she said quietly. The light faded from her eyes She grabbed her blanket and, pouting, pulled it up over her head like a hood as she rolled over onto her side. "I'm here. I'm real. Okay."

Sans took a step back, pausing as he felt something fluffy against his leg. It was the white dog. He plucked it up and plopped it in the bed beside Suzy. It let out a big yawn and did a big stretch and then curled up with the kid, a soft, fuzzy marshmallow. Her fingers clenched into its fur.

Sans rubbed the back of his skull. He couldn't help a heavy blink. He wondered if that mini shrine room was taken. He wondered if it might vanish with him inside it; what might happen. He was too tired to deal with that. Before he knew it, he crashed facedown onto the cot, unable to summon the will to do much else as he ran Papyrus's film over in his head, imbedding the dialogue into his memory. Even if the film itself might not stick around past a reset, at least it would make a good story to tell those kids. Or, since it was Mettaton's, at least a mediocre story with a flashy climax. Very on brand.

\- - -

After Alphys was fully brought up to speed over breakfast, she had her own news to share. First thing, the check-in app was done already. She had everyone download it to their phones, hoping that it would help keep track of them all. She also added a small section to include noticed shifts, even though it wasn't something she could experience. They already had their first entry, though. The couch was green again, but was a bright lime, as if its saturation had been cranked way up. It didn't match the decor at all.

The next thing Alphys brought to the breakfast table was the completed song of the universe. With the addition of Asriel's song from the music box woven into it, the lizard was confident the melody was right. She'd cross-checked it with the red line about a dozen times. She played it for everyone and Gaster had to stop himself from crying.

Finally, the pieces of Sans's time machine were repaired. As Gaster and Papyrus packed things to bring to the lab, Sans and Alphys (bundled up in a thick, wooly sweater and Papyrus's scarf) went into the garage to begin the theoretically simple repairs.

Papyrus and Undyne had really done a good job of fixing up the place. There was an old carpet spread across the floor to keep feet from freezing, and a mattress set up in the corner with thick blankets and a stack of pillows. Some of Undyne's clothes were piled up in a box, and from the stuff that was there, it looked like she'd managed to salvage her guitar, some boxes of tea, and a big, yellow road sign with a shark on it. The latter was stuck up on the wall beside a pirate flag. A tattered training dummy stood stoically in the corner beside a yellow beach chair, and several books from inside the house were propped up near the foot of the mattress. A striped curtain to divide the little living area from the time machine hung by bones from the ceiling.

"S-So… So her whole house is… gone?" Alphys asked worriedly as her eyes darted around the garage. "I'm glad y-you guys, um, had this extra space."

"Yeah, turns out it's been useful," Sans said. "And, uh. The whole thing's on fire, last I heard."

"That's so scary," she said quietly. "I can't imagine…" She sighed heavily. "I'm m-missing a lot, huh? I'm… I'm sorry I didn't believe you at first. Did I say that already? I-I hope so."

"Don't sweat it, Alph."

Alphys reached for her phone to grab the machine parts. "A-And I still can't believe the old Queen lives in y-your house and A-Asgore's so casual about it!" Her cheeks flushed. "Do, um…? Do you think th-they're going to get back together?"

"Uh. Probably not," Sans said.

"Ah." She pouted for just a moment before kneeling down in front of the time machine. "O-Okay, do you mind if we…?"

Sans plunked himself on the floor beside her. He saw a scrap of paper under the pod and pulled it out. There was Alphys's note, just like she'd said, explaining that she'd taken broken parts to the lab. He put it aside and held out his hand. She passed him the first of the parts she'd repaired— a small plate with some circuitry soldered onto the backside. It belonged just inside the hatch. Sans reattached it, and she handed him the next part.

"Y'know, I was so outta it, I didn't even think to check on this junk," he said as he tinkered.

"I f-figured. You've had a l-lot going on," Alphys said. She leaned in to watch as he carefully rewired a switch that had snapped. "Um. When… When this is d-done, would i-it be okay if I, um, studied this thing?"

"Go ahead," he said.

"But, um, can I still, even if I f-forget?" she asked hopefully.

Sans nodded and she grinned wide. He snickered.

"Hopefully I don't blow it up," he said.

"Yeeeeeah, that w-would be bad." She chuckled and sat back, looking at the pod-like machine in awe. "I still c-can't believe you built an actual t-time machine in your g-garage. It was… t-to find Gaster, right?"

"Yup, pretty much," Sans said.

"Okay." Alphys nodded to herself. "T-Too bad it's so, um… small? And these parts…?"

"CORE leftovers and literal garbage, mostly," Sans said. He finished with the switch and she passed him another bit. "Hey. 'Preciate you doin' this."

"Ah! I-It was nothing," she assured him quickly. "The, um, red line stuff was a l-lot of waiting for things to render after a certain point, t-to be honest, so I had a lot of free time." She pointed to the interior of the machine. "Sh-Should we, um, slot some crystals in, give it a test? I-I mean, just to make sure it turns on, I d-don't think we should be going anywhere."

Sans nodded. "Yeah. Better now than havin' it blow up when I actually need it, right?" He winked.

He got to his feet and popped his back, then leaned into the pod. He slid the three remaining power crystals he had into the appropriate sockets and waved at Alphys to back up. She stumbled to her feet and darted across the room. Sans flicked a red switch inside and hit a chord on the keyboard controls. The panels inside lit up and the machine let out a low, melodic hum. After a few seconds, though, the metal rattled and the crystals began to glow and flicker.

"Wuh-oh," Sans said.

"D-DON'T WUH-OH!" Alphys cried.

The skeleton shielded his eyes with his hand just in time for a big, bright flash to shine out of the inner compartment. He quickly powered the time machine down and let out a tired sigh. He pulled the crystals out and passed them to Alphys as she hurried up to him again.

"Wh-What happened?!" she asked shrilly.

"Not sure." He got into the pod and reached under the console. "Guess somethin' inside got dislodged on the last trip, too." He unlatched part of the panel around the middle and flipped it up to reveal a mess of wires, crystal tubes, and swirling magics trapped in clear capsules.

One of the capsules in a line of five was leaking iridescent drips and some wires below it were burned almost all the way through.

"Ah. That'd do it." Sans reached in to unscrew it from the metal.

"Here, l-let me just…" Alphys leaned in around him to take a photo of the contraption's innards. "That shouldn't b-be too bad to fix, I'm pretty sure I h-have more of those you can take."

"Cool." He dislodged the broken capsule and squinted at it. "Hm. Maybe replace all of these with somethin' stronger, too."

"Troubleshooting never ends, huh?" she said with a smile.

He laughed. "Got that right."

Alphys looked at the crystals she held and, cautiously, gave one a nip with her blunt front teeth. She jolted like she'd received a static zap, then started laughing. "Your b-brother was right!" She held up the crystal. "Fifty-eight percent charge!"

"Eesh, big overload. Good to know," Sans said. He rubbed his skull. "Alright. Hope we don't gotta go diggin' in the dump."

"Hopefully," Alphys agreed.

After throwing a tarp and a big "NO TOUCHA" sign over the time machine, Alphys and Sans met up with the other skeletons back inside the house. They were ready to go, except Gaster couldn't find his glasses. However, he didn't seem to actually need his glasses, which was odd. They headed out, joined by a mysteriously appearing white dog, and made their way to the lab, armed with Toriel's journal and a ton of books.

The lab was tidied up from the overwhelming mess it was the last time they were there. A flowery note and a gift basket was left on Alphys's desk chair. Apparently, coming in to look for extra hard drives, Mettaton had decided it was a good idea to try to try to boost the rocket skates in his boots himself with one of the modification tools Alphys had left out upstairs, to disastrous consequences. He'd sent a "personal assistant" over to clean up while they were gone, which meant that it was fairly probable that the cat guy that worked at the MTT Burger Emporium had not had a very fun night.

The first part of their endeavour was simple enough. They could access a program into the NOCTURNE's search from the main room and plug the melody and red line straight into it. Though that key in the CORE had to be run from down there, the program chirped happily and gave them an easy positive response, accepting the melody as a query with no trouble at all.

The next part, though, was more difficult. They had to enter the lowest CORE chamber. It wasn't safe for Alphys to go into, especially with the strange nature of what they'd be doing. She set up in a booth a floor above where, with a few platform rotations and dragging some of her monitor screens down with her, she could access some of the controls along with see what was going on. She synced her laptop to Gaster's directly. She'd be able to get all the data she needed from there, and would be recording the entire thing.

Sans certainly wasn't eager to enter that blazing hot CORE cavern again, but Gaster was sturdy and Papyrus was bouncing with anticipation. The youngest of the skeletons had no clue about the last time they were there and what had happened to their sister. Small mercies, maybe, Sans thought.

Sans dragged his feet when the elevator they rode in finally clunked to the ground. Gaster pushed back the heavy metal doors to the CORE's inner cavern, which greeted them with a blast of heat and intense orange light. The massive stream of magic energy swirling up through stone inside the chamber was calmer than the last time Gaster was there, its iridescence painting the walls like ripples of light off water. A bright surge of red spiked through it, but it stayed contained to the pillar. Papyrus gasped loudly and clapped his hands against his face.

"Oh. My. GOD. This is amazing!" he said, throwing his hands in the air. "Brother, are you seeing this?!"

"Yup." Sans wished he could at least feign enthusiasm, but his nerves were getting the better of him and the whole place was scrambling his vision into strange, colourful chunks of light. "You wanna wait here, though?"

"What?! Why?!

"So if it blows, you don't melt."

"What about you?!"

Sans winked. "I'm a weird red-oozin' freak, remember? I'll be fine."

"Nyeh! That's…!" Papyrus rubbed his chin. "A valid reason, I suppose. I would like to help as much as I can, though! Dad, what do you think, how can the great Papyrus be of the most use to you?"

Gaster frowned thoughtfully. "Well… Maybe, listen to the CORE itself? Look out for any shifts in its resonance. Give a shout if you hear something very odd."

"Okay!" He saluted and positioned himself right at the threshold of the heavy, metal doors. "Can do!"

Sans stuck his thumbs up. Gaster nodded approvingly and headed straight for the console farther into the chamber. He opened it up to reveal the stark crimson loop of the key that was the NOCTURNE. As Gaster drew a string of red out from it to attach to his computer, a swirl of ambient magic began to glow in the holes in his palms. Sans shoved his hands into his pockets.

"God, I hope this works," he muttered under his breath.

The computer screen lit up with a black diagram, graph-like, with the red line flowing like a ribbon in the wind. Equations representing the melody traced along its edge. Gaster split the windows to show the alternate program Toriel had helped him inject into the system. He set it to run, and Sans leaned in over his shoulder to look.

The red line and numbers tracing it merged together. Gaster nodded to himself.

"HOW'S IT GOING OVER THERE?!" Papyrus called.

"It just started," Sans replied.

"SO?!"

Sans chuckled. "Good, bro."

"WELL, GOOD THEN!"

"So far," Gaster said quietly. He pressed his fingers too hard into the side of the computer, the casing compressing every so slightly. "Bloody hell."

The NOCTURNE began to process, a big, grey loading bar running along the top of the screen. The tracking program's window popped up a green button with a thumbs up inside it. Gaster let out a sigh of relief. The red line began to map itself out, but then quickly spread to overcome its entire screen.

"Wh…? Oh. Shit," Sans said.

"Hang on. One moment," Gaster said. He pointed out the little dots of equations still running beneath where it had been. "Asriel. There."

Sans's eyes brightened. "Oh yeah?"

Gaster clicked on it, bringing up a parameter box and ordering the program to focus hardest on that signature. The loading bar turned into a spiral. Gaster let out a tense breath and began to hum softly as he drummed his fingers on the computer.

It took a few moments for the spiral to unravel. It now read: _Est. Time: 1000y._

"A thousand…?" Sans caught the words as the number began to go up, ten thousand, a million, ten million. "Ten. Million."

"Years," Gaster said miserably as the number still climbed astronomically. "Ah, shatter me, that is… impossible."

"So what now?" Sans said.

The old skeleton shook his head. "It's… It's wrong. It's searching every facet all at once. But we know it begins here." He pointed to the pinprick that began Asriel's path. "If I could just redirect it right along there…"

"Does that take a new comp?" Sans asked.

"It… does." Gaster sighed. "Sans, I'm so sorry."

"IS IT GOING POORLY?" Papyrus shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. "IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING POORLY! DON'T WORRY, I BELIEVE IN YOU!"

Sans folded his arms. He tapped his foot. There had to be something else. "What…? What if I, like… stuck my hand into the CORE or somethin'?"

"Out of the question."

"Maybe one of those save stars, then?" Sans asked. "We just need… somethin' that can shove it in the right direction out there, right?"

"Bending its energy correctly…" Gaster's eyes lit up. "I will."

"Hey. No. Wait. You almost bit it last time," Sans said swiftly. "And every time, actually, That's nuts."

"I am the only one who has any chance of doing such a thing, though," he said with a frown.

A text popped up on Gaster's computer screen with a cartoon icon of Alphys's face beside a big, bold message that read, "**DON'T YOU DARE!**" The old skeleton sighed. He closed the laptop.

"We don't have millions of years, obviously." He grabbed Sans's soul in blue magic with his left hand and lifted him off his feet.

"Wait," Sans said incredulously. "Oh, no you d—"

"I'm sorry." He tossed Sans swiftly to his brother, bowling them both over, and used his magic to slam the doors closed after them. He took a deep breath. "Told myself I wouldn't, and yet… Heh. Idiot."

Magic shining at his fingertips, Gaster carefully sliced the world with his off-hand, unveiling a void of sheer black behind it. He took a deep breath and plunged his left arm into it. The bones froze instantly, but he could feel the vibrations of the NOCTURNE against his fingertips as its energy ebbed out into the space between. That song seared inside his skull began to thrum. He scrunched his eyes shut and reached out with red and black, trying to call the searching melody to him.

It didn't work. Nausea hit him, but before he could even reel back, goo of the void splurted out, twisting around his bones like an icy tar. Gaster yelped and dug his heels in, but it was like fighting a massive magnet. He dragged back, attempting to detach the arm but the pitch liquid gave him no control of what it touched. It heaved him in to his shoulder and seeped up his neck.

"Bloody hell, I c-can't…" He could hardly speak for the nausea, and his vision blurred as the goo began to leak from within his own head. That song pounded in his skull. He spluttered and tried to call up bones around him as a buffer, but they were chaotic black spears, jabbing out all over the chamber.

A massive slam jarred him and he turned, barely able to see two skeleton blasters smashing the heavy metal doors off their hinges, and Papyrus start to sprint for him, dodging between the obsidian bone shards.

"Don't! Do not touch it, don'!—!" Gaster's words were stolen from him as the ooze from the tear seeped over much of his face, plunging one eye into the void where all it could could see was darkness. Terror gripped him, but the ice cold was draining him of the energy to fight it. All he could hear was that song, getting louder and louder, overwhelming everything.

Papyrus seized his father around the chest and pulled back as hard as he could. "Come oooooon, no you dooooon't, we're not getting sucked into a nightmare star today, no we are not!"

Sans rushed to join him. "You idiot," he growled. He grasped Gaster's soul as hard as he could in blue and tried to pull, but even that winded him. "Paps, y-you got 'im?!"

"Yes I doooo, but…! Oof!" He took a deep breath, bracing his boots against the ground. He lit up with amber and took one step back.

Though Gaster was still stuck, from the angle he was at, Sans could see the ooze recede around his brother's hands. His eyes went wide.

"Paps! Your magic's screwin' with it, do a big burst!" he called.

"Oh! Can do!" Papyrus scrunched his eyes shut and his magic warmed the air around him with golden light. A spot in the centre of his forehead flashed and a bright, effervescent aura like honied champaign burst from his soul in a wide, smooth bubble.

Almost as soon as it had come, the goo from the void wiped away and Gaster lurched back, gasping, his eyes beaming with light. It still had his arm, and he reached in with the blackened one as well. Papyrus yelped and dragged him back, but now both of the old skeleton's limbs were elbow deep in the black star.

"Noooo, no no no, we just got you out of there!" he yelped. "Dad?!"

Gaster didn't reply, but his soul began to shriek, some strange, disjoined tune. Papyrus winced and held him as tight as he could.

"What the heck is happening?!" Papyrus demanded. "Dad, why are you not answering?! Helllooo, it's me, your cool son Papyrus!"

Sans's mind rushed, but that song… It wasn't his hum, but it was a disturbing mess in a similar way. Even so, there was something familiar about. Sans's eyes went wide.

"Oh shit." He got closer as quick as he could, clambering around the black spikes Gaster had made. "Hey! Numbskull! Tune to F sharp major and D sharp minor, then on four go to G major and E minor, got it?! Then compensate!"

"What the heck, brother?" Papyrus demanded.

"He kept hummin' this. But it's off key now," Sans explained quickly. "C'mon, old man. You got it."

Papyrus frowned. He lit his soul up bright and, though he didn't know the tune, he tried to gently guide his father's notes back to an even place. After a moment more of chaos, the bizarre song Gaster's soul played became smooth and melodic, though the tone was dark, it was almost lullaby-like. He carefully slipped his left arm out of the void and something grey and shimmery cast itself across the right one.

Gaster let out a deep breath and blinked, his eyes flitting back into focus. The sharp bones around him shattered into obsidian glitter and he pulled his dark arm from the void. The aura that coated it slipped off and floated in a strange, greyscale bubble before him. He turned to look back at his sons and grasped Papyrus tight in a hug.

"I'm so sorry," he croaked.

"Yeah, you better be," Sans said, rubbing his temples, his bones rattling faintly. "Holy shit, that was stupid."

"I know. I know."

"Stupidest shit I ever seen in my life."

"Nyooo, I'm just glad you're okay," Papyrus said. "But yes, that was monumentally dangerous, dad! Why did you do that?!"

"I… I didn't see another way, but…!" He pulled back and looked at his dark arm with a grin spreading. "I think I have it."

"Holy shit," Sans said under his breath.

"Sans." Gaster looked down sympathetically. "It's alright. Get it out."

"Okay." Sans counted on his fingers. "One, you're an idiot. Two, I can't believe you'd be so damn stupid. Three, you're an ass. Four, never do that shit again. And five." He sighed. "You're my dad and I love ya, so don't friggin' die again or I'm gonna be actually pissed."

"And he's almost never actually pissed," Papyrus said with a solemn nod. "So you better not."

Gaster smiled fondly. He began to laugh quietly. He reached out and carefully sealed the rip he'd made back up, and then popped the grey bubble with his fingertip. "I will accept this judgement. And I will do my best." He held out his dark arm. "Thanks to you two, I understand what to do now."

"Nyeh? You, um… You do?" Papyrus asked.

The old skeleton nodded. Just as he opened his mouth, Alphys came shrieking down the hallway, stumbling to a stop at the busted threshold, her arms laden with healing foods.

"GASTER!" she yelled. "OVER HERE, RIGHT NOW, TH-THAT WAS N-NOWHERE NEAR N-N-NORMAL!"

"Ah! Alphys! Perfect timing," he said. "Do you have any way to do a mountain-wide search for the soul type with the unusual black in it?"

"Uh. Umm. I… I-I guess I c-could modify Mettaton's broadcast blaster, why?" she asked, then shook her head swiftly. "Just g-get out of there, will you?!"

Sans raised his brow. "We got Suz at the house. What're you thinkin'?"

"That spell… The one in my head," he said. "Once it was right, it… protected me. And these dark bones, they… allowed for something out there. I think we can change the flow of the NOCTURNE from the outside. But I am not quite strong enough. I can't do it on my own. But if others with that ability channeled into me…"

Papyrus eyes bugged out. His face lit right up and he clasped his hands together, beaming. "Oh! That's excellent! That's going to be so good for Suzy, you don't even know! I'll go get—!"

"Waaait! W-Wait. Wait wait. Stop. A-All of you," Alphys said. She frowned and pointed at the ground at her side. "Out here. N-Now. Y-You guys are g-gonna e-eat this st-stuff and I'm running t-tests on all three of you b-before you do anything!" She pouted, her eyes glossy, and she puffed up, trying to convey a sense of authority despite her arms laden with packages of cake slices. "D-Doctor's orders."

Gaster smiled sideways. Sans grinned and shrugged.

"C'mon, you heard the doc," he said. "Free cake."

Papyrus shook his head. "Un. Be. Lievable." He strode ahead of them, taking all of the cakes out of Alphys's arms. "Here, that looks like quite a load."

Gaster turned and closed up the cover over the NOCTURNE. He also picked up his computer and told it to cancel the operation before closing the lid.

"So. Trauma breakdown now or later?" Sans asked.

"I'm alright," Gaster said. "It… was horrifying, absolutely, but I mostly blacked out."

"Oh. Lucky," Sans said.

The old skeleton sighed, his brow bending with sympathy. "Sans. I am… so sorry I scared you. I didn't expect for that to happen."

"And you wouldda been less bad off if you hadn't chucked me," Sans said, folding his arms.

"You're right. I won't be chucking in the future," he said. "But… Aside from that." His gaze drifted to Papyrus as he and the little lizard headed off towards the elevator. "What on earth did Papyrus do?"

"Somethin'." Sans tapped the middle of his own forehead. "Right where that dog thing hit him."

"Huh." Gaster cracked a smile. He shrugged. "I guess the payout for the good luck was pretty quick, wasn't it?"

"Pfff." Sans elbowed him in the side. "Get outta here, y'old weirdo. "

Gaster laughed. He patted Sans affectionately on the shoulder. Sans was still more than rattled, but he let his father walk on ahead. He turned and gave the CORE's magic pillar a cautious look. It sparked a little red, but nothing more. Sans sighed heavily and rubbed his hand over his skull. The heat was getting to him. He followed the others, kicking small stones on the way out.


End file.
